The atrocities committed by Hamas on Oct. 7, and Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians since then (and previously) have ignited intense controversies and condemnation worldwide. The impassioned reactions have even reached our little San Juan Island microcosm: there are weekly demonstrations in Friday Harbor, and people are writing letters to the Editor. It’s good we’re seeing these letters, and that attention is being drawn to this horrific situation. It’s good that people can publicly express their opinions. And it’s important to learn, objectively, all we can about the conflict, and open-mindedly try to understand others’ viewpoints (without tolerating hate speech).

My opinion: It all started with Antisemitism. After almost 2,000 years of discrimination, persecution, being herded into ghettos, forced expulsions, massacres, and pogroms … well, Jews figured that if they had a place to call their own, they would be protected from abuse. They started settling in Palestine. The Nazis in Germany and Austria reinforced that decision. Their only problem: the native population of Palestine. When the 1948 War of Independence was over, over 750,000 Palestinians had fled or been violently expelled from their homes. Many ended up in Gaza. They weren’t allowed to return – Palestinians refer to this uprooting as the Nakba. This created the festering political and humanitarian problem that’s with us to this day.

It’s a complex situation. We must become educated about the history and scope of this tragedy, and respectfully strive to understand the viewpoints of people who see things differently.

Joseph Tein,

San Juan Island