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How should we think about our enemies?

Michael Buerk chairs a live debate examining the moral issues behind one of the week's news stories. With panellists: Giles Fraser, Mona Siddiqui, Tim Stanley and Sonia Sodha.

The surprise attack by Hamas was devastating, leaving hundreds of Israeli civilians dead, injured or taken hostage. Israel’s response was swift, with airstrikes on Gaza killing hundreds of Palestinians, including children.

The scale of the attack was unprecedented, but the cycle of violence and escalation is all too familiar in this land that has been contested for more than a century. Now another generation sees the bloodshed at first hand.

Hamas is dedicated to the destruction of Israel, so for many Jews this is about survival. At the same time, many Palestinians have come to see Israel as a brutal oppressor. Each side sees the other as an existential threat. Even those who refuse to define their neighbours across the Gaza border as β€˜the enemy’ may find themselves defined in those terms against their will – and threatened with death.

How should we understand conventional rules of morality in such intractable circumstances? What is a proportionate response to an act of aggression? And what conditions are necessary for a realistic peace process to take hold?

Perhaps the most radical statement in all of human history is β€œlove your enemies”. Those who are pessimistic about peace in the Middle East might dismiss that as naΓ―ve. But there are some who can give us real-life examples of the human capacity to rise above anger and grief for a greater good.

How should we think about our enemies?

With Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer, Atef Alshaer, Gabrielle Rifkind, Rami Elhanan and Bassam Aramin.

Producer: Dan Tierney.

Available now

57 minutes

Last on

Sun 15 Oct 2023 23:00

Broadcasts

  • Wed 11 Oct 2023 20:00
  • Sun 15 Oct 2023 23:00

The Evidence Toolkit

The Evidence Toolkit

Check out the claims made in news stories with this interactive tool.

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