Imagine this: a schoolyard. A small group of well-to-do third-degree thugs. They like to hit 1st graders, especially the small and weak. The rest of the 3rd graders slowly muster up the courage to tell them to stop, to tell them they are wrong. They have already distanced themselves from the bullies, not wanting to have anything to do with them. Second graders flinch and most parents look and say ‘That’s not right, make them stop.’ Someone should do something. ‘ The parents of the bullies respond with ‘That’s my boy / girl!’ or ‘What’s wrong with asserting yourself?’ or something similar. Teachers give warnings, give arrests, send them to the head and shake their heads. Eventually bullies get kicked out – 3rd graders need to assert themselves, maybe learn some anger management – but not at our school, thank you very much. The bullying continues outside of school. The weakest 1st grade students end up in the hospital. He was still just shaking his head and shaking his fists. Impotence. Reluctant acceptance of the situation.

Seriously? Can you really imagine some backward school like that? Reacting like this? I can not. Parents would be in arms. Inspectors, psychologists, law enforcement officers, and a dozen other authorities would crawl around the school and talk to each and every child. He would take care of the thugs.

Now translate this to the world stage. The first grade students are Palestinians living in Gaza. The thugs are the Israelis who attack them. The rest of the third graders are the rest of the Israelis and Jews from all over the world. Second graders make up the majority of the general population. Parents are many smaller governments and decision makers. Teachers are international bodies, including organizations like the United Nations. The bullies’ parents are, well, I’ll leave them nameless. I think most people know who they are.

For. Stop it like you would at school. Stand up for what is right. To take action. Any action. Just shaking your head and saying how terrible this is all will get the world nowhere. Only if measures are taken, no matter how small, will things change.

Remember, this is no longer a matter of correcting a religious mistake made in the past. This is the sheer exercise of power by a stronger group of people over a weaker group of people.