I’ve noticed that some people are afraid to speak up about the conflict between Israel and Hamas for fear of being called anti-semitic or otherwise racist. Many are torn by anger and empathy for both sides. Others are just so angry with The Jews for allegedly causing this tragic response to what they call what they see Apartheid and genocide.
I see misinformation flying everywhere, and not necessarily symmetrically. Hamas, for example, very likely misfired a rocket into a Gaza hospital parking lot and then claimed the IDF bombed 500 people inside. They also claimed they personally killed no civilians on 10/7, despite their own media as well as live posts of rape and murder to their victims social networks.
Israel, for its part, doesn’t share how it is targeting anyone in Gaza or confirm its civilian casualties, which doesn’t help to reduce the world’s humanitarian concerns. We get the mismatched death counts, tragic videos, angry social media posts, and not much more solid information.
I try to keep an open mind, find commonality, respect for our differences and hope everyone else does too. The larger enemy of peace, beyond short-term violence, is the radicalization of everyone.
As someone who is Jewish but not religious, anti-semitism has been a persistent but subtle factor in my life. I can’t equate it to any other kind of…
