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.
