Editor’s Note: Having carefully studied the events and personalities of the Middle East, José Galicot has authored quotations to describe the motivations of people involved in the ongoing conflict. It’s an unusual format for an opinion piece in which the words attributed to others are, in fact, his own.
By José Galicot
TIJUANA, Mexico — Dear reader, we have randomly compiled a series of testimonies from people who inhabit and live in the chaotic Middle East; three hundred projectiles fired by Iran against Israel in an unusual and unprecedented way.
Are we on the brink of plunging into a spiral of violence, potentially dragging the rest of the world into the horrors of World War III? Or will we strive to restore calm, seeking to cultivate a world marked by peace and prosperity for all its inhabitants? What will be the answer?
At Tel-HaShomer hospital in Israel lies Ofik, a 24-year-old who has undergone the amputation of his right leg from the knee down. Despite this, he exudes happiness. Curious, I approach him and inquire about his remarkable demeanor despite his loss. His response is poignant: “As an officer in the Israeli army responsible for 20 soldiers under my command, I made a solemn pledge to return them safely to their mothers. Though I sustained injury during our confrontation with Hamas in Gaza, I fulfilled my promise. My injury may have cost me a limb, but I didn’t lose any soldiers. With the aid of prosthetics and therapy, I’ll soon walk again. While football may not be in my future, I’m determined to pursue a career in law and resume my normal life.”
My name is Malka. I hail from Germany, where I pursue my passion as a singer. I journeyed to Israel to participate in the Peace Festival on October 7th. That night was meant for singing and dancing until I was seized by Hamas. In captivity, I endured sexual assault, not once, but twice. I resorted to covering myself with dirt and mud, a desperate attempt to repulse my assailants. Miraculously, it worked, deterring the terrorist from attempting further abuse. I hope to get out of here soon; somehow, I will recover my life, and my hope is to be at a Peace Festival again, where I will sing. I hate war.
I was Mohammad Reza Zahedi, Iranian. Head of the Quds Forces sponsored by Iran in Lebanon and Syria. With the Iranian General Staff, we plan to simultaneously attack Israel from different fronts: along the Gaza border, with Hamas. To the north, Hezbollah would flood Israel with projectiles, destroying Leviathan, the gas zone in the Mediterranean (owned by Lebanon and Israel) and attacking the maritime facilities of Haifa.
In the northeast, attacks from Syria, the Galilee area and the Golan Heights are carried out by mercenaries trained by me. To the east of Israel, from Iraq, troops also trained by us, would leave. And from the south, projectiles on Eilat and Beersheba by the Houthis of Yemen.
There would probably be internal Palestinian uprisings in Israel itself. In two days, this simultaneous attack would topple Israel and it would no longer exist. Our brilliant planning, with a surprise attack, would be comparable to Al Qaeda’s attack on the Twin Towers in New York.
Hamas leaders triggered the attack. They feared that Saudi Arabia and Israel would make peace, and they attacked alone thus preventing any agreements between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Ala hu Akbar (God is great) and an Israeli drone killed me in Syria, along with my five lieutenants.
My name is Samia, I have 7 children. I used to work on the Israeli side of Gaza. Half of the money I earn I give to Hamas as taxes and to support their war effort. One of my sons, Ibraim, crossed the border on a glider and killed twelve Israelis. He called me on the phone and gave me the good news: Finally, a victory! I blessed him. Ten minutes later he was killed. Now he is a martyr, alas! How it hurts me! I have been suffering for 6 months. My house has been destroyed because it was next to a mosque that in turn was a Hamas headquarters. We no longer have a home. We suffer from hunger. We want peace. I’m not working, I don’t have food for my six children.
My name is Jorge Rodríguez, I am a volunteer for World Central Kitchen. Under the leadership of chef Jose Andrés, I go around the world feeding people in all places where due to various crises, people lose the ability to feed themselves. I took care of the Acapulqueños who suffered the violence of Hurricane Otis and fed them. I came to help Gaza and I was killed along with seven friends by an Israeli projectile. Who will feed those who need it?
I am Arun Alzahad, leader of Hamas. I live in Qatar, along with other leaders. We have abundance. Qatar is rich. The Qataris love us. From this place, we are giving instructions to the groups that fight and negotiate a ceasefire with the Israelis.
The ceasefire means a victory. The Israelis have not defeated us. We still have four brigades (four thousand) well-trained soldiers in Rafah, waiting hidden among one million two hundred thousand civilians. We are predicting the final battle. We will cause the greatest number of victims to the Israelis, and we know that tens of thousands of our civilian brothers will perish along with all our soldiers. It will be a beautiful victory. We have made a mark in the conscience of humanity… Blessed Qatar that provides us with shelter, money, and weapons.
I am Abdul Hasan, Hezbollah commander. Although we have seen Lebanon’s economy crumble, my troops and I live well. I don’t want to participate in wars, nor do I want to die. I receive resources and weapons from Iran. We have thousands of projectiles that we must and will launch towards Israel, but I want to avoid direct war because I live happily in sweet Lebanon, and the situation of my Palestinian brothers is distant from me. I follow the wise teachings of my astute leader Nasrallah, who knows when to get into the fire and when not to. We are already part of the government of Lebanon.
