People want peace, yet few are committed to peace for all

I was listening to my National Radio station this morning, interviewing an Australian man who has been living in Tel Aviv for 15 years. He has two children under 5 years of age. He spoke of the terror and fear of being under ‘attack’ by missiles for the last few nights. The routine of bomb shelters. The safe room in his house.

The conversation between him and the reporter was politically correct, and as such, brutally hypocritical. It sickened me. They could have been discussing gardening tips against a backdrop of genocide.

He was asked what he was hoping for. He spoke of his desire to live in his chosen land, the land he said he had rights to live in, without the threat of other countries seeking to eliminate him.

Everyone hopes for this. Including others who are native to the same land. 

Including Palestinians who have no weapons defence system, no bomb shelters to hide under and no food or water. People who are deemed unworthy of rights against the rights of Israelis to exist. 

I was sickened by the interview. I was sickened by the fact that it was the ABC, a radio station that is supposed to be impartial. I was sickened by the fact that they were even speaking to an Israeli Australian asking about how he was faring as a citizen of a country that breaks every international law, every single day and has done so for decades, based on a view that they have the right to exist and others do not.

I was sickened by the total disregard for thousands of dead children. The endless and cruel bombardment of Palestine. The unprovoked attack on Iran. 

I am sickened by the ability of humans to claim their right to exit while refusing the same right to others.

People want peace. They want to feel safe. They want dignity. A place to raise their kids happily. 

But to believe that one group has the right to this kind of life while another does not will never allow any version of peace, anywhere.

My rights come with responsibilities. I cannot have rights without responsibilities. Rights and responsibilities are one. When will the adults in the room live this truth?

Until we are all at peace, there is no peace. Or as some esteemed book says, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. 

 Against a backdrop of incredible beauty, my heart shudders at the state of the world.

Photo June 16th 2025, Article written June 16th 2025