My last hope for 🇮🇱 & 🇵🇸 is Today I have to speak up. For myself as an Israeli. For my Palestinian partner Hibba. And for our daughter, Amina. My name is Yonatan Belik. I’m the grandson of 4 Holocaust survivors. Eldest son of Zionist Australian parents. An ex-Israeli soldier. And in general, an optimist. I was brought up a proud Israeli Zionist who sought peace So I participated and led several peace-building programs with Palestinians believing that change is possible. I met Hibba at Seeds of Peace camp And the more I learned from her and her family, The more I visited my friends in the Palestinian Occupied Territories. The more I exposed myself to Palestinian’s reality on social media. The more aware I became that unfortunately, peace is impossible with the existing power dynamic that the state of Israel holds. That no matter how many Israelis seek peace No matter how many Palestinians are willing to give up their nationalistic aspirations for a better life. The reality is that Israel invests its resources in maintaining the status quo rather than trying to change it. And this prioritisation leads to a lot of suffering. The atrocities committed by Hamas on the 7th of October are horrific, gut wrenching, and unforgivable. And they also come within the context of a 17 year siege of Gaza under the controlling Israeli regime that doesn’t see the lives of Palestinians as equal to those of Israelis (specifically Jews). The remaining Israeli hostages make me deeply sad, and I truly hope they return. As sad as it is, they they serve us and the world as a reminder of the innocent Palestinians (including children and women) frequently abducted by the Israeli Army under Administrative Detention (incarceration without trial or charge) until they pose no threat to israel. From my experience being brought up in the Israeli society and exposed to my Palestinian friend’s realities in Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem I realise that as long as Israel exists as a Jewish Nation Palestinians will always be perceived as a threat. And I ask myself How can Israel control the lives of 5 million threatening, non-citizens in the West Bank, in Gaza and still call itself a peace-seeking or moral state? Morals are defined as principles of human right and wrong doing And at this time of terrible immoral behaviour Hammas launching rockets at civilians Israel cutting off electricity, water, fuel from fleeing refugees killing innocent children As an Israeli, my hope for change from the inside has been destroyed. For 75 years, Israel has controlled the reality and future of all who live in the land. Israel has tried and failed to bring Israelis and Palestinians what we all deserve security freedom and dignity. The last bit of optimism I hold, is you. The int’l community. The millions Aching outraged investing time & resources to impact a change from the outside into Gaza the West Bank Israel Into the region as a whole. My hope is that the int’l community can use all the outpour of energy to focus on a gradual and realistic solution that both Israelis and Palestinians can accept because we are all here to stay. I mean look at Northern Ireland, Bosnia, South Africa. Change happened thanks to international pressure and intervention. Immoral behaviour turned into a (not perfect) but more peaceful and moral reality for all sides. I don’t believe I can personally do anything to stop the ongoing suffering but there must be a solution out there. And I hope that this message can start a conversation about what happens after this cycle of death And focus on how we create a future of Security Freedom dignity for the other side and with that for ourselves and our children. —- If you have watched my “coming out”, haven’t completely cancelled what I’ve shared and are interested to hear from Israelis who’ve dedicated their careers to the Palestinian cause, **Go to my bio link and open the doc called Anti-Occupation Sane Voices From the Ground (in English, Hebrew and Arabic) - @borderlessbelik