"An Open Letter to Benjamin Netanyahu: Gaza’s Defiance Will Endure Beyond Your Legacy of Destruction"

Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu,

It is with profound distress and indignation that I address you. Israel, once a beacon of resilience and ingenuity, now stands sullied under your leadership. A land that once stirred my soul with stories of Mossad's legendary exploits and improbable victories has now descended into a realm of darkness and moral decay.

The Israel of today, under your stewardship, is a far cry from the nation that once executed operations like Thunderbolt and Operation Solomon with unparalleled precision and heroism. Figures like Eli Cohen, whose bravery and sacrifice remain etched in the annals of history, now seem to belong to a different era, one untainted by the grotesque reality you have wrought.

Your regime has transformed Israel into a mirror image of the Third Reich. The comparison is not made lightly, but it is unavoidable. The systematic oppression, the relentless aggression, and the sheer indifference to human suffering that characterize your policies are reminiscent of the darkest period in modern history. The grotesque irony of a people, once victims of genocide, now perpetrating acts of such brutal inhumanity, is both tragic and abhorrent.

Your recent actions in Gaza have crossed lines that should never be crossed. The indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas, the destruction of homes, schools, and hospitals, and the killing of children have shocked the conscience of the world. What kind of leader targets schools, where children seek education and safety? What kind of leader orders attacks on hospitals, where the wounded and sick desperately cling to life? The images of dead infants, the wails of bereaved mothers, and the desolate ruins of what once were homes haunt the collective conscience of humanity. 

How do you, Mr. Netanyahu, reconcile these horrors with any semblance of moral integrity? How do you face yourself, knowing that your actions have left a trail of blood and devastation? One might wonder if you possess any human empathy or if power has rendered you completely callous.

I feel compelled to remind you of the catastrophic consequences faced by those who unleashed unprovoked violence during World War II. Germany's descent into chaos and ruin began with acts of aggression not unlike your own. Your propensity to escalate conflicts at the slightest provocation is a perilous path, one that history has shown leads only to destruction.

The blood of the innocent stains your hands, Mr. Netanyahu, and no amount of holy land or religious fervor can absolve you of this guilt. Jerusalem, sacred and revered, cannot serve as a sanctuary to cleanse the sins of your administration. The world watches, horrified, as you lead Israel down a path of moral bankruptcy and relentless violence.

It is a bitter irony that a nation founded in the aftermath of the Holocaust, a nation built on the ashes of unspeakable atrocities, should now be seen as a perpetrator of similar horrors. The legacy you are carving out is one of shame and infamy. History will judge you harshly, Mr. Netanyahu, as it judges all who choose the path of tyranny and bloodshed over justice and peace.

In closing, I urge you to remember the lessons of history, to recall the suffering and loss that come with war and aggression. Reflect on the trajectory you have set for Israel and consider the profound moral and ethical implications of your actions. It is not too late to change course, but every moment you delay, the bloodstains grow deeper, and the path to redemption grows more arduous.

This is not the Israel that once inspired the world. This is an Israel lost to darkness, under the shadow of a leader who has forsaken the very values that once defined its greatness. And yet, even if Hamas falls, even if the last Arab state turns its back, Gaza will rise. It will rise, fueled by the memories of the countless children whose innocent lives were crushed beneath the iron heel of Israeli aggression from 1948 to today. Those who bear the indomitable spirit of George Habash and the fierce resolve of Palestine's own Che Guevara, Leila Khaled, will rise like a storm, their retaliation echoing in the streets, in the hearts of the oppressed, in every stone cast at occupation. They will fight not because they are unafraid of death, but because their cause transcends it. And in their defiance, the towering edifice of your propaganda will collapse, brick by brick. No matter how many billions of dollar  you pump into the war machine, no fortress of lies will stand against the storm of justice. 

And Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, heed these words well: no amount of dollars, no flowery speeches, no fortified walls will save you from the reckoning that awaits. For every innocent life extinguished, a flame of resistance burns brighter. History has a way of catching up with those who believe themselves invincible, and it does so with merciless precision. As Winston Churchill once said, "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." And rest assured, Mr. Netanyahu, history’s judgment is inexorable, and when it comes for you, it will not be kind.

✍️ Athul Krishna