Very Important: Putin's Meeting with Russia's Religious Leaders
The main focus is on Palestine, but also includes Ukraine
From right to left: Grand Mufti of the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia Talgat Tadjuddin, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar. More representatives were present but no group photo of all was provided by the Kremlin, which was very disappointing. Altogether, thirteen religious representatives were present including the head of the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia, Damba Ayusheev.
The initial assessment made to Putin’s words at the opening of this meeting were made in commentary posted at Moon of Alabama and deserve to be repeated:
Very disappointed with Putin's characterization of Hamas's actions on 7 October as terrorism in his talk with Russia's religious leaders yesterday which will eventually be posted at my substack. Perhaps a fair reading also renders the Zionist's response as terrorism too….
I'd ask Putin why he refrained from the same sort of criticism of the Zionists when they wantonly assault and kill Palestinians as is their habit over the past 75+ years, the recent spate of West Bank Terrorism by Zionist "settlers" is well known to those closely watching events--where's Russia's similar condemnation?!?! Sure, Putin follows that with an elaboration of Russia's policy--the Two-State Solution--but then he goes on to say that there's a geopolitical policy goal behind all these doings, which include Ukraine. Again, readers will need to closely read everything Putin says.
So, as stated, a fair reading might yield a more balanced assessment. Putin’s opening remarks are followed by those of the heads of Russia’s three main religions, which again is unfortunate as many would like to hear what the Buddhist head and others had to say. But we must go by what we’re provided, and those words now follow:
Vladimir Putin: Dear friends, good afternoon!
I considered it very important to meet with you, and first of all I want to thank you all for your support of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, for the support of the Armed Forces of Russia and for the support of our fighters, their families, and all those who are fighting for Russia in the framework of a special military operation. This is the first one, I'll come back to it later.
And secondly, I wanted to talk to you about the events in the Middle East, in some other regions of the world, but first of all, of course, in the Middle East, because this concerns us.
See also
Participants of the meeting with representatives of religious associations
October 25, 2023
We are all following with concern and pain in our hearts the tragic situation in the Holy Land, which is of sacred significance for Christians, Muslims, and Jews – for the followers of the world's largest traditional religions.
A new round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has already claimed thousands of lives, thousands of them.
Russia has experienced and knows what international terrorism is. We know what it is. We will always feel the bitterness of the irreparable losses suffered by our country during the years of fighting international terrorism.
I sincerely want to express my condolences to the families of Israelis and citizens of other countries whose loved ones were killed and injured in the attack on October 7 this year.
But it is also clear to us that innocent people should not be held accountable for crimes committed by others. The fight against terrorism cannot be conducted according to the notorious principle of collective responsibility, when the elderly, women, children, entire families are also killed, and hundreds of thousands of people are left without shelter, food, water, electricity and medical care. This is a real humanitarian disaster.
Russia's position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is well known and has been clearly stated more than once. It does not have any conjunctural character associated with the current situation. It is based on the decisions of the UN Security Council, which provide for the creation of two independent, sovereign States – Israel and Palestine. This is the key to a long-term, fundamental settlement and peace in the Middle East. This is the traditional position of the Soviet Union, then Russia, since 1948.
Our main task today is to stop the bloodshed and violence. Otherwise, further expansion of the crisis is fraught with severe and extremely dangerous, destructive consequences. And not only for the Middle East region. This can spread far beyond the borders of the Middle East. This is exactly what I have repeatedly stressed in my speeches, during numerous telephone conversations and personal meetings with the heads of the Middle East and other States.
At the same time, we see attempts by some forces to provoke further escalation, draw as many other countries and peoples as possible into the conflict, using them for their own selfish interests, and start a real wave of chaos and mutual hatred not only in the Middle East, but also far beyond its borders. For this purpose, among other things, they are trying to play on the national and religious feelings of millions of people. And this policy, if I may say so, has been implemented for a long time, long before the current crisis.
Muslims are being incited against Jews, calling for a "war on the infidels." Shiites are confronted with Sunnis, Orthodox-with Catholics. In Europe, they turn a blind eye to blasphemy and vandalism against Muslim shrines. In a number of countries, Nazi criminals and anti-Semites, who have the blood of Holocaust victims on their hands, are already openly and officially glorified. In Ukraine, they are working to ban the canonical Orthodox Church, to deepen the church schism.
The goal, in my opinion, of all these actions is obvious – to increase instability in the world, divide cultures, peoples, world religions, provoke a conflict of civilizations-all according to the well-known principle of "divide and rule". And at the same time, they talk about some kind of "new world order", the essence of which is actually the same: hypocrisy, double standards, claims to exclusivity, to global dominance, to preserve the essentially neocolonial system.
