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Note! This article was translated from Norwegian to English using Translate GPT and checked by the author.

What’s happening in the Middle East right now is madness. How can anyone believe that revenge will solve the conflict?

As is well known, hatred only leads to more hatred. When even many survivors and relatives of Israelis killed in the horrific Hamas attack on October 7th do not seek revenge, we should really listen.

Israeli Maoz Inon lost both of his parents in the same Hamas attack. This turned him into a peace activist because he wanted to honor his parents, who were both pacifists and did not desire revenge. In a statement on Al Jazeera, he said the following: «Israel repeats the same mistake over and over again. Revenge will not bring my parents back, nor will it bring back other murdered Israelis or Palestinians. The opposite will happen – it will bring more death. We must break this cycle.»

There have also been large demonstrations worldwide against Israel’s bombing of Gaza, including here in Bergen. Thousands of children have been killed. Israel is losing much of the sympathy they had after the attack occurred.

By going to war against Hamas and trying to wipe them out, Israel will not become safer – quite the opposite. First of all, they will never manage to get rid of Hamas’ ideology, and the hatred toward Israel will only grow and take new forms. Half of Gaza’s population are children, and they are easily influenced. There is also the danger of the conflict escalating into other countries in the region.

Hatred and anger can blind someone and lead to hasty actions they later regret. President Joe Biden said something about this during his recent visit to Israel: «I would caution those who feel this rage not to be consumed by it. After 9/11, we were angry in the U.S. While we sought justice and achieved it, we also made mistakes.»

After the terrorist attack on the U.S. on September 11, 2001, the U.S. waged a war on terror, primarily against Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. A report shows that this war has cost at least half a million lives, including 7,000 Americans—more than double the number of those who died in the terrorist attack itself. In 2021, the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan, and the Taliban returned to power. The Islamic State (IS), a militant Islamist group, emerged as a reaction to the U.S., the U.K., and their allies invading Iraq in 2003.

What is clear is that war, hatred, and revenge are no solutions to conflicts. In fact, they only make things worse. Other means are needed. For instance, one could engage in self-reflection. Why was the U.S. attacked by terrorists? Could it be because they had been involved in many wars around the world before the terrorist attack? Why was Israel attacked? Could it be because they have at times acted recklessly and occupied land?

I think we should learn to understand each other better, truly see and listen to each other, and respect our differences and opinions.

I was in a relationship for many years with a woman whose family was deeply Christian, and pictures of Israel hung on the walls. My next relationship was also with a woman for many years, but she was very concerned about the Palestinians.

The point is that we all have different perspectives and worldviews. There doesn’t need to be conflict because of it. Israelis and Palestinians have lived in peace with each other before and can do so again.

Mahatma Gandhi managed to free India from British rule through peaceful means in 1947. Nelson Mandela helped establish the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa. He did not want to take revenge for the injustices committed by the oppressors under the apartheid regime—and this was a man who spent 27 years in prison!

Artists often manage to convey and express their opinions brilliantly, as John Lennon and Yoko Ono did with the peace song «Imagine.» It touched the whole world. We need to imagine a world in peace. It is not a distant dream, even though it may seem so now.

«Make love, not war» is a frequently used anti-war slogan. It may seem like a cliché, but love is actually the answer!

Peace is not possible when there is so much hatred, fear, and anger within us. There is only one thing that can help with this, and that is love. By showing understanding, care, respect, and empathy, we show love.

At the beginning of The Earth Charter, it says: «To move forward, we must recognize that humanity is one big family despite different cultures and lifestyles…»

A recipe for peace is precisely to expand the concept of family to include everyone in the world. We cannot only show love within our immediate family. If you trace family lineage far enough back, we are all connected.

The conflicts we see in the world are not actually that complicated. They ultimately stem from a lack of love.