Neutrality is not apathy
Let’s start by declaring something you rarely hear in this debate: I’m not on anyone’s side.
In a world polarised between hashtags and outrage, I choose to take an objective view of the Israel-Hamas war. I assess each event on its own facts – not through a tribal lens. And what I see is grim: brutality, propaganda and disregard for human life on both sides.
There are no clean hands in this conflict. And until we acknowledge that, we will stay trapped in a cycle of violence and delusion.
A terrorist group with no regard
Let’s begin with the obvious. Hamas is one of the most barbaric terrorist groups operating today. Its attack on Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023, was an act of pure evil. Its tactics – including the use of hospitals, schools and apartment blocks as civilian shields – expose its complete disregard for the lives of the very people it claims to represent. It thrives on chaos and martyrdom, not freedom or progress.
A military response without restraint
And yet, Israel – one of the world’s most technologically advanced military powers – has responded with a campaign that has levelled entire neighbourhoods and displaced millions. There’s no question it has a right to defend itself. But the scale and nature of the response has been indiscriminate at times, echoing the kind of bombing campaigns we used against Nazi Germany. Precision strikes are possible. So why this level of destruction?
Leadership without humanity
The leadership – on both sides – doesn’t fundamentally care about the people of Gaza.
Hamas uses them as cannon shields. Israel sees them as collateral damage. Caught in the middle are two million civilians, most of whom are young, poor and politically powerless.
But let’s also be brutally honest. A disturbing proportion of Gazans – radicalised by decades of blockade, war and indoctrination – would like to see the state of Israel wiped off the map. That’s a dangerous, delusional mindset. The idea of “eradicating” a country and its people is medieval, yet it is preached in mosques, taught in schools and shouted in the streets. This isn’t to suggest every Palestinian holds this view, but it is widespread enough to be a serious barrier to peace.
The tragic asymmetry here is that one side clings to genocidal slogans while the other possesses 21st-century warfighting capability. And when ideology meets artillery, it’s always the innocent who die.
This generation didn’t choose this
Let’s also deal with the myth that Gaza’s current population chose this. The last election was in 2006. Half the population is under 18. They didn’t vote for Hamas – they were born into its grip. But just as they suffer from the brutality of Hamas rule, they suffer from the apathy of Israeli leadership, which has too often prioritised vengeance over vision.
Starmer’s shallow symbolism
Now into this mess wades Sir Keir Starmer with his proposal to recognise a Palestinian state early in his premiership.
Frankly, it’s ill thought through and politically motivated.
Recognition might sound noble, but in reality it’s a hollow gesture. It won’t bring back the hostages. It won’t disarm or deter Hamas. And it certainly won’t persuade extremists on either side to abandon their mission. It’s an act designed to win headlines and internal Labour support, not to solve a problem that demands careful, long-term strategy.
Recognition means nothing if the state being recognised is led by terrorists. Until there is a credible, secular Palestinian leadership that values human rights, diplomacy and coexistence, this idea is just wishful thinking.
Radicals on both sides
So what does a path forward look like?
It starts with facing facts. There is no peace with Hamas in charge. There is no justice in bombing children. And there is no progress if we keep pretending one side is entirely right and the other entirely wrong.
Both sides are trapped by leaders who trade in fear. Netanyahu’s government stokes insecurity to cling to power. Hamas manufactures victimhood to stay relevant. Neither will lead their people to peace – because peace would make them irrelevant.
Gaza’s civilians are left without true representation. They’re used, lied to, and bombed. Israel’s citizens, meanwhile, live under the fear of rockets, tunnels and international condemnation. Everyone loses – except the politicians and warlords.
Only adult thinking will do
The West must stop rewarding symbolic politics and start pushing for real solutions: demilitarisation, humanitarian access, accountability, and eventually, credible Palestinian leadership. That won’t come overnight. But gestures like premature recognition only fuel delusion.
It’s time we stop being bullied into binary choices. You can condemn Israel’s bombing campaign and denounce Hamas as a terror organisation. You can mourn Palestinian children and still believe Israel has a right to exist. That’s not fence-sitting – it’s adult thinking.
The longer we treat this conflict like a football match, the more children will die.
There are no winners in Gaza. Only the dead. Only the displaced. And only a generation growing up to hate.
Unless we hold both sides to account, and unless we have the courage to speak the uncomfortable truths, that’s all the future will hold.
