1.9 Billion Muslims Say That Escalation Isn’t Going to Work With the Palestinians This Time
Freedom of expression gets a raise.
It is possible to be a pacifist and not be anti-Israeli or anti-Palestinian. I am pro-peace, anti-war. I do not support terrorism or guilt by association. I believe that there are a billion other ways to settle the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians without violence. War isn’t the only answer. Escalation only begets more escalation.
I found a good example of someone who works in the public sphere, someone who knows what he’s talking about, and who can be pro-peace without impugning either side. In remarks to the United Nations General Assembly, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had this to say on October 26, 2023:
I have condemned unequivocally the horrifying and unprecedented 7 October acts of terror by Hamas in Israel.
Nothing can justify the deliberate killing, injuring and kidnapping of civilians — or the launching of rockets against civilian targets.
And in the same speech, he continued…
It is important to also recognize the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum.
The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation.
