As the situation shows no signs of getting any better and as opinions and arguments whirr around social media, these are ten things I want to state clearly about the situation in Gaza:
1. Israel’s destruction of Gaza and its killing, maiming and starvation of the population is horrific and absolutely wrong. We must condemn and stand against it in any peaceful way we can. Our Governments (in my case British) must not only speak out strongly but put those words into action that has consequences for Israel. In reality that means suspending all arms sales to Israel.
2. To speak against Israel’s actions is not being anti-Jewish. I am from a Jewish background myself with family killed in the holocaust. I am very aware of the deep dangers of anti-semitism and am clear that speaking against Israel’s current actions is not that.
3. The line between hating Israel’s actions and hating Jews can be thin. We must constantly check ourselves that we are not crossing that line and we must condemn and stand against anti-semitism in any peaceful way we can.
4. Hamas’ attacks on October 7 2023 were barbaric and sadistic. It has left Jews (Israeli and non-Israeli) traumatised. We must not forget the hostages still being held in no-doubt awful conditions. Hamas continues to treat its own people brutally with at least one report of a protester being murdered and delivered to his family in a body bag and it is clear it wants Israel’s destruction.
5. The current situation did not start with October 7. We must see it within the wider context of Israel’s brutal and barbaric treatment of Palestinians since 1948 and the long-term history of anti-semitism that Jewish people have faced.
6. Speaking against Israel’s actions does not imply support for Hamas. It is possible to hold a nuanced position that sees wrong in both sides.
7. Those of us coming from the colonial powers must recognise the terrible role our countries played in establishing this complete mess of a situation and thinking we knew best.
8. Please also respond to the Sudan crisis (eg.https://www.christianaid.org.uk/…/sudan-crisis-appeal ). The reality of other crises does not take away from the emergency situation in Gaza and the need to continue pushing for a full end to the aid blockade and a just ceasefire agreement. See here for an email template you can use to email the British Foreign Secretary, David Lammy: https://embraceme.org/fast-for-gaza
9. The Israeli government has become increasingly more explicit that it is pursuing a goal of full occupation in both Gaza and the West Bank. Its rampant expansionism into the West Bank and its terrible treatment of Palestinian residents is shocking and heartbreaking and we must condemn and stand against it in any peaceful way we can.
10. Violence will only lead to more violence. Israel will never find the security it longs for by bombing, destroying and killing. The only way forward is for a radically different approach from both sides, leading to a peace built on justice and a recognition of the shared humanity of all.
I hope it’s obvious that this is not intended to be a summary of all there is to say. I have learnt that much of the history is contested and interpreted differently. There is so much more that could be said (eg I haven’t touched on the history and continued place of Christians in the area nor explicitly on matters of International Law), but I needed to stop at some point and ten points seems enough. I continue to listen to different perspectives and to learn, but these points were ones that have been sitting with me as I’ve posted, watched the discussions and also continue to be part of a private, curated conversation. I need to say them and get them out of my head.
12 Comments
Hi Ruth- so well put , thank you. I’ve written to my MP as I know lots of people have but you’ve covered the points so clearly . Is there a way this could be sent to not only our government but also others …
Thanks so much Sue, I’m glad you’ve found it helpful. I don’t know about other governments, but well done for writing to your MP, that’s a good thing to have done.
Thank you, Ruth, for the excellent blog.
If I may, one of the things I have been anxious to do when speaking about Gaza is to frame it in terms of the innocents.
The innocents of Israel who should not have to live in fear of terrorist attack by Hamas or any other groups.
The innocents of Gaza who should not have to live in fear of attack by Israeli Defence Forces just because terrorists live in their neighbourhood (of course they do. You don’t expect someone to join a terrorist group and move out into the country!)
The problem of course is that the world has turned it into themuns and usuns (there’s a NorthernIrelandism for you!). God doesn’t say protect themuns, God doesn’t say protect usuns, God says protect the innocent.
It’s a horrible mess. Could you imagine if the British had blown up the Royal Victoria Hospital in the 1970s on the basis that IRA members lived in the immediate environs?
Hi Andy, thanks, that’s a helpful framing (though I can hear proponents of either side wanting to argue that no one on the other side is innocent… it gets so complicated).
