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South Africa has taken Israel to the International Court of Justice claiming genocide has been committed against Palestinians during the Gaza conflict. As the world anticipates a preliminary verdict, we consider key questions.
In a recent survey of young Americans, 20 per cent of respondents, aged from 18 to 29, thought that the Holocaust was a myth. If knowledge of history fades into the mist, the space will be filled with ignorance, and worse, wilful malice.
In the war between Israel and Hamas it's essential to look beyond the simplistic dichotomies of good versus evil, exploring how historical, cultural, and political nuances shape the landscape of this enduring conflict. In a world quick to take sides, there's a need for deep understanding, underscoring the importance of balanced perspectives in seeking lasting peace and justice in a region torn by decades of strife.
For over 40 years, I have supported a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That term means two states for two peoples. Such an outcome can only come about as the result of peaceful negotiations that advance compromise and moderation on both sides.
From the eyes of history, the current cycle of violence, sharpened by each side claiming that it had suffered the greater injustice, is itself the product of a much older cycle. In our own, multi-religious society we must all recognise the need to implement justice for all the vulnerable in society. Violence does not work. Justice must prevail.
I am on a study tour of Israel and Palestinian Territories. It is my eighth visit over 12 years, and each time I come away with less clarity and more questions about the tensions that plague this tiny land. Who is the oppressor? Who is the oppressed? It all depends upon the lens you look through at any given moment. (From 2019)
This November 11, for many at ceremonies around the nation, the clocks will stop, the breath will pause for a minute to remember the dead and injured of war. And like the poppies in Flanders fields, the lists of names of men killed in action continues to grow: in Africa, in Europe and Asia. If history is our teacher, then we are very poor students.
A large part of my feelings of connectedness to Jews in Israel and around the world can be explained by my link to Jewish history. There is the cultural and broader history and my own family history. So many of the Jewish festivals commemorate Jews escaping persecution.
As Holocaust denial and falsehoods spread on social media, we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw ghetto uprising, a heroic act of resistance against oppression, with a sense of urgency. Let us remember the lessons of the uprising and stand up against racism and authoritarianism in all its forms.
During a trip to Poland, an encounter with the story of Auschwitz survivor Eva Mozes Kor, who chose to forgive those who persecuted her and her family, serves as a reminder of the costly and essential need for remembrance and reconciliation.
Jonathan Freedland’s book is an extremely harrowing tour de force: at one stage I could read only a chapter at a time. But by the end I had been reminded of the power of the human spirit, and of the way in which some people, those with a sense of mission, can endure almost any trial. Resilience is a great gift.