Israel was founded under the banner of Zionism—shaped by the Balfour Declaration and the colonial ideologies of its time—on land where Palestinians were already living. Consequently, the nation has always carried the inherent challenge of dealing with conflict and mistrust from its neighbors.
Every nation faces diplomatic challenges. Japan, for instance, has struggled with the prolonged Northern Territories dispute with Russia. We attempted to address this through diplomacy, but likely due to political strife, this led to what became known as “politically driven investigations” (kokusaku sosa).
Yet, even when we face failure, Japan, upholding its Peace Constitution, continues to strive to mitigate conflict through diplomacy.
In Israel’s case, although the national systems differ, it appears that by repeatedly using these circumstances as a “pretext to justify armaments and occupation,” the country has calcified into a “national security state that eternally requires an enemy.”
While Israel possesses the framework of a parliamentary democracy, national security and the military-industrial complex have entrenched themselves at the center of its politics and economy. It seems difficult for the nation to break free—both politically and religiously—from a nationalism that is predicated on the “existence of an enemy.”
Could this not also be because the necessity of maintaining coalition governments demands a certain populist simplicity?
In this sense, I have the sense that Israel’s current system is fundamentally incompatible with long-term peace projects.
Violence begets violence.
Hatred begets hatred.
It is not only soldiers who are hurt; soldiers are human beings, too, and the weight of every life is the same.
Dependence can be seen as a pattern the brain learns and repeats. A similar phenomenon occurs not only with addiction but also with chronic nerve pain.
If you shout, you get excited.
Because you are excited, you shout even more.
If you shout, you can no longer hear your own voice.
We ought to gaze upon the enemy within ourselves. We must not silence the voice of human reason or the pangs of conscience. Furthermore, shouldn’t we listen closely to the voice of the God of Israel, whom the nation has long cherished in its Jewish tradition?
Do they appear to be enemies?
Are they truly enemies?
If seeing them as enemies is merely one’s own interpretation, then trying to change others is futile.
Rather than the frenzy of shouting, I wish to learn peace from the gentle voice of Judaism—one of the world’s oldest monotheistic faiths and the oldest of the Abrahamic religions.