I've been contemplating whether or not to write about this, but I've decided to do so—not to take sides, but to break the cycles of hate.

The conflict in the Middle East is nothing new, but the scale it has reached in the past two years, especially following the October 7th invasion by Hamas terrorists into Israel and the war that followed in Gaza, has been staggering.

What truly surprises me is the sudden "engagement" from many in the West—particularly the newfound concern for the well-being of Gaza’s children. Social media is flooded with posts, protests erupt on the streets and university campuses under hashtags like #FreePalestine, and suddenly, everyone seems deeply informed—or so it seems.

Since I don’t live in a cave, I’ve also been exposed to all this content. It’s led me to reflect on three things this conflict has revealed to me about our society:

1. Headline Readers

We’ve become addicted to headlines. Most of us rarely read full articles and accept what we see on social media as truth. A video or image must be real, right? But do we check the date, the context, the source? Often, we don’t. If a favorite actor or influencer says something, we believe it blindly, without doing our own research.

I’m guilty of this too. But this time, I decided to dig deeper—not just into the conflict, but into how we engage with it. And I noticed something alarming: we no longer debate. We don’t listen. We share our opinions and shut others down. Why? Because we lack depth. Our opinions are often built on nothing more than headlines or short reels, and they’re ruled by our emotions. So when someone asks us a second or third question, we run out of arguments and get angry. 

We live in a society that claims to be tolerant and inclusive—yet we cancel people instead of listening. Real debate requires humility, openness to being wrong, and the willingness to adjust or reaffirm our beliefs without silencing others.

So I encourage you: read, fact-check, and go beyond mainstream and social media. If you truly care about an issue, research it before you spread hate under the pretense of seeking justice.

One revealing point for me, for example, is that the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza is the official source for death numbers, treated as official by the media and the UN. I'm not denying that people are dying in this conflict—tragically, that’s undeniable. But using words like genocide or comparing Netanyahu with Hitler is, sorry to say, ignorance. Why should we reasonably expect Hamas, a terror organization, to provide neutral, truthful statistics or information? Don’t forget that one of Hitler's most powerful instruments in Nazi Germany was propaganda.

The more I learn about Israel, Palestine, and Iran, the more I realize how little I knew. So before you cancel others, inform yourself. Go beyond the headlines.

2. Rebels Without a Cause

I'm also shocked at how quickly many in the West including the media have chosen to defend and believe a terrorist organization over a democratic state. Condemning the loss of innocent life is essential, and sympathizing with the suffering of people in Gaza is necessary—but aligning with the explicit goals of a group that seeks the destruction of Israel is something else entirely. We have to be very aware of the power of our words and contextualize them.

Many of those chanting “Free Palestine” showed no interest in the region before 2023. If we truly care about Palestinian freedom, we should have been advocating for it since at least 2005—beginning with freeing Gaza from Hamas. This group has stripped its people of a free press, religious liberty, freedom of speech, and women’s rights, all while launching daily terror attacks on Israel.

Meanwhile, Western governments have sent millions in taxpayer money to Gaza through the UN—funds that often end up in Hamas’s hands, used to build tunnels under schools and hospitals. Why doesn’t anybody condemn this as an act against human rights? Hamas uses civilians as shields and plays the victim, and the West keeps falling for it.

Did you know: Israel—before October 7th and even while under attack on a daily basis—was providing the people of Gaza with electricity and humanitarian aid for years? Today, there is much reading about how Israel blocks humanitarian aid to Gaza or how it randomly shoots at people who are just trying to collect some food. However, mainstream media either remain silent on these issues or barely mention how Hamas intercepts humanitarian aid and sells it to the people of Gaza to raise funds for weaponry. There's also little coverage of Hamas openly calling for a boycott of aid controlled by Israel. A call to boycott from a terrorist organization is a call to violence. Israel values life. Hamas glorifies death. Let me be clear: it’s okay to condemn the suffering of the people of Gaza, but address the real aggressor—Hamas. And stop labeling Israel as the main aggressor. Do your own research.

So I ask again: What is your cause? Are you truly fighting for human rights—or unknowingly supporting terror and indoctrination? You say you believe in Western values, but your slogans contradict them. Students and Pride Parade participants advocating for #FreePalestine from the comfort of democratic states, without facing daily terror attacks, understand what it means to live in the Middle East without such freedoms right? Ironically, only Israel provides this freedom to its people.  Adding to these contradictions—while not all, unfortunately, many pro-Palestine demonstrations across Europe and the US have ended up into chaos, violence, and destruction. So I have to ask again: how exactly does this promote peace in Gaza? It seems we may be (un)intentionally amplifying the hate propagated by Hamas, while causing real damage in our own cities.

A quote comes to mind: “The border between democracy and authoritarianism is the least protected in the world.” It captures our current crisis perfectly.

3. Not Everything Is Relative: The Importance of Motivation

This conflict reminds us: Not everything is relative. You can't erase the difference between good and evil. Motivation matters.

You can grieve for the suffering of Palestinians and advocate for a better future for them without promoting hatred toward Jews. If you truly care, examine your motivation. Are you fighting for justice—or just venting your own bitterness under the guise of activism? 

Israel is defending itself. Hamas and Iran openly call for the death of all Jews and the destruction of Israel. These are regimes that sacrifice their own people for propaganda. Yet we demand that Israel stay silent while being attacked daily—even before October 7th. 

War and terror both cause death—but they are not the same. Israel, of course, makes mistakes; however, fighting against a terrorist organization cannot be called fair play. And supporting such a group while enjoying the freedoms of a democratic society is not fair play either. If peace matters to you, begin loving and caring for the people in your sphere of influence like family, neighbors, colleagues. If you think about it, I'm 100% sure that you are even failing on that, because I'm also.

By the way, when you chant 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,' you're calling for the elimination of Israel. A quick look at Google Maps shows exactly what's between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea ;) again: your words have power. So ask yourself: do you truly support the erasure of a democratic nation? Because Israel isn’t calling for the erasure of Gaza’s people—they're trying to dismantle the terrorist organization responsible for immense suffering on both sides.

Final Thoughts: A Call for Self-Reflection

This is a controversial topic—but I believe it’s a necessary one. It’s an opportunity for self-reflection. So ask yourself:

• What is the root of your motivation?
• Are you fighting for justice out of love—or out of hate?
• Do you truly have a cause—or are you just following a trend?
• Are you well-informed—or simply reposting headlines?

Neither you nor I can solve this conflict, and I didn’t write this to convince you to support Israel—they also make many mistakes. But I did write this to encourage you to dig deeper, inform yourself beyond headlines, and examine your motivations, so we can change the way we engage with this conflict. We can break cycles of hate and injustice by acting out of love. That’s how you make a positive impact in your sphere of influence. Don’t forget that your neighbor or your friend, whether Jewish or Muslim, is worthy of love, as they are individuals affected by decisions made by world leaders and the actions of terror organizations.

So don’t be a European who doesn’t have a clue about living in countries with corruption, not to mention under constant terror attacks, but still feels the need to teach people in Israel or Gaza how to live. And I sincerely hope you don’t become someone who, in the name of justice, spreads more hate. Because justice pursued in bitterness will only produce more injustice. With this conflict happening, you have the best example of this in front of your eyes.

“Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. By their fruit you will recognize them.” 

Matthew 7:16–19

Blessings!

Ana Laura