Jonathan Freedland’s plea that those on each side of the seemingly eternal conflict in the Middle East try “to see how things look from the other side” seems doomed to fall on deaf ears (A brutal year and a tale of two Israels: the one that is feared and the one that is fearful, 4 October). It is increasingly clear that all citizens in the region are being failed by their leaders.
Hamas’s leaders deny the horrific crimes of 7 October 2023, yet we know them to be true. Their decision to attack Israel a year ago was both heinous and strategically disastrous for the people they claim to represent. Israel’s war cabinet must also be held to account for a scorched-earth policy with no regard for loss of innocent life in pursuit of goals which, even if achieved in the short term at exceedingly high costs, will only foster long-term animosity for generations to come.
Raja Shehadeh claims Israel must realise the cost of killing Palestinians for the bloodshed to stop (When will this horror end? When Israel realises that the cost of destroying us is too high, 5 October). But this applies to all sides; the leadership on both sides must confront the eternal truth that neither side can ever destroy the other, that the short-horizon instinct on each side to “hit back” will never succeed.
Nick Mayer
Southampton
• Perhaps Jonathan Freedland’s very compelling piece should have been titled “the three Israels”. As a Jew who has lived in Israel, has family there, and has suffered antisemitism in Argentina, I am surprised at the omission of the role extreme Jewish religious parties play in the situation in the Middle East. Their sense of biblical entitlement to the whole of the land of Israel further ignites the indiscriminate toll of death. If Iran is a theocracy, Israel is also becoming one.
The level of hate between, and indoctrination of, Israelis and Palestinians will take generations to resolve. Politicians with long-term vision, with a sense of morality and humanity, are needed to achieve peace. I hope the people of the Middle East find these leaders soon.
Yuti Chernajovsky
Whitstable, Kent
• Thank you for the article by Jonathan Freedland. The divisions within Israeli society itself should be mentioned. Yes, the Israeli perspective of the war and its origins is something that unites Israelis. But there is a deep division in Israeli society about the steps to be taken to end the conflict. Many Israelis believe that ending the war in Gaza is the necessary step to be taken to bring back the hostages. Others believe that only the strong continued military response can save the hostages, and that only the complete defeat of Hamas can end the war in Gaza.
The former are demonstrating daily all over the country, outside the prime minister’s house and those of other ministers and cabinet members. The country is torn, and there does not seem to be a rational way to bring an end to either the external conflict or the internal one.
Orna Bird
London
• Jonathan Freedland’s contrast between the Israel outsiders see and the Israel insiders perceive is well made. But the stories of personal terror, grief and utter defencelessness could as well be told from the Palestinian side. Isn’t the real contrast in this war, as in all wars, between the everyday people whose lives are destroyed – as soldiers as well as civilians – and the political and military leaders who believe that violence is the way to achieve their ambitions, and those whose support enables them to pursue this deadly folly?
Sarah White
Bath
