Reflections on Israel and Gaza from People More Qualified Than Myself

In times like these, everyone seems to have an opinion, but most people lack the depth of understanding to ensure that that opinion is informed. I'm sure that at times I've been one of those people, so I do my best to seek out smart people with a depth of knowledge I lack and defer to their greater experience. Over the past couple weeks, I've come across some exceptionally well communicated pieces on this, and I want to share them here.

My favourite by far is Dave Meslin's take, shared via an Instagram video in a single take with no script. Dave is deeply thoughtful and passionate person with a great deal of personal insight around how the Jewish community (of which he is a member) has been divided on this issue, and the whole video is worth your time:

Next is Naomi Klein, another prominent Canadian activist of Jewish background reflecting on antisemitism and militant Zionism, culminating in the idea of "an international left rooted in values that side with the child over the gun every single time". The piece was originally posted in The Guardian, but should that link ever disappear, I've preserved it here.

Then there's the CNN interview with the nurse from Médecins Sans Frontières who recently returned from Gaza and is desperate to go back. It's a remarkable interview. Just watch it.

I want to include Barack Obama's piece here again, as I thought that it demonstrates a broad grasp of the history. Like Klein's article, I've preserved Obama's Medium post as a PDF.

And finally, John Oliver delivered an exceptional story on Israel & Gaza on his show, Last Week Tonight where he talks about how extremists on both sides are effectively supporting each other at the cost of the civilian population: