A Way Through and Forward

Disproportionate response. Escalation. Demands that are likely to go unmet because they’re the product of burning anger and the attendant blindness.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres wrote a heartfelt response to Israeli demands to evacuate the north of Gaza. It’s doubtful Israel will listen.

ELCA Bishop Eaton’s response will probably not sit well with Israelis, either, but is at least an acknowledgement that we need to separate the actions of Hamas from the plight of many Palestinians whose lives have been upended and deprived of bare necessities, and who want no part of the terroristic behavior or mindset, who are caught in the middle between Hamas and a relentless Israel.

They just want to live in peace in a place they can call home, with running water and food and the means to earn a living and provide for their families and have some sense of sovereignty over their choices—like the dreams and desires of most everyone else on earth. It’s already a humanitarian nightmare, and it’s going to get worse.

And maybe they should keep God out of it. Put the holy books aside and just listen to each other.