Emily Sher

Why do I feel so hopeless right now? Because in too many eyes and too many faces I see a coldness, a harshness that denies the humanity of entire groups of people. The hope that remains is because of those who can still *see* the other. There's no other way.

A quick word for and about the haters (or pessimists) on both sides. As I've said here a couple of times, I am an Israeli Jew who believes that revenge is not a strategy, and that the only way forward is to work for freedom and dignity for all people. But in saying this, there are two groups of people who I can't ignore. First, those who believe that the massacres on Saturday were somehow "justified" by Israel's actions, and second, those who say that "you can never make peace with those people." So a word for and about both. First, nothing, absolutely nothing, can justify the deliberate murder of children, old people, and civilians in general. You can't blame a child, anywhere in the world, for where she was born, and targeting children is *always* wrong. Always. No exceptions. As for those who say, "how can you make peace with people who want to kill you?" a couple of things. First, you make peace with your enemies. That's why it's called making peace. Second, I have zero patience for the Islamophobes who put this on all Muslims, Arabs, or Palestinians, most of whom would never harm a child. And lastly, if Hamas is not interested, then let's talk to *anyone* who is. And no, we have not done that over the years. Again, neither the Jews nor the Palestinians are going anywhere. We have to live together. So let's find a way. Anything else will lead to total catastrophe.