Listening to local radio, I heard Palestinian sympathizers actually discuss whether babies were beheaded by Hamas or “just shot.” The “discussion” gave me clarity: We are, at best, a lost society, and at worst, a depraved one.
Is nuance really required here? Is supporting Israel really a 50-50 tough call? Are more facts actually needed to be gathered?
Those who engage in “yes, but” discussion — as in, “yes it’s terrible, but this didn’t happen in a vacuum” — are lost. You actually want to discuss “root causes” — facts, history, reason, logic and context — bring it on. But with babies butchered and grandmothers kidnapped, there are no “merits” to debate here.
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The worst part is the people “debating” this fashion themselves as the nuanced, evolved, progressive, deep-thinking ones. In doing so, they are either disingenuous geniuses or wise fools.
This is ultimately not an Israel or Jewish issue. This is a humanity and western civilization issue. The Jews, as usual, are just the canary in the coal mine.
It left me thinking we are a depraved society, or if that’s not it, then I now finally, fully understand what antisemitism is.
Just as President Joe Biden and other world leaders said, there are not two sides to this story. There should be no hesitation to stand up and support Israel. This is as complicated as good versus evil.
Yet people discuss whether babies were beheaded or “just shot.” That’s where we are as a society. Sick and lost. Evil is winning.
Perhaps naively, I believe that good always prevails over evil, eventually. But that’s the key word: eventually.
Hitler was defeated. Eventually. Soviet communism was defeated. Eventually. Pol Pot was defeated. Eventually.
They, too, once fashioned themselves as “social justice” warriors.
The key to humanity is minimizing the time between now and eventually. And that’s what Israel will now do.
William Choslovsky, Sheffield Neighbors
No winner, only victims in this war
I was inspired by your report of the Jewish group IfNotNow reciting Kaddish for the innocent Israelis and Palestinians killed in the brutal war at the Gaza Strip (“Jewish group in Chicago recites prayer for Palestinians, Israelis killed in conflict” — Oct. 13).
There are no winners, no good guys in this war, only victims. Above all, the United States government should not be offering encouragement and weapons to either side. Full stop. Repeat. Full stop.
Edward R. Kantowicz, Logan Square
Make life more livable for your enemy
When Israeli leaders blockade Gaza for 16 years, expand settlements and otherwise make life miserable enough, long enough, pressure builds and explosive violence becomes inevitable. Regardless of the hopelessness of fighting, or the inevitability of retaliatory massacre, misery makes war a certainty at any cost.
Is Hamas violence horrific and wrong? Certainly, just as wrong and just as foreseeable as endless Israeli oppression of Palestinians. I’m not a supporter or demonstrator for either side.
Instead, I say stop it! Help each other. Make life more livable for your enemy, because they are not your enemy. Wasted words, I suppose, at this point.
Very soon Gaza will look like much of Syria and much of Ukraine. People so often act and think like fools. Hate comes in many flavors, each leading eventually to war.
James E. Gierach, Palos Park
