Helplessness in the Face of Cries of Pain
Al-Masry Al-Youm, Egypt, October 14
The euphoria ended and reality set in. I believe I might shock some with what I’m about to say, and I also think that some others will share my sentiment. With every scene of death, pain, and destruction, symptoms of this condition, marked by confusion and bewilderment, begin to surface. Why did what happened occur? And does what Hamas has done justify the price being paid now by millions of ordinary Palestinians?
I am fully aware that what has happened is the expected expression of what has been called “the revolt of the desperate.” Here I mean the Palestinians, after their paths were blocked, and they suffered all kinds of discrimination and persecution from the Israeli occupier. They grew weary of the blatant double standards practiced by the international community and the diminishing importance of their cause within the Arab context.
But all of this does not prevent us from asking the simple and unsettling question: Was the action initiated by Hamas, attacking Israeli settlements and killing more than 200 young Israelis attending a music event, the best course of action? Did Hamas leaders anticipate the expected reaction from “their people” in Gaza because of this targeting? Wouldn’t it have been wiser and more rational to deal with and target military sites and objectives?
Give the gift of hope
We practice what we preach:
accurate, fearless journalism. But we can't do it alone.
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
Join us.
Support The Media Line. Save democracy.
I continue to follow international reactions and engage in discussions with several interested parties and followers in the UK while I’m here. I can contribute to the conversation when it revolves around Israeli stubbornness and international reluctance. I contribute when the discussion revolves around the suffering, killings, and destruction in Gaza, considering the Israeli violence in response to be unjustifiable to that extent. However, when the discussion turns to Hamas’ actions and civilian targeting, the other side presents a more compelling argument for their rejection. When discussing the political gains Hamas might achieve, their logic seems stronger, as the international political dimensions were not considered by those making the decisions.
On the official Western level, a state of “rush,” competition, and bidding for support to Israel prevails, blinding those holding these positions from seeing all dimensions of the issue, including the intense bombardment against Gaza, thus leading to sympathy for the pain, blood, and destruction faced by Palestinians.
I know this discourse won’t find clear acceptance among many of us, and I know that the discussion about peoples’ sacrifices for liberation resonates with us. Some of us remind each other of the million martyrs for Algeria’s independence. But all this fades as I witness the killings, destruction, and cries of pain from our people in Palestine.
Some will not accept what I say, but I just ask for a moment to pause and think. It’s a state of confusion; I don’t know if what’s coming will help resolve it or not. —Abdel Latif El Menawy (translated by Lana Ikelan)
