Once, I Was a Peace Advocate. Now, I Have No Idealism Left

As an IDF soldier stationed near Gaza in 2011, Ilan Benjamin believed he could promote “goodwill with our Palestinian neighbors.” (Photos courtesy of the author)
After terrorists killed my cousin Daniel Pearl, my family called for peace. But after the worldwide celebration of our people’s slaughter, my hope for peace is dead.
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The story I’m about to tell is one that many progressive Jews can relate to. In some ways, it’s a prototypical arc of a diaspora Jew who has always advocated for nuance. This week, something broke in us. We watched history repeat itself. Not just on the global scale, with the wanton massacre of our people, the savage mass murders and dismemberments of e…
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