The war between Israel and Hamas stirs many emotions among people and has, in many ways, created division among the Faroese, who have differing opinions on what is currently happening in the Gaza Strip. In online debates, it seems that people just dig into their trenches, uncompromisingly shooting at each other. The disagreement serves as a small local mirror of the harsh and – as it seems – unsolvable knot in the Middle East.
Let me say this straight away: I am not against the Jews’ right to their own land. After all the horrors that the Jewish people have faced through centuries of persecution and genocide, I wish for Jews to find a peaceful existence in their own country. I condemn Hamas’ actions on 7 October 2023 and believe that what happened that day was dreadful. I have deep compassion for the victims of this terrible attack and for the families and friends of those who lost their loved ones – or who do not know whether their family members or friends are alive or not. I am 100% against innocent Israelis being taken hostage, tortured, and killed. I believe it is appalling that Israelis must live every day with the threat of being hit by rockets from Hamas or Hezbollah. So that is settled.
At the same time, I must say that I also have deep compassion for the Palestinians. No one can ignore that the conditions for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have been unbearable for more than 70 years under Israeli occupation and apartheid rule. I believe it is horrible that so many Palestinians have been forced from their homes and made into refugees, that their land and property have been – and continue to be – taken from them, that they are captured, tortured, and/or killed if they resist, unless they have already managed to escape. Furthermore, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip – more than two-thirds of whom are innocent women and children – are constantly hit by Israeli rockets or shot by Israeli snipers, even though the Palestinians have acted in accordance with Israeli orders and fled to the places they were told to flee to. But apparently, it is only from the ashes to the fire. Those who have managed to avoid being bombed or shot dead are denied humanitarian aid and food and must watch their children die of starvation.
This cannot continue. Innocent people do not deserve to experience such horrors. Neither Jews nor Palestinians.
An Unpopular Viewpoint
It is indeed possible to distance oneself from Hamas and their extreme Islamic ideology, while also recognising that Palestinians – just like Israelis – are, of course, human beings, for better or worse, who also have the right to exist where they and their ancestors have lived for as long as Jews have lived in the region.
But this is a viewpoint that is not well regarded in the Faroe Islands. Here, it is apparently almost impossible to regard Palestinians as human beings who, like Jews, have the right to their own land. Not without being accused of being “antisemitic.” It is nearly impossible to say anything that places Palestinians in a humane light without it being interpreted as hatred for Jews and opposition to the Jews’ right to their own land.
But of course, this is nonsense. It is not either-or. It should be possible to be for peace without being placed in a box as a Jew-hater. I clearly align myself with those who wish for peace – whether they are Jews or Palestinians – and I am against those who desire war – whether they are Israelis or Palestinians. I simply want Israelis and Palestinians to figure out how to live in peace and harmony without waging war on each other. I know that this is easier said than done, but there is no alternative. Call me naive, but how naive must one be to believe that war can resolve any conflict at all?
All children are innocent and have the right to a life where they do not have to live with the fear of getting a rocket in their heads. Everyone has the right to live safely in their own country, both Israelis and Palestinians. I will hold onto this, regardless of what the cause of the tense situation is. Nothing can justify the loss of innocent lives. And the truth is that far, far the majority of victims in this war are innocent, defenceless children. It is under no circumstances acceptable for innocent people to suffer so severely.
How High Should the Price Be for a Country?
For me, the problem is not whether Jews or Palestinians have the right to their own land or not. I believe that both parties do, and I really wish this for them, as stated. BUT… there must be a limit to the price! If the price is that the other party – a whole people – must be exterminated, deported or live in need and misery for the other party to gain “lebensraum”, then the price is too high.
Jews and Palestinians have lived in peace side by side for centuries, so we know that it is possible. But then the Zionist movement gained momentum in the latter part of the 19th century, as a result of the nationalist ideas that dominated European thought at that time. The Zionists declared that Jews had the right to “the promised land” – “Der Judenstaat”. Two thousand years ago and further back, the area where Israel now is was the land of the Jews. After the Jews lost the land 2,000 years ago and had been scattered around the world all these years, the Zionists now desired for the Jews to have their own land back in the same place, which should be a refuge for persecuted Jews worldwide. This led to massive numbers of Jews flowing into the area that was then called Palestine in the many years to come, especially after World War II.