In the West, they see how the process of forming a multipolar world order is gaining momentum. And in order to restrain the development of independent, sovereign countries, to split the world majority, they use all the same means, including Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and Russophobia.
Of course, these forces that pursue such a policy or try to implement it, it is beneficial for the epidemic of violence and hatred to cover not only the Middle East, but also other regions, so that old "hot spots"will worsen on the territory of Eurasia and new "hot spots" will appear.
By largely orchestrating the conflict in the Middle East, fueling and provoking nationalism and religious intolerance around the world, these very forces, of course, pursue their hostile goals towards our country as well. And these goals are openly declared by the ruling circles of some countries – to inflict on us, as they put it, a "strategic defeat". There's nothing new here either. They need both the Middle East and any other religious or national conflicts in the world to be directly or indirectly connected in one way or another with Russia, or, more precisely, to hit Russia, our society. Therefore, they will use lies, provocations, external and internal reasons to weaken and split our society, set national and religious strife on fire in our home.
I would like to emphasize that the leaders of public opinion, leaders of political parties, public associations, heads of regions of our large country, pastors of traditional religions, and all civil society institutions now have a huge responsibility for the future of Russia.
Each of us in our words and actions should proceed from the main thing-what is the main thing? – in the fundamental interests of our own multinational people, we must always remember that interethnic and interreligious harmony is the foundation of Russian statehood. Everything else, every other position has an anti-Russian orientation and component.
I know that for all of us, pastors, spiritual leaders of Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, followers of Judaism, such harmony and unity of our society is an absolute value.
I thank you for such a principled position and would like to note the great attention that you pay to educational work and the development of interreligious dialogue. Representatives of faiths jointly implement social and charitable projects – and I will return to where I started again. They provide support to participants of the special military operation and their relatives. Our traditional religions also make a great contribution to strengthening family values, patriotic education of young people, and, of course, to the harmonious development of interethnic relations based on harmony and mutual understanding between people of different ethnic groups, traditions, and faiths.
I want to emphasize once again: we are one people, we have one Homeland. And we all share a common responsibility for her well-being and safety.
I suggest that we talk about this topic.
Your Holiness.
: Thank you, Vladimir Vladimirovich, for taking the initiative to hold this meeting and for the words you have just addressed to us. Indeed, this is a very timely and necessary initiative.
Of course, many people are particularly concerned about the conflict that has flared up again in the Eastern Mediterranean.
For centuries, this region has attracted the attention of believers of all Abrahamic religions. Jerusalem was and still is a holy city for Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike. The territory of Palestine and Israel is a Holy Land where the most important events of world history took place, and above all directly related to the communion of God and man.
Historically, Russia maintains the closest ties with the Holy Land and strives to maintain a Russian presence there, whose history is exceptionally rich in facts and events. Numerous written testimonies, as well as cultural artifacts, indicate that the pilgrimage to Jerusalem was one of the most desirable and significant events in the life of pious Russian people.
It is precisely the provision of the very possibility of visiting the Holy Land to a wide range of our compatriots that was one of the main goals of the establishment of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society more than 140 years ago by the decision of Emperor Alexander III. This organization has undoubtedly made a significant contribution to the support of the Palestinian people, especially in the educational and social spheres: schools, orphanages, hospitals were established, and very significant charitable activities were carried out to support the local population.
It is gratifying that today the traditional relationship between Russia and the Holy Land continues to develop. I would particularly like to note that our state strives to maintain historically established ties and traditions that have developed over the centuries, including cultural interaction with the countries and peoples of the Middle East.
Our current meeting is taking place at a very difficult time. Although I don't know if there are simple times: sometimes for some people simple times are simple, and for others simple times become very difficult. But today, many conflicts are unfolding in the world. Their consequence is the emergence of new threats to the peaceful coexistence of peoples and countries, friendly and good-neighborly relations are being destroyed, and the established ties of representatives of different cultures and religions are being tested, because religions are also being drawn into these conflicts, representatives of religions.
The events of the last few weeks cause the greatest concern, because they touch upon the most complex issue of the collision, as well as the relationship and interaction of two ancient Abrahamic religions-Islam and Judaism.
I would like to express my gratitude to you, as the President of the Russian Federation, and to the state leadership of Russia for your consistent peacemaking position in connection with the problems of resolving the Middle East conflict, including. It is difficult to say what would have happened in the Middle East if not for this peacemaking role of Russia. And only a blind person can fail to see that stability and calmness largely depend on this role, as far as it is possible to have this calmness in the Holy Land.
