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Writer's pictureCecil Chabot

Against Dehumanization: where I stand on Israel and Palestine

Many portray the conflict in Palestine & Israel in polarized and opposing versions of an otherwise identical framework: perpetrators on one side vs victims, resisters, or heros on the other. These categories all exist but the dividing line between them cuts across peoples and through the hearts of many persons.


Hamas’ October 7 was an act of barbaric violence that, like its celebration, is utterly hateful. But this hatred has deep roots in decades of injustice, inhumanity, violence and retaliation perpetrated in different ways on all sides and from the outside, from Auschwitz to Deir Yassin. Violence begets violence.


As currently waged, Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza is equally barbaric, dehumanizing and vengeful, despite attempts by some to be or appear to be otherwise. It begs the just war question, especially since Israel has done little to stop illegal settler invasions of Palestinian homes and lands, and some seem to be using this situation to justify doing even less.


A just war must respond to an immediate threat. It must do so proportionately. It must have a reasonable chance of success. It must not cause greater harm than the harm it seeks to prevent or remediate.


After October 7, was Hamas in a position to repeat such a brazen attack again? Was the immediate threat not diminished rather than heightened? Was war the best recourse to ensure safe return of the captives taken by Hamas? Has the response been even remotely proportional? If the many innocent children who are casualties of Israel’s counterattack were Israelis, would Israel consider their deaths and injuries a justifiable if lamentable cost of defeating Hamas? Does this counterattack have a chance of success? Will not the brutal consequences of this escalation sow and water seeds of many successors to Hamas? In this light, how can this method of fighting Hamas be projected to succeed unless the goal is not a security based on peace and justice but rather a security based on perpetual subjugation, demoralization, displacement of Palestinians?


Has the Gaza offensive not caused much greater harm to both Israelis and Palestinians than any harm it purports to prevent or resolve?


Is not Hamas equally guilty? Has it not shown itself more capable (morally at least) of perpetrating brutal retaliations - against Arab, Jew, Israeli and Palestinian? But would it exist if Palestinians were justly treated?


We are asked to stand with Israel or, by others, with Palestine. I stand with Palestinians and Israelis who want to forge a peace founded on justice, and a deep sense of both our shared human dignity & capacity for inhumanity. I stand with those who reject the polarized frameworks that are imposed on this conflict in order to justify a zero-sum end game or to pretend that just war principles can be ignored.


We are asked to mourn some victims and ignore others. Should we not mourn all the innocent and less innocent (who among us is without guilt?) victims of violence on all sides?

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