Bono Gaza Moral Failure Revulsion
# Bono Condemns Netanyahu’s “Immoral Actions” and Calls for Ceasefire in Gaza
U2 frontman Bono, recently awarded the medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden, has broken his silence on the Israel-Hamas conflict, issuing a strong condemnation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities. In a lengthy statement, Bono expressed his growing concern over the disproportionate impact of Israel’s response on civilian lives in Gaza and reaffirmed his long-held support for a two-state solution.
## Bono’s statement: A Call for Moral Accountability
Bono explained his initial hesitation to comment stemmed from “uncertainty in the face of obvious complexity.” However, he stated that the scale of suffering in Gaza compelled him to speak out.
“Israel’s revenge for the Hamas attack appeared more and more disproportionate and disinterested in the equally innocent civilian lives in Gaza,” he wrote. He was unequivocal in his criticism of netanyahu’s leadership, stating, “The Government of Israel is not the nation of Israel, but the Government of Israel led by Benjamin Netanyahu today deserves our categorical and unequivocal condemnation.”
The U2 singer emphasized his enduring belief in Israel’s right to exist and his support for a two-state solution, adding, “I want to make clear to anyone who cares to listen our band’s condemnation of Netanyahu’s immoral actions and join all who have called for a cessation of hostilities on both sides.” He voiced solidarity with the Palestinian people, stating, “Our band stands in solidarity with the people of Palestine who truly seek a path to peace and coexistence with Israel and with their rightful and legitimate demand for statehood.” Bono also pleaded for the release of the remaining hostages, urging “someone rational” to negotiate their return.
## Connecting Global Suffering and the Crisis in Gaza
Bono broadened his outlook, linking the crisis in Gaza to other instances of widespread human suffering often overlooked by global media. He acknowledged previously focusing his efforts on AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa, noting, “the hemorrhaging of human life in Sudan or Ethiopia hardly makes the news.” However, he asserted, “But but but… there is no hierarchy to such things.”
He drew a poignant parallel between the current situation in Gaza and a trip he took to Ethiopia with his wife, Ali Hewson, almost four decades ago. “The images of starving children on the Gaza Strip reminded me of that trip,” he saeid. “To witness chronic malnutrition up close would make it personal for any family, especially as it affects children.”
Bono didn’t shy away from strong language, stating, “As when the loss of non-combatant life en masse appears so calculated… especially the deaths of children, then ‘evil’ is not a hyperbolic adjective.”
## Past Context and Ireland’s perspective
The statement also addressed the historical context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, acknowledging the decades of “marginalization, oppression, occupation, and the systematic stealing of the land that is rightfully theirs” endured by the Palestinian people.Bono connected this struggle to Ireland’s own history of oppression and occupation,explaining,”Given our own historic experience of oppression and occupation,it’s little wonder so many here in Ireland have campaigned for decades for justice for the Palestinian people.”
He acknowledged Hamas’s use of starvation as a weapon of war but leveled a damning accusation against Israel, stating, “We know Hamas are using starvation as a weapon in the war, but now so too is Israel and I feel revulsion for the moral failure.” He reiterated his condemnation of Netanyahu’s government, stating, “There is no justification for the brutality he and his far right government have inflicted on the Palestinian people… in Gaza… in the West Bank.and not just since October 7, well before it too… though the level of depravity and lawlessness we are seeing now feels like uncharted territory.”
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