I am sincerely convinced that we, representatives of different religions, in Russia, the state authorities and the public have a common interest in ensuring that interreligious and intercultural dialogue serves to build peace and achieve harmony.
We all want relations between believers of traditional religions to be mutually respectful and friendly. To do this, we have the necessary solid foundations in the form of a moral consensus, a common understanding of what is good and what is evil. This is the fundamental point. In a sense, we have a common system of moral values, of course, colored in some cultural tones, confessional, but, in fact, the distinction between good and evil in our religions is the same.
Religions should not serve the cause of hatred, which is sometimes called for today, unfortunately, including in radical religious groups. I think that all the spiritual leaders present here will agree with the statement that the ideas of misogyny cannot be associated with religion in any way. Moreover, in their inner nature, these ideas are undoubtedly the product of the enemy of the human race-the devil, who hates what is good.
We, the leaders of Russia's traditional religions, are well aware of the tragedy of what is happening in the Middle East today, and therefore we have no right to allow calls for hostility and manifestations of hatred on religious grounds in our country. And thank God, with the exception of some completely marginal groups, nothing like this takes place in Russia.
The conflict in the Holy Land should not affect relations between religious communities, including in Russia. Our co-religionists see us sitting at the same table today in a dialogue with each other, with the head of state. This is such a unique example of how the Russian state interacts with the religions represented on the territory of Russia. After all, together we bear witness to the absence of fundamental disagreements, including on issues related to public life.
Moreover, as I have already said, we have a lot in common in matters of morality, and we consider sin as a common enemy – a real evil that affects the human soul. Of course, secular ethics and especially secular law do not operate with the concept of "sin", but it operates with the concept of "violation of the law". And sin is a violation of God's law, which is the foundation of human morality. And on the basis of human morality, historically formed in many cultures, and the law arises. Therefore, there is, of course, a deep connection between religious values, religious faith and law in some sense.
Now, unfortunately, there are provocative actions aimed at aggravating the Middle East conflict by dehumanizing the opposite side using information resources. Addressing this threat requires broad and unbiased coverage of the situation.
It is obvious that Russia, consistently upholding the principle of respect for the legitimate interests of each side and fully supporting the desire of the civilian population of Israel and Palestine to establish a lasting, just peace, is helping to find ways to end the armed conflict and restore dialogue between political opponents.
At the same time, it is impossible not to say that any attacks on civilian institutions and religious shrines are worthy of the strongest condemnation. Perhaps that is why religious sites are often so violently attacked, in order to provoke and harden the hearts of people and thereby make the conflict more violent.
Unfortunately, there has been a lot of news of this kind in recent days. The Jerusalem Orthodox Church, which supports Christians living on both sides of the conflict – has a principled and consistent position: civilians should not be targeted by armed attacks, they should be given help and support.
I would like to join you, Your Excellencies, as well as the brothers who are present here today and are participating in this conversation, in expressing our joint support for the efforts of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, headed by Patriarch Theophilus, and call on everyone not to weaken in our prayers and in our further joint efforts to establish a lasting and just peace in the Holy Land. The Holy Land is our common treasure, spiritual, cultural and historical. Therefore, peace in the Holy Land is our common responsibility and concern.
Thank you for your attention.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much for your comments. They are extremely important for believers – and in general for a moral understanding of the ongoing processes and the importance of unity for our multinational country.
Please, dear Mufti.
T. Tadjuddin: Dear President Vladimir Vladimirovich, Your Holiness Patriarch Kirill, Dear participants of this long-awaited meeting!
I cordially welcome you on behalf of the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia.
Mr President, we sincerely thank you for inviting us to this meeting.
It is very hard and painful for us to bear what is happening in the Middle East and in the world as a whole.
We sincerely thank you for your assessment, which is understood not only by Russians, not only by us, spiritual leaders, but also around the world.
These days, many of our friends and acquaintances, prominent religious figures, public and state figures, speak about your very balanced position of the Russian Federation, Mr Putin, and say that they very much hope that Russia will make its worthy contribution to the establishment of peace and harmony in the Middle East.
At the same time, the conflict in the holy lands around the abode of peace – Jerusalem, which has flared up with renewed vigor, reverberates in our hearts with great pain and great sorrow. Both you and Your Holiness have discussed this at great length, because these places are good for everyone: Muslims, Christians, Jews, and all of humanity. All of humanity is not indifferent to this.
Undoubtedly, at the heart of this conflict is the injustice against the Palestinian people, which was laid down more than 70 years ago, during which the United Nations resolutions on the establishment of two States – Israel and Palestine-are not implemented. This is not today's problem. But somehow they always found mutual understanding, and the passions did not reach such a limit.
