SA cannot afford to choose sides in the Israel-Hamas war
30 January 2024 - 17:18
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A Jewish man waves an Israeli flag in Jerusalem's Old City. Picture: REUTERS/AMIR COHEN
Anti-Semitism is an existential threat to all of us. You cannot punish people for their race, religion or culture, or for where they were born.
Everywhere I look, from the government to some media practitioners, anti-Semitism is on the rise, often disguised as support for those who have no voice in the Israel-Hamas war.
Beneath the noise you can feel the anti-Semitism. This is what Noam Chomsky calls a “manufactured consent”. If you do not support the chanted slogan of the day, you are demonised as being a Benjamin Netanyahu fan.
SA cannot afford to choose sides in the current war. All lives must be protected. Why is it easy to separate ordinary Palestinians from Hamas, but we have difficulty understanding that being a Jew does not make you a Zionist or Netanyahu supporter? Is it because it is easy and fashionable to hate Jews?
After the September 11 2001 terror attacks in the US Islamophobia became common, but I refused to hate someone because of their religion. Why should being Muslim make you a terrorist? It is absurd.
Our differences as people should not be our identity. Our collective aim should be to remove the poison in the Middle East, that is Hamas and Benjamin Netanyahu. As long as Hamas rules and Netanyahu is in power, peace will be an illusion. Remove them and rebuild relationships again.
The future of the Middle East cannot be built on the hatred planted by Hamas and Netanyahu. Too many innocent have lost in this madness. It must end.
Dr Lucas Ntyintyane Via email
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
LETTER: Anti-Semitism is on the rise
SA cannot afford to choose sides in the Israel-Hamas war
Anti-Semitism is an existential threat to all of us. You cannot punish people for their race, religion or culture, or for where they were born.
Everywhere I look, from the government to some media practitioners, anti-Semitism is on the rise, often disguised as support for those who have no voice in the Israel-Hamas war.
Beneath the noise you can feel the anti-Semitism. This is what Noam Chomsky calls a “manufactured consent”. If you do not support the chanted slogan of the day, you are demonised as being a Benjamin Netanyahu fan.
SA cannot afford to choose sides in the current war. All lives must be protected. Why is it easy to separate ordinary Palestinians from Hamas, but we have difficulty understanding that being a Jew does not make you a Zionist or Netanyahu supporter? Is it because it is easy and fashionable to hate Jews?
After the September 11 2001 terror attacks in the US Islamophobia became common, but I refused to hate someone because of their religion. Why should being Muslim make you a terrorist? It is absurd.
Our differences as people should not be our identity. Our collective aim should be to remove the poison in the Middle East, that is Hamas and Benjamin Netanyahu. As long as Hamas rules and Netanyahu is in power, peace will be an illusion. Remove them and rebuild relationships again.
The future of the Middle East cannot be built on the hatred planted by Hamas and Netanyahu. Too many innocent have lost in this madness. It must end.
Dr Lucas Ntyintyane
Via email
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
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