I’m Marion Cohen, I study at Harvard. A series of anti-Semitic demonstrations have occurred on the university campus. They have attacked me, they have insulted me, they have hurt me for the sole fact of being Jewish. I have prepared myself for discussions and analysis with my classmates, but I do not feel prepared to receive the clumsy but hurtful aggression of some factions within the university faculty. I have thought about dropping out of school, but on the other hand, my parents and my friends encourage me to continue to finish the degree for which I have prepared so much. My answer is going to be to study harder to be a better student.
I’m Ema Shuster, I was born in Poland. As a child, I was jailed in the Auschwitz concentration camp. When we managed to leave, I emigrated to Israel. When Ben-Gurion declared the Jewish state, seven Arab armies simultaneously attacked the nascent State. We didn’t have weapons; we didn’t know how to fight. We fought them tooth and nail and managed to establish the first Jewish State after two thousand years.
I have seen my country grow and become great. I have seen schools multiply and sow crops in the desert. I have seen and participated in periodic wars. Today, I have only a few years left to live and the war in Gaza may be the last one I see, but after so many terrible ups and downs, no one will be able to end the Jewish State. Meanwhile, I cook to send food to the young soldiers at the front.
I’m still useful. I will be useful to the State until the last day of my life.
I’m Tzvi Shuster, I study in a synagogue in Jerusalem. I long to be wise like Rabbi Mosh, whom I admire, and dedicate myself to Torah study all my life. They are calling me to fight. I have to enlist in the Israeli army. I don’t want to. I am not predestined to fight; I believe in the ten commandments, in Thou shalt not kill… but there is no alternative. Either I take up arms or they kill us. Shema Israel Adonai Eloheinu…
I am Frederrik Hamilton, I have worked for thirty years at the United Nations. I have seen Israel condemned time and again for its actions, being reprimanded more than 40 times. All the countries in the world together have been reprimanded only 6 times in total. The vote of Muslim and Arab countries weighs. Only the United States veto defends Israel, a veto that falters under the pressures of the internal United States elections.
I am Augustus Macao, I was born in South Africa, in Apartheid South Africa. I was with Mandela in prison along with many white Jews who supported us in the struggle. In prison I studied law.
I was instructed to go to the World Court in The Hague to file a lawsuit against Israel for the famine in Gaza. They pay me 40 thousand dollars a month to maintain and win the trial, which we will not win but which marks a milestone in international law.
I am Ibrahim Husni, I studied at Eton, England. I work in Israel for Al Jazeera, which is the largest press agency in the world paid for by Qatari gas. I am instructed to constantly attack Israel with my pen, informing any activity that could tarnish its name. I feel that we are winning the media victory for the first time. Antisemitism emerges strongly in the world where we have managed to reach a consensus among public opinion against Israel, making us forget that Hamas was the attacker. Showing photos that are faked or not, that “recap” the events. My office was in Jerusalem. They just expelled me from the country.
I am Sami Behar, an American journalist. I bring you some of the testimonies that show the different angles and nuances of the joint confrontation between Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, Iran, Yemen and Qatar against Israel, the only Jewish State in the world, which faces a new Holocaust, a new battle like those that occurred in Roman times or in the terrible times of the Nazis. If Hamas loses this war, nothing will happen. If Israel loses this war, it disappears. We know the strength and resilience of the Jewish people; we know their desperation. We know the divine mandate of Tikun Olam to take care of the world, but on this occasion ein breira (there is no alternative). Either win or disappear, bathing the history of humanity in blood and talent. Let us follow the cry of the Maccabees Chazak VeEmatz! (Strength and will).
Inshallah. Hopefully. God willing.
I am Gustav Maher, Russian musician. I came to live in Israel and play my violin in the streets. Today I am the first violinist of the country’s Philharmonic Orchestra. At times, I had to take a rifle to defend this country that is now mine. It’s funny. In peace, young people bury their old; in war old people bury our children. My grandson Igor has been in the strange Rafah tunnels since he was captured on October 7 by Hamas terrorists.
I am Ali Jamenei, I hated Shah Reza Pahlavi and his Savak secret police. The Israelis were allies of the Shah of Iran and are a hindrance to the consolidation of a final fight against the demon of the West and its vices. I try to fulfill Hitler’s dreams and put a final solution to the existence of the Jewish people. We have created proxy army groups (allied and subsidized armies) that surround Israel with the intention of destroying it. Soon we will have atomic weapons and destruction will be easy. Allahu Akbar, God is great.
Peace on earth to men and people of goodwill. Who are those men and who are those people?
I am José Galicot, and at 86 years old, I have spent my entire life understanding and admiring the Jewish community to which I belong. Through my experiences, I have come to realize that Jews have played a crucial role in many positive human movements, such as socialism, communism, liberalism, capitalism, and more. Numerous wise individuals, including Stefan Zweig, Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, and countless others, have contributed to the world’s knowledge and have been awarded numerous Nobel Prizes.
I have seen the birth and growth of the State of Israel in the deserted and ruined land. Trees emerge in the desert and buildings in cities. Today, once again, we find ourselves faced with Shakespeare’s question “to be or not to be.” That is the question. We may disappear due to internal struggles or foreign attacks, but humanity will lose a beacon of light, creativity, and love.
Am Israel Chai
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José Galicot is a leader of the Mexican Jewish communities in Tijuana and San Diego. He is the founder of Tijuana Innovadora and an honorary board member of StandWithUs.