7th of October

In a day as today, we only have words to keep memories alive, to dispel our angst and our profound sadness.  We need to put words to paper and screens, record, speak out and remember.  We must keep alive the human right to live safely and in peace, to live in freedom, to practice your religion and culture and to develop as a human being.

Today we remember

the kibbutzim, the festival goers, the dead on the day, the hostages;

the out of proportion response,

the indiscriminate bombing of civilians,

the destruction of mosques, schools, universities, libraries, hospitals,

the collective punishment and the forced starvation of people,

the long months of civilian deaths, of women and children in their homes and refugee camps,

the torturing and raping of prisoners in their jails,

the ongoing dispossession of ancestral land,

the inhuman violence, justified as defence but motivated by revenge,

state sanctioned terrorism.

Israelis and Palestinians have a right to exist, to live in peace side by side. Free of persecution and violence, safe and secure in their own states. 

As human beings we need to find a way to move from a spiral of generational violence and retribution to  mutual recognition, respect and cooperation. We must find a way.

7th of October 2024