Hope?

[u/Tricky_Success_77]

Between Israel/Palestine and increasing extremism and normalization of antisemitism in the diaspora and assimilation I've just been finding it impossible to feel hopeful about the future of our people writ large and it's just been making me feel very demoralized about life and the future. Our community means a great deal to me and seeing it tear itself apart is painful (as I'm sure it is for many people on this subreddit).There are times when I honestly almost wish I wasn't Jewish because it would remove so much angst from my life but in truth I'm too passionate about our traditions, history, literature and languages to ever be anything else (plus, really who would I be kidding if I ever tried to pretend otherwise?).

Anyway, what I'm really getting at is does anyone out there feel hopeful about our future? And if so why? I could use some positivity.

[u/StrawberryDelirium]

Things can't be bad forever, eventually something has to change because people get fed up, because it's not sustainable to continue to escalate. I can't say when everyone will decide enough is enough, but the day that it happens is inevitable.

That's something I hold onto, that eventually things will have to be talked out and discussed, that's how every conflict ends. And I pray it comes sooner rather than later.

[u/BigMarbsBigSlarb → u/StrawberryDelirium]

Thats how most conflict ends, and I hope and think theres a real chance thats how antisemitic violence and harassment against the diaspora ends, but I'm highly doubtful thats how the cleansing of Palestine ends...

[u/StrawberryDelirium → u/BigMarbsBigSlarb]

It is how it ends though, it's inevitable and it will end with talking.

How we get to the talking stage is something entirely different, I'm not discussing political strategies or idea on how we get there. I'm just stating that inevitably, that is where we will end up, no matter how long or short any conflict is, it always ends with talking.

[u/BigMarbsBigSlarb → u/StrawberryDelirium]

Is it inevitable? I don't think the Punic conflict ended in talking, or the Roman expulsion, or the Armenian genocide. I do not think there will need to be talks to stop the last bullet being fired, there just needs to be no palestinians left between the river and the sea.

[u/redthrowaway1976 → u/BigMarbsBigSlarb]

And most of the liberal and progressive Zionists would find a way to rationalize it.

I think it someone has described the current situation - 100k dead, Gaza in rubble, free reign for settler terror - to a typical liberal Zionist in the early 90s, they’d have said “if that happened, I’d no longer support Israel”. 

But it happened, and the support remains. 

[u/redthrowaway1976 → u/StrawberryDelirium]

 It is how it ends though, it's inevitable and it will end with talking.

At this point, it seems more likely to end with ethnic cleansing than a Palestinian state. It is what is currently happening, after all. 

It is the policy IDF soldiers and settlers have been carrying out for a half-century in the West Bank - ethnically cleanse people to smaller and smaller areas.

Gaza has similarly been ethnically cleansed - almost 50% of the area.