Right-wing governments across the world are tipping the world towards more fear, bigotry and violence. But the voices of women, children, activism and love are also emerging, writes Sameena Dalwai.
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THE Warsaw ghetto exhibits a scene from the Holocaust. Polish Jews, who were imprisoned in the ghetto for several years are now being taken to the trains, to transport them to the gas chambers.
A child of about two is walking with his mother. He is pointing to a flower on a bush with wonder and delight. He has never seen a green tree or a colourful flower. In the ghetto, where he is born, everything is cut down, eaten and burnt for fuel. No beauty, no delight left.
Seven decades later, in 2020, a woman from Gaza went to the West Bank for medical treatment of her son. She is delighted to see nature's bounty there. She videocalls her brothers to share her amazement at the mountains and greenery. The siblings have never seen something like this. Life in the Gaza Strip, an open-air prison for generations, is bare life.
The situation of Palestinians seems uncannily similar to the European Jewish people in World War II; the wall, ghettos, killings, humiliation, erosion of identity and humanity.
Prof. Upendra Baxi speaks of "Taking Suffering Seriously". European nations did not take the suffering of the Jews in Poland and Germany seriously, despite reports that trickled through the spy network.
Now they ignore the suffering of the people of Palestine. The effects of this are disastrous. In October 2023, Hamas attacked Tel Aviv and killed over a thousand unarmed people indiscriminately.
They forgot the basic principle that a warrior does not raise his weapon against women and children. Even since that day, Israel's army has been trying to annihilate people in Gaza; targeting children's hospitals and schools.
“The situation of Palestinians seems uncannily similar to the European Jewish people in World War II; the wall, ghettos, killings, humiliation, erosion of identity and humanity.
Every new day that comes with more heartbreaking coverage from the Gaza bombings, we can see that there are no winners in wars— only dead bodies. Indians understand this, hence we have been the torchbearers of the Non-Aligned Movement.
After the Kalinga war, King Ashoka found only blood and gore on the battlefield. His victory was meaningless. He adopted and spread Buddhism, along with non-violence. The Indian tricolour carries the Ashoka Chakra, the blue wheel on the white background, to remind us of non-violence as a way of life.
India managed to send the mighty British empire home through Gandhian methods of ahimsa, using non-violence as a political struggle. M.K. Gandhi always said that women are the true satyagrahis, who need to embody patience, perseverance and the capacity to change minds.
Women Wage Peace, a grassroots peace movement of Israel and Women of the Sun from Palestine have been demanding a peaceful resolution of this conflict.
'Mother's Call' stated, "We, Palestinian and Israeli women from all walks of life, are united in the human desire for a future of peace, freedom, equality, rights, and security for our children and the next generations." This is a political motherhood, that we have seen in other conflict zones.
Also read: The only language Israel understands
The most poignant of appeals comes from those Israeli people who have lost their family members in the Hamas attack. Maoz Inon, a peace activist, who lost both his parents in their farming collective near Netiv Ha'Asara, just north of Gaza, has said to the BBC, "I beg you, I beg all the viewers and listeners, to do all the things in their power to put pressure over everyone relevant, to stop the war immediately, to freeze the situation. War is not the answer."
Noy Katman, who lost his brother, told CNN, "I urge my government to not kill innocent people, my brother would not want that."
“Sensitive citizens of Israel are asking their government not to use their grief to kill more, the message is clear— not in my name!
Yakov Agamani, whose daughter Noah is currently a hostage, says, "Both sides are suffering. It is time to put an end to this war."
Sensitive citizens of Israel are asking their government not to use their grief to kill more, the message is clear— not in my name! Right-wing governments across the world are tipping the world towards more fear, bigotry and violence. Their solution to any problem is macho war cries and chest-beating.
But the voices of women, children, activism and love are also emerging. Listening to those voices is hard in the cacophony of State and military discourses.
Will the world develop a nuanced, empathetic ear?