Choose Life Over Revenge
By Ayman Odeh
The New York Times
October 19, 2023
Mr. Odeh is an Arab Palestinian citizen of Israel and a member of the Knesset.
“The blood of our very young has pierced the blackest depths and we have been brought down along with it…
“All the world’s babies are children of a single nation. They have a common language, a common past, common dreams. They speak the same, get angry and cry at the same things, laugh the same way. When my three children were young, I marveled at how they communicated effortlessly with other babies, no matter the language of the lullabies their parents sang them at night…
“I have always categorically opposed harming civilians, and I will continue opposing it with every fiber of my being. It is a violation of our collective humanity…
“I have witnessed glimmers of the future we could have, made real by ordinary people — Jewish and Arab, Palestinian and Israeli — who have stepped up in the face of unspeakable tragedy…
“These are ordinary people acting from the core of their humanity, despite inhumane circumstances. In this life-or-death moment, they choose life…
“We are also the ones who know, deep in our bones, which are made of the soil of this land, that the answer is peace…
“It is time for the international community to take its lead from us, step up in the face of unspeakable tragedy and choose life…
“The only real revenge for murder is achieving peace.”
Ayman Odeh is a member of the Knesset in Israel and the head of the Hadash-Taal political faction.
About Heart of a Nation
Heart of a Nation is working to empower emerging American, Israeli and Palestinian changemakers to improve their political cultures.
אנחנו מכנסים הוגים מובילים, פעילים חברתיים, ומחוללי שינוי לעתיד, אמריקאים, ישראלים ופלסטינאים, המחויבים לשיפור החברות שלהם.
نحن أمريكيون وإسرائيليون وفلسطينيون نبني ونكوّن روابط من أجل التعلم والتفكير والمشاركة معًا حتى نشجع الحلول التقدمية بشأن القضايا التي تهمنا جميعًا.