We are preparing for yet another trip to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian territories, hopefully this time as a ceasefire sets in. We spent several weeks there in January, with much of our files done from the West Bank. We met a family who’s (unarmed) 17 year old son was shot to death by Israeli settlers, after some kind of unknown altercation took place during a picnic near a village not far from Ramallah. We also spent time with families who are being crushed economically by the war, as men are no longer allowed to work in Israel. Even so, they insisted we share snacks of hummus, olives and pita bread as they told us their stories of loss and deprivation since October 7th. The Palestinian authority, unlike Hamas, has recognized Israel’s right to exist. The PA also does not endorse violent opposition to occupation. Unfortunately, and sadly, we heard from too many Israelis who conflate Hamas with all Palestinians and lump them in together as one large group of “terrorists”. It perhaps explains why so few Israelis we spoke to expressed remorse over the almost 100,000 Palestinian victims of Israeli bombs and attacks since October 7th. It sounds, looks and feels like collective punishment.
