All suffer, I see

Lately it seems to be assumed that if you stick up for Israel you cannot want any peace or have any sympathy for Palestinian suffering.

I have been thinking about this and how it is totally wrong. When myself and so many others write pieces supporting Jews or Israel it does not mean we want harm to others or do not sympathise with their suffering.

Certainly many Palestinians are struggling. Whilst we see many areas in Gaza full of restaurants and comfortable lives, that certainly is not true of all. Many areas are destroyed and many are living difficult lives . Much of this is caused by the devastation of war but encouraged and exacerbated by Hamas.

Similarly in Lebanon, people are struggling again caused by the invading force, Hezbollah, using the south of the country as a place to attack Israel. It is often the innocent citizens who bear the brunt of suffering.

For these people I feel for them. But when I write, it often has to be to put forward my support for Israel. Because on this point, most others are silent. Those that should be standing up for those suffering in Israel, those attacked time and time again on the North, the kibbutzim in the south struggling to rebuild with so much loss to cope with, the trauma of those that survived the massacre and the soldiers that fight so tirelessly, are silent. The Red Cross,UN.Amnesty et al are so busy demonizing Israel that I need to use my small voice to give the counter argument or point.

That does not mean I wish harm on any innocents on any of this conflict. It does not mean I do not care about their suffering. I do and always have. But, I have to care about my own in a world that seems to look away. I have to be part of the small minority that gives the view from our perspective, that corrects facts and narratives. But 2 things can exist at once. And it is the fact that this type of assumption is made about anyone that supports Israel is part of why we are where we are.

Because this world cannot cope with nuance and sympathy for more than one stance. It cannot cope with agreeing to disagree but still caring. It cannot cope with the fact that many Israelis want peace more that some Palestinians. It cannot cope with Israeli Arabs and anti gay Palestinians. Even as Palestinians call out Hamas and Lebanese want to get rid of Hezbollah, those controlling the narrative look away as they cannot cope with truth. So how on earth would they cope with my sympathy for all suffering but still defending the country they only see as the enemy.

The worst part of the world today is this cancel culture. You say one thing and if it is decided by the woke lefties to be offensive that is it. It does not matter what is said or meant. Look at the furore around JK Rowling support for women. It does not mean she is against trans rights but is equally for women’s rights, something so many fought long and hard for.

And those Jews who decide to stand against Israel and publicly support terrorists do an even greater disservice to their race. Because they are amplified by all our haters and used exponentially to further the hate against themselves.

I am not against freedoms for all Palestinians as long as they are not against freedom for Jews and Israelis. I have immense sympathy for those suffering but when I tried to encourage a local coffee shop to raise money for both Gazan and Israeli children suffering torment, I was treated as if I was the devil and verbally abused badly. They literally could not understand that all sides suffer in war.

Treat others as you wish to be treated, a basic tenant of Torah study. In fact, Hillel said everything else is just commentary.

But in these times, that does not seem to be possible and that is why I have to write about my support for Israel first and foremost.

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