And yes re the IRA comparison – I have thought the similarly. Could you imagine if the British government had tried to justify the flattening of Catholic areas of Northern Ireland because IRA terrorists were housed there?
Exactly 🙂
The idea that there aren’t innocents on the other side is bonkers, but I suppose that brings us back to Rene Girard (but not in the Peter Thiel/JD Vance perversion) and scapegoating the innocent.
The whole usuns and themuns thing is causing serious damage. Here, loyalists fly Israeli flags, and republicans fly Palestinan flags. I suppose it’s another thing of standing in the gap and telling God’s truth, that evil is evil regardless of who does it, and the worst sins committed against us will never excuse our own deliberate sin.
Thanks Ruth for your thoughts. I too wrote to my MP recently but it’s difficult to know what to write in the face of such an awful situation, knowing people will be all too aware of most of it already. So I might just add the following thoughts:
1) Both Hamas and the Netanyahu regime are essentially criminal, yet little is done to foster saner, wiser, more humane alternatives. Your organisation might be part of that alternative however idealistic it seems at this point, we need people who speak truth to power.
2) It is not just a humanitarian horror-show but a land grab in both Gaza and the West Bank. Whilst Gaza dominates the headlines, new illegal settlements are being set up in the West Bank which is not ruled by Hamas.
3) The UK Tory and Labour governments have rightly condemned Hamas, but have connived in the Israeli abuses of power.
4) The Labour policy seems driven by Starmer’s personal agenda, and, as you imply, the discussion has been neutered by the fear of being accused of being anti-semitic (Corbyn, Lammy and many others) whenever any criticism of the Israeli government is expressed.
5) The large demonstrations against the war in London and other cities are largely ignored by the media; they only get publicity if it’s negative and somebody does something stupid. This in turn provokes non-peaceful responses.
All of the above will come back to bite Labour in time, and it could have taken a different stance.
Thank you George. Those are helpful additions. In terms of what’s happening in the West Bank, you might like to see this: https://ruthvalerio.net/uncategorized/my-trip-to-the-west-bank-witnessing-life-under-occupation/
All the best.
You raise a very serious problem, and I agree with most of your post. It’s difficult to find a saner alternative when Netenyahu is lawfully elected and so are Hamas.
The main problem in my opinion is one you specifically mention at 4). Not necessarily Starmer’s own agenda, but that a narrative has allowed to have been set that any criticism of the secular Government of Israel (no matter what they might claim from their selective use of the Law and the Prophets) is anti-semitic.
The issue it raises is how do we protect the innocents of Israel (and also the innocents of Gaza and the West Bank) who are treated as guilty by association? How, specifically, do we protect Jewish people from being unjustly associated with their Government?
Like Ruth, I have Jewish ancestry (as well as a whole lot of other forbears) but my concern is for everyone in this, and I feel that people from the Middle East all get stigmatised.
In my faith I am told “the truth shall set you free” and like you I feel that speaking the truth has led to threats. Special safe spaces for any particular ethnic group are not so safe after all when the tide of lies comes in.
One area I could pick out where the church has colluded in unhelpful partiality is that of the Jews as a people apart. Having caused havoc with anti-Semitic hate over centuries, many churches now go the other way entirely. “There is neither Jew nor Gentile” said Paul; we are all called to aspire to God’s kingdom. But in many churches it isn’t taught that way.
I think that Jews need to be particularly remembered because of the centuries of hate they have faced culminating in Hitler, and they deserve particular attention when they are being abused. They have been scapegoated for much, including by Christians, and that mistreatment has been sinful.
It’s no free pass for the Government of Israel. I share your concern that in many places it appears to have gone the other way, but scripture constantly reminds us that God’s way is justice, mercy and walking humbly before him, and even those who have had the worst sins possible committed against them cannot use that sin as an excuse for their own.
And it makes us look at ourselves in God’s mirror too, which can also be scary…
Reading through your 10 points again now, I am still absolutely in agreement with you.
“Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as as it is in heaven”
Thank you,
Guy Rowland
It’s interesting how they’re still relevant now. But terrible that everything continues in so appallingly.
All the best.