Affect Blog

There is a scene in Schindler’s list which vividly depicts the cowardly nature of brutality. Schindler, dining with Nazi officers, reminds them that cruelty only has the apparent veneer of strength whilst forgiveness demonstrates real power. The concentration camp guard takes heed and when one of the prisoners next slips up in his cleaning chores he calls him into the room and, in rather grandiose fashion, magnanimously pardons him. The trembling prisoner scurries out into the courtyard. The guard takes a look at the dirt left behind, returns to anger, and shoots the wretched boy through the window.

Yesterday much was made of Israel’s deciding to lift the blockade in Gaza. It was said that although Israel still had legitimate security concerns, the state had rather been impressed upon by the humanitarian need for the Palestinian people. Notwithstanding the threat posed from the Palestinian extremists, the civilian need for relief was much greater.

And yet today, close to 200 Gazans are dead after an Israeli airstrike - a visceral demonstration of the ambiguity of the Israeli administration’s attitude towards the Palestinian people and the will of so-called the ‘international community’. Amongst the dead are members of a police graduation, an ironic outcome for attacks purportedly aimed at restoring security and order. Footage shown by Al-Jazeera shows lifeless, lumped dead bodies lying face down on the ground, out in the open. They were to be the breadwinners for their families. Plumes of smoke jet up. The pathetic Hamas response of random rocket attacks (itself a mockery of the Prophetic traditions of safeguarding civilians) has in turn elicited a single casualty.

“Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.” (Isaiah 1:17)

The Jewish people have a memory and history, and yet the wisdom of these past knowledges seems to be being mocked by current events. Has Israel forgotten the story of David and Goliath? David killed Goliath with a stone. Now young boys throw stones at tanks and are shot dead. Has Israel forgotten of ‘a life for a life’? Would they change that to ‘one for two hundred’? The Jewish tradition is rich in history and stories grounded in a profound moral code. Israel, by its very foundation, claims to provide continuity to that history. But let Israel think. What is the point of maintaining history if we do not learn from it?

Written by Musa. Edited by T. Sami and G. Murray