Two wrongs...

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by AFK (Away From Keyboard)

Fair judgment requires distance, knowledge, context and impartiality, none of which can ever be complete or absolute, but must remain goals to strive for.

It follows, therefore, that it is not fair to ask a father whose child has been kidnapped from a Kibbutz or a daughter whose mother has been killed in Gaza how they feel about the perpetrators of the crimes committed against their loved ones. Their hearts and minds must be allowed to grieve and to find the strength to work their way back to a life worth living.

It also follows, that it is not only fair to ask, but should indeed be required of the rest of us to contribute to a balanced, informed reaction to horrific events to which we are not ourselves party, but merely heartbroken onlookers. Events that in this case might very well have repercussions far beyond their relatively narrow (Israel-Gaza) border.

In addition to spreading news, social media successfully creates - and continuously contributes to - a growing and increasingly perilous divide between the two sides of the conflict, reinforcing a reality where many choose affirmation over information.

Add to this the technological advances that allow both sides to fan the flames through fake images and stories, and what we are left with is a heightened sense of confusion and despair at the state of the world.

The strongest antidote to this is our own search for reliable information through trusted and vetted sources of which there are many on both sides, and, of course, books, fiction and non, written over the course of the past 75 years to help understand a cause that continues to baffle and frustrate; a cause that so often seems hopeless, but one that we must continue to face, however painful, until a solution is found that will bring peace to the children of Israel and Palestine.

Kind regards,
Isabella and your friendly team at Books & Company