The events of the past days I was overly concerned about many human and political reasons. It is clear that Israel has the right to defend itself, it can not and must not tolerate the continued missile attacks against its citizens, but the relentless and brutal bombing of the Israeli army in Gaza has raised some questions me.
The first question is what the Israeli government has the right to blame all Palestinians for the actions of Hamas? Should be blame the entire population of Gaza for the sins of a terrorist group? We Jews, we must know and feel more acutely than other populations unacceptable and inhumane killing of innocent civilians. The Israeli army has argued poorly than the Gaza Strip is so overcrowded that it is impossible to avoid civilian casualties during attacks.
The weakness of the argument leads me to ask new questions: If the death of civilians is inevitable, what is the purpose of the bombing? What-if any-the logic of violence and what Israel hopes to achieve through it? If the objective of the offensive is to destroy Hamas, the most important question is whether this is an achievable goal. If not, the bombings are not only cruel, barbaric and reprehensible, but also absurd.
If on the other hand, it is actually possible to destroy Hamas military operations, how does Israel imagine the reaction in Gaza after that? One and a half million Gaza residents not kneel reverently before the might of the Israeli army. We must not forget that before the Palestinians elected Hamas, Israel's support in a ploy to weaken Arafat. Israel's recent history leads me to believe that if Hamas is bombed his disappearance another group will take its place, training more radical, more violent and more filled with hatred towards Israel.
Israel can not afford a military defeat for fear of disappearing from the map, but history has proven that every military victory to Israel politically weakened by the emergence of radical groups. Do not underestimate the difficulty of the decisions that must take the Israeli government daily, or underestimate the importance of security of Israel. However, I stick to my conviction that the only viable plan for the security of Israel is to gain acceptance from all its neighbors. I want intelligence back in 2009 attributed to the Jews forever. I wish the return of wisdom King Solomon to decision makers in Israel to use it to understand that Palestinians and Israelis have the same human rights.
Palestinian violence plaguing Israel and does not serve the cause, the military retaliation of Israel is inhumane, immoral and does not guarantee safety. As I said earlier, the fates of two people whose destinies are inextricably linked, forcing them to live side by side. It is they who decide whether to make this a blessing or a curse.
Daniel Barenboim, Open Letter
