October 7: Is Peace Even Possible?

A view shows houses and buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes, in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, October 11, 2023. REUTERS/Anas al-Shareef TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY  photo credit

October 7 — one year ago, Hamas terrorists murdered 1200 Israelis in calculated attacks in towns, kibbutzim and a music festival near Gaza.  The terrorists took more than 200 Israelis hostage, with more than 100 still held captive.  Israel’s response has been hellacious, almost leveling Gaza, killing more than 40,000 Palestinian civilians including children, destroying hospitals and schools and homes, a vengeful campaign that seems to have no end.  A new front has now opened in Lebanon where Israel has attacked Hezbollah sites including assassinating its leadership; fears are rising that Iran may enter the war against Israel.

While, at first, many American observers expressed sympathy for Israel and supported that nation’s right to defend itself, as the war has progressed and the body count has soared, Israel has lost support around the world.  Meanwhile, in the U.S. and elsewhere, the movement to demand Palestinian rights has grown in size and intensity.  At the same time, the plague of anti-semitism has grown as well, with prominent university campuses like Columbia and Harvard in the eye of the storm as support for Palestinian rights grows and disdain for Israel’s tactics grows stronger.

I am hardly a scholar on the Israeli-Hamas conflict, the rights of Palestinians, the turgid history of the Middle East and all of the dangers the world faces stemming from this conflict.  Like so many Americans, I read the news each day and watch in horror as the conflict intensifies, the bloodshed gets worse, and no one seems able to bring the parties to the table to negotiate a peaceful settlement.  But even as I try to understand the many nuances of the conflict, I see several issues very clearly:

First, oppression of the Jewish people is an ancient and ongoing sin infecting large numbers of people around the world, and, consequently, the Jews have suffered enormous horrors including the Holocaust.  Anti-semitism must be rooted out wherever it exists.  Israel certainly has a right to defend itself.

Second, the colonization of the Palestinian people is a form of human oppression that should have come to an end decades ago.  Atoning for one sin (oppression of the Jews) by committing another (oppressing the Palestinians) is no solution at all.  As well, saying that the rights of Palestinians have been trampled is not anti-semitic, and working to find a solution is what all people of good will should be doing.

Third, one horror does not vindicate another.  The Hamas attacks of October 7 were horrific, but Israel’s vengeful response has been outrageous.

War solves nothing.  Gaza is in ruins, millions of people have suffered physical and emotional injuries that will never heal.  Now the war threatens to grow from a somewhat localized conflict to a conflagration that could engulf many nations.

Pope Francis has called for peace, as have many others, but Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu made it clear in his recent speech to the United Nations that he will not accept the terms of a cease-fire.  Many members of the U.N. General Assembly walked out of his talk.

A cease-fire is essential to begin the peace-building process.  The United States has a central role to play in moving Israel from its current posture of endless war to a position of accepting the need for a negotiated peace agreement.  The U.S., of course, has its own challenges with the presidential election less than a month away.  But the urgency of the situation for both Israelis and Palestinians cannot wait.

What is your opinion?  I welcome comments from the Trinity community on the meaning of October 7, the Israeli-Hamas war, the rights of Palestinians and solutions to the problem of anti-semitism in the United States.  Please use the comment box below.

See my short essay on the impact of October 7 on American universities in InsideHigherEd.com