Of course, the invasion faced resistance from the Palestinians who lived there already, but the resistance was futile. Poor farmers could not accomplish much against the often wealthy and well-educated Jews, who now flocked in large numbers from all corners of the world to Palestine. Powerful countries like the USA and the UK backed the Zionists, as they themselves did not want an invasion of Jewish refugees fleeing in large numbers from the war-torn and bombed-out Europe, so with support and help from these countries, the foundation stone was laid for the state of Israel, which was established immediately after the war in 1948. The USA was the first country to promptly recognise the new state.
The establishment of the Israeli state in 1948 led to war between Israelis on one side and Palestinians and the surrounding Arab countries on the other, to which the Palestinians were now forced to flee in large numbers. This became the biggest refugee crisis the world had ever experienced up until that point. Up to 80 percent of the Palestinians who had lived in the area that became the state of Israel lost their land and property and had to flee. Palestinians have since referred to their collective trauma – the deportation of the Palestinian people – as “al Nakba”, which means “the catastrophe.” There is no doubt that the Palestinians have paid the highest price for Jews wanting their own land.
From the River to the Sea
Countless disagreements, rocket attacks, suicide bombings, and recurring wars between Jews and Palestinians, as well as the Arab countries in the Middle East, followed in the wake of the establishment of the state of Israel – and continue to this day, where the Zionists still claim that Jews not only have the right to the area where present-day Israel is, but also to Gaza and the West Bank, as well as parts of Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. They do not intend to stop until all Palestinians have been driven out of these areas so that Jews can take over the entire land “from the river to the sea.”
On the other hand, Hamas has declared that they also will not stop their resistance until all Jews have been driven out of Palestine so that the Palestinians can once again regain power in the land “from the river to the sea.”
Until now, Israel has been the superior party, aided by the West. The Zionists’ expansionist ambitions have evidently hit Palestinians very hard, although Zionists claim that Jews are the true victims here, who therefore have the “right” to expel Palestinians because God has given them “the promised land.”
But by doing this, Israelis are doing to Palestinians what the Jews themselves experienced being done to them – namely being driven from their homeland, forcing them to flee to other countries, where they were often unwelcome and therefore in many cases chased away again or killed in large numbers.
That Israelis are now doing the same to another people is paradoxical. Unfortunately, it has not made the situation any better or safer for either party but has merely resulted in the hatred between Palestinians and Jews growing to unbearable heights, while extremists on both sides have only become more extreme, thus increasing the risk of recurring wars over time. This makes life unbearable for everyone in the Middle East – including the Israelis themselves.
What If the Faroe Islands Were Occupied?
Although I, in no way, subscribe to extremism – neither on the Palestinian nor the Israeli side – it is not hard to understand why it exists. Let’s take a hypothetical example to better understand why the situation has become so hopeless:
Let’s say Ireland is now facing a major crisis that forces a large part of the Irish to flee from Ireland. What if the Irish suddenly decided that it was their “right” to settle here in the islands, because 1,400–1,500 years ago, before the Vikings came to the Faroe Islands, it was the Irish who first settled here? How would we feel if Irish refugees – with the consent of the major dominant countries in the world – suddenly decided to invade the Faroe Islands in large numbers and occupy our islands on the grounds that the Irish lived on our rocks first? How would we feel if the Irish, once they had enough people, founded their own state here – with the blessing of the international community – and set out to drive us Faroese out of our own homes to take over our land and all that we owned? How would we feel when parents, siblings, and our children were maimed or killed without regard if we resisted? Would we have accepted it and just fled? How would we feel if almost the entire international community closed its doors to us and neither wanted to own nor have us? Where would we have gone?
