Let us not today fling accusation at the murderers. What cause have we to complain about their fierce hatred to us? For eight years now, they sit in their refugee camps in Gaza, and before their eyes we turn into our homestead the land and villages in which they and their forefathers have lived. We should demand his blood not from the Arabs of Gaza but from ourselves. . . . Let us make our reckoning today. We are a generation of settlers, and without the steel helmet and gun barrel, we shall not be able to plant a tree or build a house. . . . Let us not be afraid to see the hatred that accompanies and consumes the lives of hundreds of thousands of Arabs who sit all around us and wait for the moment when their hands will be able to reach our blood.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Dayan argues that Israelis must accept responsibility for the conflict by acknowledging their role as settlers displacing Palestinians, rather than blaming Arab hatred alone.
- In plain terms
- We should blame ourselves for taking the land instead of blaming others for hating us.
- What can you take from it?
- Acknowledge your role in creating conflict before expecting peace.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do settlers justify displacement?
- What responsibility do occupiers hold?
Another view
The quote implies collective guilt without addressing the security realities faced at the time.
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