The ongoing confrontation between the two sides has led not only to the violation of all norms of international law and the norms of relations between peoples and States, but also to the use of barbaric methods of struggle, when civilians suffer and die, especially women, children and the elderly.
Unfortunately, some countries not only do not contribute to a fair solution to this conflict, but, on the contrary, once again demonstrate to the whole world their right of force and double standards.
There are also attempts to distort reality in the information space and falsify facts. This undoubtedly points to the provocative background – and timing – of what is happening in the Middle East. And, of course, as you have confirmed, their goal is to increase instability in the world. A multipolar world may not suit them either. And when there are a lot of "hot spots", it is very profitable for someone.
Therefore, the peoples of Muslim countries and many countries around the world are outraged by the brutality that is taking place against the civilian population, moreover on both sides, the demands for evacuation and the intentions to conduct a large-scale ground military operation that could lead to even more civilian casualties and global consequences in the world.
Today, when the whole world is in full swing, the peoples and countries of the world, all of us must undoubtedly make a worthy contribution to the preservation of peace and the affirmation of the values of life. We consider it our duty to call on the parties to the conflict to immediately cease hostilities, release hostages, and prevent the conflict from escalating, killing and suffering civilians.
We call on the international community and the countries of the Islamic world to support Russia's efforts to convene the United Nations Security Council as soon as possible to discuss the situation in the Middle East and to make every effort to start high-level negotiations; to initiate new actions, perhaps even a peacekeeping force in the conflict zone, to organize humanitarian corridors for refugees and Today, it is undoubtedly necessary to do this faster in order to further stop the shedding of blood.
In this regard, we also consider it necessary to organize work on providing humanitarian assistance to the victims of this conflict in the near future. For this purpose, we propose to create a single center for coordinating this work with the active participation of both the Interreligious Council of Russia and the spiritual centers of traditional confessions of our country.
At the same time, we call on our compatriots to remain calm, united and united, not to succumb to provocations and prevent the incitement of interethnic and inter-religious hostility, to make a worthy contribution to the defense of the Fatherland and support the defenders of the united Fatherland. We ourselves are in such a state today. And even religious figures, imams, and clerics of traditional confessions are there, along with the defenders of our Motherland.
There has never been a confrontation between traditional confessions in our country. This is not only what has been passed down to us, but it is also the foundation of our traditions, because we are of one root, we recognize one, one creator, and we have nothing to share in this world, and even more so in eternity.
We, the faithful, undoubtedly need to pray and appeal to the Most High Lord of the worlds to bless our efforts, your efforts and, above all, the heads of States that are Members of the United Nations, to realize the responsibility and bless your and our efforts in the peaceful resolution of the conflict, the restoration of justice, peace and stability in the Middle East and in all over the world.
Thanks for attention.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.
You have once again stressed the need for inter-religious and inter-ethnic harmony – an extremely important thing at all times, and especially at the moment.
Dear Rabbi, please.
Boris Lazar: Dear Mr. President,
First of all, thank you very much for your initiative, for bringing us all together, for your speech. Every word, I think, should be written and put everywhere.
It is no coincidence that we have gathered on the eve of November 4, National Unity Day. This is symbolic. National unity is the uniqueness of Russia, and you were right to say that this is the most important thing. And in fact, it is true, we always feel peace and mutual respect between people from different nations, different cultures, different faiths. In many other countries, not only are there no interethnic or interfaith joint projects, but people can't even get together at the same table. And we, thank God, have had this tradition for many years, and in recent years it has become even more important and relevant.
I can say that every time we gather, especially here, we feel a real friendship. This is not only different projects that we can implement together, it is something that we really feel respect for each other. And this is, without any doubt, thanks to you. We look at the outside world, and we immediately see how restless it is there. Here I would like to thank you once again for the fact that we do not have this tension in Russia.
Even the fact that people here don't take to the streets to demonstrate is very good. Because we all know that street demonstrations are used by extremists everywhere. And even if it is intended to be peaceful, in practice it often comes to violence.
It is very important that our meeting today sent a clear message to the entire society: we are for relations of mutual respect, friendship and cooperation, but at the same time we will not tolerate those who are not tolerant themselves, who profess extremism and call for violence.
Unfortunately, history already shows that the line between hate and violence is very thin. The ideology of hatred always leads to violence, sometimes even leads to terrorism. Our patriarch was very correct in saying that religion and hatred are incompatible. This is exactly the opposite. Any sermon, any lesson that a religion or religious leader gives, that you need to find a way to not only love each other, but also really be friends. Thank God, we have not experienced state anti-Semitism here in Russia for many years, and even street anti-Semitism is practically nonexistent.
