The cycle of blood and suffering is at the core of life between the river and the sea. Millions of people Jews and Arabs alike, feel its consequences daily.
Vengeance is the primary mechanism behind the cycle of blood, and the war in Gaza is the most extreme way the state of Israel takes advantage of the urge for revenge to advance oppression and death in Israel/Palestine. The struggle against the war is not enough. We must fight the structural mechanisms enabling it: systemic racism within Israel, the apartheid military regime managed right by in the West Bank, the rise of violent and militaristic extremism among the Jewish population of Israel, the settlement industry, and many other factors.
I come from an established house in Tel Aviv. From a young age, political discussion in my home environment was a mix of Zionist and left-wing values. Conversations about the occupation and the meaning of military service were very frequent. When I eventually started asking questions about my environment, at the center of discussion stood the question of the army: how come the IDF allows and lends a hand to all these horrible actions that stand against all my beliefs, yet I am obliged to take part? Is there no other way?
Like everyone else between the river and the sea, my life irreversibly changed after the 7.10 massacre. From its outset, operational activity in Gaza has brought with it death and destruction on a never-before-seen scale. As the war continued, a grim picture of the new reality in Gaza emerged: Using starvation as a weapon, flattening entire neighborhoods, creating a refugee crisis of an incomprehensible scale, the targeted extermination of medical equipment and infrastructure, and the mass killing of civilians – especially children.
When the weight of the truth landed on me, I understood that it was not enough not to take part. Just avoiding was not an option. I understood I must do all I can to put an end to death and destruction – I understood I must refuse.