Position on war is not a matter of good or bad: Shabot

In different cities around the world, such as London, Santiago de Chile, Barcelona and even Mexico City, hundreds of thousands of people have demonstrated in favor of the Palestinian people, after the escalation of the conflict caused by the attack by the pro-Palestinian group Hamas. perpetrated against Israel on October 7 and left 1,400 dead.

In interview with Excelsiorthe Middle East specialist shared her vision on the phenomenon of mass support for Palestine.

“I believe that the Palestinian people deserve support, they deserve a State, but there is a strong manipulation of the Arab world on the issue of their Palestinian brothers.”

Hamas, adds the columnist, “is a terrorist organization that does not represent all the Palestinian people and, even worse, iranizes for its own purposes, just as Hezbollah does, which attacks Israel even when there is no territorial conflict with Lebanon."

In this sense, Shabot believes that there is a media management in which there are good and bad within the narrative, in which “Palestine is the weak, the good, and Israel is the strong, the bad, and that is a simplistic way.” To see it, there must be much more background, even historical, about it.”

In Facebook groups, such as Support from Mexico to Palestine, hundreds of people have organized to march and even ask for information on how they could influence the transfer of Palestinian children who are victims of the war to Mexico.

Shabot comments that, although it is an important issue, the matter is handled carelessly. As an example, he cites the case of the massacre that Hamas perpetrated against the Kfar Aza kibbutz community, where at least 40 babies were killed in the terrorist group's attacks.

“The bodies of the 40 babies who were murdered were never shown because the Israeli authorities were very careful with that, it is not a question of morbidity, but of respect. It is not wrong to advocate for the lives of Palestinian civilians, but apparently empathy is lost with the people who are also victims in Israel,” says the specialist.

In this sense, Esther Shabot highlights the importance of understanding that “the concept of Israel, as the State of the Jewish people, unleashes many emotions, due to ancestral prejudices, stereotypical images, a whole mixture of even anti-Semitic positions, there is confusion: the Jews of "The US are Americans, those of Mexico are Mexican, of course there is a connection with Israel, even family, but it is very suspicious that the Jews as such, or the Israelis, are accused of the errors that their political leadership may have," stated the columnist of this newspaper.

From the streets, protests in favor of the Palestinian people moved into the digital realm. On platforms like TikTok, videos of children and young people using the video game have gone viral. Roblox to carry out marches of small virtual dolls.

The media impact of war in times of social networks is such that it transcends borders. José Torres Muñoz, who works at an animal shelter in Barcelona, ​​has been active in protests in favor of Palestine since the conflict escalated.

In a conversation with this newspaper, José shared that he does not consider himself anti-Semitic, but, “logically seeing the atrocities they commit, I believe that more than one politician would have to be in court in The Hague and have a life sentence for all the suffering caused to the people.” Palestinian".

"They have demolished more than half a city of two million people, now winter is coming without water, without electricity, without gasoline. I have not seen a crime of humanity as great as this, neither with the American Indians nor with the Africans who were enslaved," says the activist.