Israel, Palestine and the conflict
Editorial 22 October 2023The horror of the massacres carried out by Hamas in Israeli territory on October 7th (with over 1,400 people killed, the vast majority of them civilians, and more than 200 abducted and taken to Gaza) reminds us once again of the terrorist nature of this organization and the existential threat it poses to the state of Israel.
For this reason, Israel’s right to defend itself is undeniable, and a strong and uncompromising military response is understandable.
However, the situation is dramatically complex. Hamas’s stronghold, Gaza, is a strip of land that is approximately 40 kilometers long and a little over 10 kilometers wide, where more than 2 million Palestinians live, the majority of whom are effectively hostages of the terrorist organization.
As I am writing these lines, Israeli airstrikes on the strip have been ongoing for more than 10 days, and a ground invasion appears imminent, which would result in further bloodshed.
Despite the relentless efforts of diplomacy so far preventing the escalation of the conflict on a regional level, an expansion of the conflict to neighbouring countries is not entirely ruled out.
In the meantime, Islamist terrorism has returned to claim victims in Europe, and Arab squares are shaken by mass protests.
A positive resolution of the conflict that allows Israel to live in security and ensures the Palestinian population’s right to self-determination seems very distant these days.
But it’s precisely in such a difficult moment that it’s necessary to hold onto hope and remember that the darkest hour is just before the dawn.
