Jewish culture has imposed its historical memory, focused on Nazi-fascist persecution, onto Western consciences, exploiting this victimization for ideological gains and stifling criticism of Zionist policies by labeling it as anti-Semitism. Israel’s governments have used this narrative to justify actions against Palestinians similar to their WWII persecutors, with Netanyahu’s administration receiving support despite global condemnation. This damages Israel’s image, and only a profound conscience shift can halt this trend. Conti calls for a “day of guilt and repentance” to acknowledge and rectify collective and personal responsibilities, as clinging to past justifications is incompatible with modern coexistence.
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Jewish culture has imposed on Western consciences the monopoly of a universal value: historical memory, focusing exclusively on their persecution by the Nazi-fascism.
This annual victimization on the “day of memory” has been extensively exploited for ideological and pseudo-cultural advantages, resulting in practical consequences such as the universal condemnation of any critical stance towards Zionist policies, labeling such opinions as forms of “anti-Semitism”—the vilest form of racism against the poor Jews who suffered brutally in the 20th century and still face threats in the West today. Thus, a crime to be preemptively pursued without question, by law.
However, during Israel’s territorial expansion, its various governments, under the guise of existential defense against hostile neighbors, have used methods akin to those of their WWII persecutors, culminating in a genocidal intent against the defenseless Palestinian population that still occupies coveted land. This existential fear among most Jews, in Israel and beyond, has driven them to justify Netanyahu’s criminal actions, effectively supporting them, against the world’s majority condemnation, reiterated even at the UN.
This inflicts irreparable damage on Israel and its people’s image, despite strong internal Jewish opposition. The current Palestinian tragedy thus foreshadows a future Israeli tragedy in a rapidly evolving geopolitical context after a long unipolar dominance post-WWII. Only a profound and radical awakening of consciences might counter this process of Israel’s culpability in the eyes of the world. Recognizing one’s guilt is essential for hope of forgiveness, a universal human truth. Ignoring this perpetuates an outdated past incompatible with modern, civil coexistence.
Israel serves as an extreme example of the urgent need for conscientious evolution, a necessity throughout the West, which has prospered at others’ expense. Zionism, in particular, has induced, fomented, and exploited the concept of others’ guilt to cover its own atrocities. Now is the time for responsibility, as roles have sometimes reversed and intertwined, obligating everyone to acknowledge their own guilt before accusing others and sowing discord.
A new initiative, as powerful as the day of memory but in an opposite, complementary sense: the day of guilt and repentance, is necessary. Without it, history will follow its inevitable course.
Admitting guilt is difficult and painful, yet impossible for those clinging to racist justifications for otherwise unjustifiable privileges. Their time is ending along with the primitive culture they carry. The only way to avoid being dragged into their impending doom is to abandon them to their suicidal fate. However, inner freedom of thought and judgment offers salvation to anyone, even when an evolutionary leap seems beyond reach.
Celebrating a “day of guilt,” supported by the residual financial power of the Jewish elite, would be a revolutionary, salvific act of universal significance—radical yet sadly improbable, an unattainable utopia. Yet, it would conclude a wearisome propaganda that has weaponized guilt for unspeakable ends. Recognizing one’s guilt would be a necessary reality check for their own survival, much invoked in vain from a predatory stance, which they should reject for their survival.
Guilt exists, rooted in personal responsibility for free choices. Therefore, moral judgment belongs to the forces of good, to be wrested from opportunistic manipulators. Without a well-informed, aware examination of reality, this salvific principle is neither practicable nor defensible, leaving room for evil forces indifferent to the indefensibility of their actions.
The bloodied hands of the most fanatical Zionists, stained with the blood of thousands of innocent children, remind us that they are part of humanity, representing its dark side we cannot escape. But we can morally recognize their guilt and condemn it without appeal, relegating these acts to a museum of horrors, part of what any human can potentially commit. This is the price of freedom, to be paid by elevating our conscience to its highest understanding of the world, within and outside ourselves. The sacrifice of Palestinians today adds to countless others in the present and past, including Jews, to be remembered and honored by accepting the guilt it implies for all humanity.
Responsibility and guilt are always personal, leading to the endless blame-shifting game. But this doesn’t exorcize evil from our liberated conscience. Instead, we must bear it, hating the humans who embody this evil without mercy. We are all made of the same stuff, and only by recognizing this can we evolve toward good, a slow journey over millennia, always incomplete but increasingly clear in its path and destination.
May the spilled blood and victims’ suffering not be in vain. Honoring such pain means elevating our spirit and acting accordingly, to embody universal peace and good. Without loving our neighbor as ourselves, we get lost. This must be our heart’s desire, even when it seems impossible, sometimes requiring us to abandon the irredeemable, those possessed by evil. It’s us or them, a choice necessary for humanity’s fate.
Alberto Conti
ComeDonChisciotte.org, July 3, 2024
