Poem by Addam Yekutieli, END THE OCCUPATION, 2021
As Trevor Noah commented recently about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, there are so many layers, that depending on where in the timeline you go back to, blame for the current violence continually shifts. Not wanting to delve into the history, instead he focused on one salient issue: power.
Speaking on his Daily Show, he commented: “In Gaza, Israeli air strikes have reportedly killed 28 people, including 10 children. Over 150 people have been wounded. In Israel, Hamas rockets have killed two people. And this exchange of fire comes after the Israeli assault in and around the al-Aqsa mosque that left more than 600 Palestinian protesters, worshippers and civilians wounded. And a few dozen Israeli police.
“Personally, I cannot watch that footage and hear those numbers and see a fair fight.”
He then posed this question: “If you are in a fight where the other person cannot beat you, how hard should you retaliate when they try to hurt you?”
Finally he posed this question in reference to Israel. “And I’m not trying to answer the question, nor do I think I’m smart enough to solve it. All I’m asking is: when you have this much power, what is your responsibility?”
That hit home.
Israeli artist Addam Yekutieli (aka Know Hope) makes art in the studio and on the street reflecting the divisive, complex and volatile situation between Palestine and Israel. Recently he posted a poem on Instagram with the title: END THE OCCUPATION, featuring the startling line highlighting the torturous situation of his country: “How can this land relieve itself from itself”.
And where is the hope that any of this can be resolved humanely and peacefully?