From powerlessness to non-violent action

A blog by Frits Koster

My partner and I regularly walk a section of the beautiful Roots Nature Trail, that runs from the north of the Netherlands to the southern border with Belgium. This week we passed Camp Westerbork, a transit camp during the Second World War from which more than 100,000 Jews, Sinti and Roma were deported by train to extermination camps in Germany and Poland.

It is tragic to realise how little we have learned as human beings, as another harrowing form of violence is currently taking place (85 years later), this time in Gaza. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has declared that the Israeli government must take ‘immediate and effective measures’ to protect the Palestinians in Gaza from the threat of genocide and to provide sufficient humanitarian aid and basic services. But Israel has not done even the minimum to comply, Amnesty International reported on 27 February.

Of course, there is no excuse for the cruel terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, but the Israeli government’s operation with the intention of eliminating all Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip seems to have gotten completely out of hand. The death toll is already approaching 50,000, with a painfully high percentage of women and children. Western countries (including the Netherlands) remain silent and continue to side with Israel. Dissent is not heard, clear signals of genocide are not recognised or acknowledged.

We are currently writing a book about forgiveness and in doing so we came across the work of Martha Nussbaum, philosopher and author of the book, ‘Anger and Forgiveness – Resentment, Generosity, Justice’ (2016). She describes ‘non-anger’ as a way of facing injustice without getting stuck in the destructive power of anger. And to take constructive steps towards healing, justice and freedom instead of seeking revenge or holding on to resentment.
Let us not remain silent but make our voices heard in the face of humanitarian injustice, for example through social media, petitions or peaceful protests. Therefore, I hereby make an urgent appeal to all parties involved to immediately end the use of violence. A renewed ceasefire will not only be good for all the people who are currently living in a hell. It will also create more room to look for a form of peaceful coexistence in the future through negotiation.

And let’s also continue to support organisations providing aid to Gaza, such as UNRWA, the Red Cross and Care. In this way, we can move from anger, indignation and feelings of powerlessness to non-violent and courageous action.

Frits Koster, 17th March 2025