By José Gandue @spinning zone
Cruelty is a tyrant sustained only by fear.
William Shakespeare
Context of the diatribe: blockade and violence in Gaza
Perhaps it's too late to say it., And perhaps there's no way to excuse myself for not having said it before.
Nor do I believe that many—not even a few—were expecting my words of lament on this matter. In these circumstances, it's pointless to pose as a progressive, or a belated humanist, even if one tries to justify oneself by saying that one has a delayed conscience, masked by a refusal to accept that one's own people can be as cruel as those who persecuted us in the past.
The time has come to admit it: among the Jews there are also cruel beings, murderers, exterminators. It's not naiveté, it's the fucking reality.
One thing is the war that has been going on for years, where both sides have used violence appealing to their survival instincts. It is quite another thing to accept, promote and take pride in ethnic cleansing, in genocide, like the one committed 80 years ago against our people.
What is happening in Gaza has crossed the threshold of indignity and hatred, and makes comparisons inevitable—however horrific they may be—with Nazism and other miserable chapters of history.
We have the worst of us in front.
It goes without saying that Netanyahu is Hitler (it's clear that, without much effort, we'll find more differences than similarities), but Bibi —as his supporters call him— deserves to be listed, along with his accomplices in the massacre, among the most ignominious figures in history.
He has nothing to envy in Mussolini, Stalin, Mao and so many others.
Yes indeed: Faced with the abominable images of children murdered, bombed, annihilated, and starved by the Israeli military machine, I believe that fewer and fewer Jews support this disaster. I'm not defending anyone, but what happened on October 7, 2023 unleashed anger and the worst resentment in more than one person who was calling for revenge.
We were blinded, convinced that everyone on the other side was responsible for that crime. Wrong. Profoundly wrong. A cruel and stupid decision that the cruelest people knew how to take advantage of: Those who wanted to cling to power at all costs, the serial destroyers, those who unleashed all their dogs, helicopters and loudspeakers to blow up millions of innocent people who unwittingly served as protective shields for the real perpetrators.
Why talk about genocide in Gaza? An urgent diatribe
We were surprised to find ourselves repeating, alongside the most hurtful words, that “they”, “those on the other side”, They would have done the same if they had the same power to respond.
Disgust gripped us, and we believed we had to respond with such brutality that they would see hell at their gates. How did we come to maintain that the right thing to do was to apply a “a tooth for a thousand teeth, an eye for a thousand eyes”?
How could those we trusted say—shamelessly—that the death of any Palestinian, regardless of age, is justified?, Because within each of them resides a terrorist who wants to wipe us off the face of the Earth?
And besides, we were stubborn.
We believed we should continue campaigning, even though the genocide was being broadcast daily through all media, while hatred towards us grew throughout the world. Rather than being terrified by the rise in antisemitism—a despicable act if ever there was one—we must raise our voices and take a stand., without ambiguity, in the face of tyrants.
We must stop seeing ourselves as eternal victims who react in self-defense, and instead show solidarity and protect those who are being exterminated before our eyes.
International response to the genocide in Gaza
I repeat: The majority of Israelis oppose what Netanyahu and his entourage are doing. Most Jews—who are not all the same—do too. But as in other periods of history, Propaganda and fear prevent many from resisting more firmly.
There are those who still don't believe this is happening. Such is the power of these increasingly amplified propaganda machines. Even in this, the Israeli government resorts to the effectiveness of Nazi rhetoric, especially that of Goebbels: “It doesn’t matter if a lie is true or not, what matters is that people believe it is.”
For my part, I insist: we must build something that now seems impossible, but in which we have no choice but to believe. Two nations living together peacefully, with the help of the rest of the world. Will it take generations to achieve it? Of course.
The poison in the heart
Resentment—especially after such despicable acts as those we witnessed today—is not easily cured.
For many years there will be those who erupt in fury, believing that the damned justification for their violence is on their side. But peace, after judging and imprisoning the despots on both sides, must be the ultimate goal. We must accept that achieving it is the most difficult thing, but also the most necessary.
Even the Jewish sages warn of it
Martin Buber said: “Dialogue is a way of life, a way of being in the world and relating to others. Dialogue is an attitude of openness and respect towards the other, an attitude that recognizes the dignity and uniqueness of each human being.”
Let's be aware of something fundamental: Opposite us are people, like us, who cry out not to be dehumanized.
Hannah Arendt stated: “Peace is born from a democratic pact between equals.” That must be clear and prevail in all our actions if we truly want to survive without stepping on each other's toes. It must be our commitment. In our words and in our actions.
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