A book entitled "What is Israel allowed to do?" was recently published. The authors are Philipp Peymann Engel, editor-in-chief of the Jüdische Allgemeine, and Hamed Abdel-Samad, political scientist and publicist.
By Dr. Tobias Krämer
Both are brilliant minds. Engel speaks from a Jewish perspective, Abdel-Samad only partially from a Muslim one, as he is critical of Islam and rejects Islamism outright. Nevertheless, he levels the harshest accusations against Israel. An intelligent man and a formidable opponent.
In light of the Gaza war, the two exchanged emails, which were published in that book. The book is interesting and yet unsatisfying. Interesting because the arguments are of a high standard; unsatisfying because they often talk past each other. At the end of the book, one wonders what one has just witnessed. The answer: two worlds of thought, two patterns of argumentation, two systems of evaluation that stand in stark contrast to one another. Now what?
I myself am someone who seeks facts and evidence. And I know well that subjective assessments and interpretations attach themselves to these facts. The subjective element is always present. I understand that. And yet, I find it repugnant to simply follow one of several "narratives." I dislike the term itself because it tends to obscure the level of the search for truth. So what remains?
What remains is to state what is: the facts. Furthermore, one must determine how these facts are being used: the subjective element in every opinion and every representation. This twofold observation alone is helpful. At the level of facts, nothing can be changed. They are fixed. At the subjective level, changes are possible if one engages seriously with the other person. Of course, agreement cannot always be reached. But usually, one can manage to understand how the other person arrives at their position.
That's possible, even if you don't share their views. That was the case for me with Abdel-Samad. I understand him, but I don't share his perspective—for good reasons. Recognizing this is also a result. And perhaps not even the worst one.
Chazak u'varuch – be strong and blessed!
This article first appeared in our newspaper "Israelaktuell," issue 143. You can order the newspaper here . We would also be happy to send you several copies for distribution.
