Tragedy of Gaza peace doctor alerts Israelis to Palestinian pain

February 3, 12:05 PMSpiritual Life ExaminerRabbi Ben Kamin

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Anonymous suffering compounds the anguish of the victim because he or she is left to cope in the dark.  When a face and a name and a story fill the bones of such a vacuum, those of us who know the sufferer, no matter what the overall circumstances, are at least edified in favor of humanity.

Israelis know Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, and as a result of his unbearable tragedy that was collateral of the recent Gaza war, they know themselves better as well.  No one here doubts that the Gaza operation was unquestionably necessary, given the incessant shelling of Israeli civilians by the Hamas terror syndicate that seized power there.  But neither does anyone here doubt that what happened to Dr. Abuelaish (pictured above) breaks the heart of anyone who was ever a human being.

Making it so very real for Israelis, the physician, well-ingratiated among Israeli healers and a frequent guest practitioner and medical researcher within Israel itself, was speaking live, in his fluent Hebrew, on the afternoon of January 16 to his Jewish correspondent friend on Israel’s Channel 10 news program.  This was documented in several sources including, of course, the television network itself.  Dr. Abuelaish, who had attended joint Palestinian-Israeli peace and healing conferences, was offering one of his frequent updates to the Israeli audience on the conflict.

Israeli viewers were shocked as the live telecast turned into a screed of horror, relayed by the Channel 10 host, Shlomi Eldar.  Shells landed in the doctor’s home, from which he was trying to share information.  He was immediately heard screaming in shock:  “”They died on the spot—on the spot, Shlomi!  Oh Lord, God, God, God!” (Israelity.com)

Dr. Abuelaish was referring to his own three little girls.

Because of the ghastly coincidence of the news being broadcast live, other wounded children in the house were swept up by the Israeli army and airlifted to the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv for treatment.

One can submit the facts that never, under any circumstances, have wounded Israelis been rescued by Arab forces and treated for injuries in an Arab hospital or clinic.  But this isn’t the point here.  The issue here is that this unspeakable incident awakened many Israelis—including outspoken, enraged, and just truly aggrieved commentators—to decry the cost to their national conscience of this dreadful conflagration that was forced upon them.

Dr. King often preached: “I don’t know about you, but I ain’t gonna study war no more.”  Since even he was taken away by bullet fire, isn’t it time for every parent in the world, no matter their creed, to stop teaching war to children?