Nearly three-quarters of a lifetime ago, a teacher offered me the chance to meet a freedom fighter, then in her late 70s who had, in her fiery teenage years, almost single-handedly challenged the British Raj. This was too much of an opportunity to pass up. So, on an appointed Saturday, I was ushered into the presence of a gentle and wizened old lady whose appearance was at odds with the story she related…
This is why peace remains a forlorn hope three-quarters of a century after the British created the two states of Israel and Palestine. During this time, the Palestinians have had the worst of it: losing wars, land, and finally, their independence. Today, their requests for a fairer share of land, a right of return for Palestinian refugees, and a division of Jerusalem are largely ignored…
Hamas’ recent act of gruesome brutality, labelled ‘sheer evil’ by Joe Biden on October 7, followed by an Israeli offensive in response, is a stark reminder that peace is contingent on freedom — something that could only result when national self-determination (especially vested Zionist interest) does not prohibit the negotiation of more equitable, permanent, and sovereign territorial boundaries…
This round of mayhem is likely to end badly for the Palestinians. Many thousands of innocents — not only children, but also equally hapless adults — have perished. Using genuine concerns like national security and self-defence, Benjamin Netanyahu is whipping up a storm of outrage that could eradicate everything, including his culpability…
It is tragically ironic that Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant believes his country is ‘fighting human animals, and that it would act accordingly’. With these words, he has outdone Ludwig Fischer, Nazi gauleiter of the Warsaw District, destroyer of its eponymous ghetto, of which Gaza is only a modern avatar and a stark historical reminder…
The unfolding human disaster has been reviled, justified, and ignored by such concerns as Iran’s clandestine involvement, Hamas’ growing militancy, and Gaza’s inertia to change. All these assumptions may be correct. And yet, governments silently postpone their condemnation of unscrupulous oppression, while loudly expressing their censure for an indefensible act of violence…
Like others in the past that deplored the savage resistance mounted by Native American tribes in a hopeless bid to avoid life on a reservation. Or denounced MK participants of the Soweto uprising who indiscriminately used bombs in a desperate attempt to end apartheid in South Africa. The cause of freedom continues to be morally and relentlessly unambiguous.