Unfortunately, it seems that this is exactly what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank – Palestinians are being forced from their homes and residences, they are unwelcome almost everywhere they flee to, with no possibility of returning to their homes so that Jews, most of whom have not lived in the area but in other countries for 40-45 generations, can take over the land and properties that Palestinians have owned for just as long.
A Gordian Knot
What is fundamentally the difference between what Israel is doing now and what the Nazis did when they occupied the countries around Germany during World War II, taking everything from the Jews in Germany and in the occupied countries, and gathering them in enclosed ghettos and concentration camps, ultimately gassing 6 million Jews to death on the grounds that the German people had the right to “lebensraum”?
Now something similar is happening in the Middle East – not only according to Palestinians or Hamas, but also according to the Israelis themselves, as stated. Zionists in Israel are spreading thousands of concrete pieces of evidence on the internet that show the destruction and openly state that what they want with the Gaza Strip is to flatten all of Gaza to the ground so that they can take over the area and settle there. If Palestinians resist, they are killed and bombed without regard for whether they involve innocent women and children, and with no possibility of fleeing from Gaza. 2.3 million Palestinians are trapped in a small area where they receive no humanitarian aid, caught in a trap they cannot escape from.
For me, the problem lies first and foremost with those who want – at best – to deport and – at worst – to kill an entire people to take over their land, even though the Palestinians and their ancestors have lived there for thousands of years.
Hamas is no better, for Hamas wishes to create a Jewish-free Palestine. The Zionists desire the same, just with the other way round – that is, a Israel without Palestinians. Neither side gives way to the other and neither does anything to hide what they want. On the contrary, they boast about it. Prominent Israeli politicians state this openly without shame in Israeli media and from the podium in the Knesset, while Hamas promises to crush Israel and refuses categorically to negotiate with Israelis.
This is the Gordian knot. The moderates on both sides, who want peace and reconciliation, have been sidelined by the radicals in power, who only wish to escalate the conflict with terrifying enemy images and the dehumanisation of the counterpart. So the question now is: How can the parties escape the vicious circle – or the vicious spiral, which only leads to more toxic hatred between the parties and more catastrophic wars?
The Innocent Pay the Price for Extremism
So far, Israel has had greater “success” in taking land from the Palestinians. Palestinians who protest are thrown in jail and tortured or killed. When the outside world raises its voice and protests against the cruel treatment of Palestinians by Jewish settlers and the Israeli military, this is often simply dismissed as “lies” and “propaganda” from Hamas.
But in reality, it is the Zionists themselves who proudly display recordings and evidence of their treatment of the Palestinians. Countless witnesses have documented what is going on – including soldiers in the Israeli army who have either left the army on moral grounds because they refuse to participate in the inhumane treatment of Palestinians, or soldiers who are directly proud of how bad they treat Palestinians, who in their eyes are worth less than rats. These recordings are freely available on the internet. Independent sources have also thoroughly proven what is happening in Gaza – for example, the United Nations, the Red Crescent (Red Cross), Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International, numerous journalists, many of whom have lost their lives in the war, as well as Israelis themselves, for as mentioned, the Zionists in no way conceal it. On the contrary.
It may very well be that Hamas uses this evidence in its ‘propaganda’ to turn the world against Israel, but that is irrelevant. It is no longer possible to deny what is happening. There is too much evidence that cannot be refuted. I cannot defend what Hamas has done – and still does in Gaza, but I also cannot defend what the Zionist government of Israel, the Jewish settlers, and the Israeli military are currently doing. This does NOT mean that I in any way support Hamas and their agenda. The majority of Palestinians do not either. Therefore, it is not fair that all Palestinians should be punished for what Hamas thinks and does.
Not all Jews are Zionists either. Therefore, it is also not fair that all Jews should be punished for what the ruling Zionists in Israel think and do. There are millions of Jews, both in Israel and around the world, who protest against the unnecessarily harsh conduct of the Zionists, which Jews themselves call “a consciously carried out genocide.”
