Making Sense of the Genocide in Gaza

Osama Al Shamleh (OAS): The reaction was shock on the morning of 7 October, but then a very quick feeling of grief for all the scenarios that I and those close to me were imagining the response would be. Unfortunately, the actual response was much worse than we imagined.

Emmylou Savage (ES): I also remember waking up that morning and learning about the attacks and hearing about it from family in Israel. Their fear. I remember feeling a level of despair and grief that I have never truly felt before for something that feels so far away from me. I don't think I really imagined the response would be as violent and as aggressive as it has been.

Jeff Handmaker (JH): I also experienced grief for what I knew was to come. It was, so far as I was concerned, as a longtime expert on this region, predictable how Israel was going to respond. I knew that Israel would respond aggressively, but I couldn’t have imagined this.

ES: I think for the first month or so, it was so hard for me to understand everything that was going on. It was overwhelming. I felt that I had to do all I could from my position of privilege. I regularly attended protests and got involved with the Erev Rav community – a Jewish organization that mobilizes for Palestine.

OAS: The first text I got on 7 October was from a colleague I worked with several years before, a Jewish colleague who had a sister living in a settlement in Palestine. She sent me a text asking, is your family okay?

JH: Finding humanity in the midst of such dehumanization is powerful. With colleagues at Erasmus University Rotterdam, I organized Teach-Ins in mid-October 2023. They were very well attended and very emotional. People were on edge, tearful about the experience.

ES: I feel that discussions around this haven't happened enough. For me, a defining issue for how we make progress is that people must be willing to listen.

JH: Have you ever felt unsafe as a Jewish student? It’s a question that’s often asked.

ES: I've never felt unsafe and I've never felt that there was an anti-Semitic tone. The Netherlands has been a very safe and welcoming space.

JH: Osama? This is a question that is rarely asked of Palestinians. Have there been times when you’ve felt unsafe in the last couple of years?

OAS: In Palestine. I’ll never forget this one experience: I was driving very early in the morning from Ramallah to Bethlehem. There was an Israeli checkpoint; we're talking about fully armed Israeli military personnel. The moment I passed by them, they shouted. I didn't know what to do. I stayed put. I was really shocked. They shouted at me again; took a photo of me and my ID. You can imagine how that happens for people daily in the West Bank.

JH: Were there moments during this violence that you felt inspired?

ES: Yes – with the ICJ. I'm South African and that for me was an extreme moment of pride. Our country is in shambles at times, but at least they have this.

JH: Yeah, South Africa brought a case against Israel on charges of genocide.

OAS: I've seen the strength of many people, risking careers, their reputation just because they felt they needed to say the right thing. It was very inspiring. But the most inspiring to me are the Palestinians in Gaza. There are many examples, including the kids who put videos online, those who took it on themselves to help their community, or the whole Gaza community that did not give up. Their resilience is an inspiring story.

ES: I find it harder to remain hopeful; it feels very overwhelming.

OAS: Yeah. It's unfortunate, especially in Europe, hearing debates addressing things as if they happen in a vacuum. These things have their historical moments. Jeff, earlier we were discussing that this is a new age of crusades and subjugation. It's very concerning.

JH: We're continuing to learn. I remember, during the South African anti-apartheid movement, how important it was to find hope in the midst of a lot of grief and despair.

ES: I think people are awakening, at least in the discussions.

OAS: We need more unity. We don't agree on the details maybe, but we agree that we need to go back to a rule-based order. That this is all connected. We just all need to come together and say no to it.