As Middle East descends into hell, world must help both sides find Oasis of Peace

The growing conflict in the Middle East could spiral into a full-scale regional war or worse

A year ago tomorrow, terrorists led by Hamas carried out a horrific, unspeakable atrocity in Israel. Crossing the Gaza border in waves, gunmen mercilessly slaughtered 1,195 people. According to Agence France-Presse, 815 of the dead were civilians, including 364 young people who had been attending a music festival, elderly people and children.

There were credible reports of rapes and sexual assaults. In addition, more than 250 people, again including children and elderly people, were taken hostage.

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An investigation by Human Rights Watch found the attack was “directed against a civilian population”. Contradicting Hamas denials, it added: “Killing civilians and taking hostages were central aims of the planned attack, not an afterthought, a plan gone awry, or isolated acts.” This was, it concluded, a crime against humanity.

As Hamas would have known, Israel’s response has been bloody. Tens of thousands of innocent people have been killed in Gaza during Israel’s war against Hamas and the conflict has spread to Lebanon with clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. Amid missile attacks on Israel by Iran, fears of a full-scale regional conflict and perhaps even a Third World War have grown.

So much bloodshed, so much hatred, so much grief.

In such circumstances, it is hard for all sides to find a path to peace, but there is a way. In a village called Neve Shalom in Hebrew and Wahat al-Salam in Arabic, both meaning Oasis of Peace, people of all faiths and backgrounds live together.

Palestinian civilians evacuate the area following an Israeli airstrike on the Sousi mosque in Gaza City in October last year (Picture: Mahmud Hams)Palestinian civilians evacuate the area following an Israeli airstrike on the Sousi mosque in Gaza City in October last year (Picture: Mahmud Hams)
Palestinian civilians evacuate the area following an Israeli airstrike on the Sousi mosque in Gaza City in October last year (Picture: Mahmud Hams) | AFP via Getty Images

The October 7 attacks did cause friction even there, but still it has held true to its values. These are not shared by all. The Jewish News, in an article published in July, reported that Arab villagers were sometimes criticised for living with “the people who took our land”, while Jewish villagers faced insults like ‘Hamas-nik’.

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However, this one small village is showing what is possible, if only others would agree to end the cycle of violence as many ordinary Israelis and Palestinians so desperately want. The world needs to help all sides find this beautiful place. It really is the only way out of this ever-deepening and human-built hell.

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