Israel, a Democracy – for Jews
But still, most Westerners close their eyes to what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank. I do not understand the indifference to the many innocent victims in this so-called “war,” which in reality cannot be called a “war,” for there is no comparison regarding the strength of the parties. Israel is completely dominant when it comes to military strength. As of October 22, 2024, over 44,000 people had been killed in the conflict between Israel and Hamas since October 7, 2023, according to the UN – of which 42,718 were Palestinians (most women and children) and 1,706 were Israelis. There are no proportions.
But the West seems to be indifferent to this imbalance, for in Western eyes it is more tragic for Israelis than for Palestinians. It is Hamas that has intentionally brought this hell upon the Palestinians, because Hamas wants as many Palestinians as possible to die a martyr’s death, it is said. The Israelis harsh treatment of the Palestinians is therefore tolerated, even though anyone with eyes in their head and a bit of sense should see that regardless of what Hamas does or has the blame for or not, it cannot justify that Israel commits genocide.
How can people blindly accept that only one side in this conflict has the “right” to kill the opposing side – even if it affects innocent women and children, who have no part in how it has come to this between the parties, and simply because the countries around Israel might be thought to be even worse?
Israel is highlighted as the “light of democracy” in the Middle East. Yes, for Jews perhaps. But where is the “democratic” aspect in that the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have had to live at the mercy of the Israelis now for 76 years under Israeli occupation and apartheid rule, trapped in ghettos where they have few or no rights – and now must even tolerate seeing family members and friends maimed or killed, and their homes bombed to ruins? Where is the “democratic” nature in that millions of Palestinians have been forced from their homes without having anywhere to go, so that Jewish settlers could take over their properties and land?
A Zionist “Endlösung”
I understand well that Israelis fear for retribution, but I do not understand that people can uncritically accept the justification that everything Israel has done is only in “self-defence against terrorists.” Israel is indeed being hit by rocket attacks from the areas where Palestinians reside, and must defend itself, it is said. Yes, that is true. But is it really the only solution to respond with much grimmer attacks, killing ten times as many people on the opposing side, which gives Palestinians even more reasons to hate Israelis, and in this way keep the vicious cycle alive, which only leads to more war?
I do not understand how anyone thinks it is necessary that thousands of innocent lives must be lost because it – according to the Zionists – is not possible to avoid “collateral damage.” Total war is apparently the only possible – and final – solution if the Jews are to preserve Israel. Just as the Nazis said that “die endlösung” had to be to kill all the Jews, because all Jews – according to them – were “malicious” and dangerous. Therefore, it was “better” for the world to do without this people entirely. In the same way, Zionists now accuse Palestinians of being evil and dangerous.
But of course, not all Palestinians are. And of course, there are other solutions than simply killing Palestinians en masse! I cannot, under any circumstances, accept that one people takes the “right” to exterminate another people with such justifications, nor even if it is called “self-defence.” No. No justification can defend genocide. Not even “self-defence.”
The Parties Must Come to the Negotiating Table
I understand why some people, in desperation, end up becoming extremists, but I refuse to support the extreme fringes on both sides and their demonisation of the opponent. I and millions of people around the world can no longer bear to watch as innocent people suffer under this massacre, and how defenseless children are blown to pieces, buried under the ruins of homes, and are killed or maimed in any conceivable way. ALL innocent people should be protected from the horrors and destruction that war brings. This war must end. Now!
Like so many others with me, I sincerely wish for a solution to be found, and it cannot come quickly enough. Therefore, I am 100% in agreement with all the millions who are participating in protests around the world and demanding “ceasefire now!” The international community must demand – from both parties – that they come together to reach an agreement on peace, so that no more innocent lives are lost – neither on the Israeli side nor the Palestinian side. Further polarisation does not resolve anything and does not save any lives. Therefore, the global community must do everything possible to bring the parties to the negotiating table. They must and shall find a two-state solution. There is no other solution, as all other “solutions” inevitably lead to unspeakable horrors, which cannot be accepted by the global community.
This is my stance. I do not have the conscience to hold a different opinion.
