A Palestinian girl carries blankets as she walks past the site of a deadly explosion at the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City on October 18. Photo: AP
Opinion
Mike Rowse
Mike Rowse
Israel-Gaza war: Hong Kong faithful shaken to the core by violence
The links between Hong Kong’s Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities and the Holy Land mean the city has deeply felt the effects of recent events there
The best hope for peace remains a two-state solution. First, the peaceable majority must be given the chance of a better life
Just about the whole of Hong Kong has been transfixed during the past two weeks by events taking place in the Middle East. This is not surprising when you consider the extensive links between our city and that part of the world.
For one thing, Hong Kong has a small but long-established Jewish community of about 5,000 people which is naturally supportive of Israel. Many of us have friends among its members. The Israeli chamber of commerce is a substantial one, and we are an obvious location for business dealings between its enterprises and mainland ones, which sometimes go more smoothly on neutral ground.
Twenty years ago, as head of InvestHK, I visited Israel many times to target tech and trading companies in particular. There is also a fine Jewish secondary school in Shau Kei Wan which is open to students of all faiths. Full disclosure: my youngest son attended there after the local school system did not detect his dyslexia, was steered successfully to his International Baccalaureate and is now in his final year at university.
We also have a substantial Muslim community of some 300,000 people, originally a mixture of Pakistani and Chinese origin but buttressed in recent years by a large number of Indonesian domestic workers. They tend to be more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.
There is also a large local Christian community of more than a million people, which takes a great interest in the Holy Land. Many of its members go on pilgrimages there. The Anglican community in Hong Kong in particular has been deeply involved in supporting various charitable works, such as the Jerusalem Princess Basma Centre and the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza.
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Hundreds killed in Gaza hospital blast, Israel and Hamas trade blame
Hundreds killed in Gaza hospital blast, Israel and Hamas trade blame
Work was almost complete earlier this month on a rehabilitation unit in Gaza to provide services for children with disabilities. This was wiped out a few days ago in the destruction of the adjacent hospital.
More generally, I think the whole community has been traumatised by the appalling images and reports from Israel and Palestine. The cold-blooded murder by Hamas of ordinary families in their homes and unarmed youngsters at a music festival shocked everyone. This behaviour is unforgivable.
The Israeli response has also earned condemnation. Denial of food, water, medicine, fuel and electricity in the first few days after the attack constitutes collective punishment of civilian non-combatants, which is contrary to international law.
Some relief supplies are now being allowed in, but living conditions in Gaza were already dire and are deteriorating further. Bearing in mind that around half the population are children, the situation is bound to attract sympathy from neutral observers.
The number of dead and injured on both sides is high and, as might be expected in urban warfare, most of the victims are civilians. Israel suffered about 1,400 deaths in the first wave of attacks while the Palestinian deaths quickly surpassed that and had reached over 4,300 as of October 21, according to Palestinian reports.
A great deal of energy is being expended by the two sides blaming each other for the destruction of the Al-Ahli hospital. Hamas says it was the result of an Israeli air strike while Israel that it came from a misfired rocket from Palestinian Islamic Jihad. We might never know the truth of what happened, but I’m not sure that how it occurred actually matters as such events are inevitable once a war starts.
Israel has been bombing targets in Gaza, so it could have been a stray bomb or an accident. The other side has been firing rockets at targets in Israel, and rockets do misfire. The only certainty is that Palestinian children are going to be denied rehabilitation services until the Anglican community in Hong Kong and elsewhere can raise funds for another one.
Amid the widespread media coverage around the world, there has been spillover to other countries. There have been terrorist incidents in France and Belgium, a six-year-old Muslim boy was murdered and his mother attacked in Illinois, and Singapore has banned public gatherings related to the war. Fortunately, we have been spared such outbursts here in Hong Kong so far.
As might be expected, the politics of all this is messy. Much depends on where you start your history, whether it is at the birth of Christ, 1919, 1948 or otherwise. After the creation of the modern state of Israel in 1948, many refused to accept its right to exist. Some have moderated their position in recent years, and others might be prepared to do so subject to protection of the Palestinian people.
Hamas and their actions are beyond the pale. At the same time, some Israelis have established settlements in the West Bank, and there have been calls for the government to annex the whole of the West Bank. Minor parties which espouse this view are members of the current coalition government. Where would the Palestinians live then, if not in Palestine?
The solution that seems most reasonable to me is the two-state option: two distinct countries within recognised borders. Both should be contiguous and have access to the sea. Getting to such a solution will not be easy.
The best way to undermine terrorist groups is to undermine the support they get from the general population, and the best way to achieve this is to give the peaceable majority a vision of a better life. At the moment, Gaza residents do not have one.