But we have the experience of the past, and therefore our main request today is to the authorities – federal and local-that there be a constant and uncompromising fight against extremism.
I have already spoken about the experience of the past. A few days ago, we celebrated the 80th anniversary of the Sobibor Nazi camp uprising. The man who organized this uprising, Red Army officer Alexander Aronovich Pechersky, understood that you should not give up when violence reigns, you must protect yourself and those who are close to you. We, like any religion, pray for peace, so that there will be no more wars.
But peace with murderers is impossible by definition. So when we now mourn the hundreds of innocent victims killed by the terrorists on October 7, when we pray for the rescue of more than 200 hostages – and thank Mufti Talgat [Tajuddin]that we really need to come together and do everything possible so that they can return home.
We know that there can be no negotiations with terrorists, much less any compromises. Any terrorist organization must be isolated and destroyed.
I myself have no doubt that Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Muslims can live in peace, respect each other, and even help each other if necessary. There are all conditions for them to be friends together. You can take an example of what we have here in Russia: peace between Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists – all religions and all peoples.
In fact, this is an example for the whole world. We need to think about why here we can be friends, really help each other, enjoy ourselves together, but there it is impossible. The answer is simple: here, we have a wise President who, when he sees that he can help in this friendship, or, God forbid, maybe at some difficult moment, brings us together and, as you said today, makes it very clear that this is the most valuable thing – what we have today in Russia.
In Russia, thank God, terrorists are also treated very harshly, and the result is obvious.
Therefore, I very much hope that the Russian experience will serve as a good example both in the Middle East and in other regions, which, unfortunately, still face similar problems.
Thank you very much again, and may God grant that this meeting and the blessing of all religious leaders may have given you the strength to really "resolve" the problem, to solve it, and to bring peace to the Middle East and, with God's help, to the whole world.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you. Thank you for paying attention to our fundamental values, too.
As you read, Putin says some very pointed things after his initial remarks that bear repeating:
At the same time, we see attempts by some forces to provoke further escalation, draw as many other countries and peoples as possible into the conflict, using them for their own selfish interests, and start a real wave of chaos and mutual hatred not only in the Middle East, but also far beyond its borders. For this purpose, among other things, they are trying to play on the national and religious feelings of millions of people. And this policy, if I may say so, has been implemented for a long time, long before the current crisis.
Muslims are being incited against Jews, calling for a "war on the infidels." Shiites are confronted with Sunnis, Orthodox-with Catholics. In Europe, they turn a blind eye to blasphemy and vandalism against Muslim shrines. In a number of countries, Nazi criminals and anti-Semites, who have the blood of Holocaust victims on their hands, are already openly and officially glorified. In Ukraine, they are working to ban the canonical Orthodox Church, to deepen the church schism.
The goal, in my opinion, of all these actions is obvious – to increase instability in the world, divide cultures, peoples, world religions, provoke a conflict of civilizations-all according to the well-known principle of "divide and rule". And at the same time, they talk about some kind of "new world order", the essence of which is actually the same: hypocrisy, double standards, claims to exclusivity, to global dominance, to preserve the essentially neocolonial system….
Of course, these forces that pursue such a policy or try to implement it, it is beneficial for the epidemic of violence and hatred to cover not only the Middle East, but also other regions, so that old "hot spots" will worsen on the territory of Eurasia and new "hot spots" will appear.
By largely orchestrating the conflict in the Middle East, fueling and provoking nationalism and religious intolerance around the world, these very forces, of course, pursue their hostile goals towards our country as well. And these goals are openly declared by the ruling circles of some countries – to inflict on us, as they put it, a "strategic defeat". There's nothing new here either. They need both the Middle East and any other religious or national conflicts in the world to be directly or indirectly connected in one way or another with Russia, or, more precisely, to hit Russia, our society. Therefore, they will use lies, provocations, external and internal reasons to weaken and split our society, set national and religious strife on fire in our home. [My Emphasis]
Russia’s very long connection with Palestine was noted by Patriarch Kirill, whose words were just as important as Putin’s and many ought to be repeated, but this paragraph stood out:
It is obvious that Russia, consistently upholding the principle of respect for the legitimate interests of each side and fully supporting the desire of the civilian population of Israel and Palestine to establish a lasting, just peace, is helping to find ways to end the armed conflict and restore dialogue between political opponents. [My Emphasis]
The bolded words contain a huge contradiction between perception and reality as most “of the civilian population” of Occupied Palestine clearly are all with the Zionist agenda to cleanse the region of its original inhabitants, thus the impasse to “establish a lasting, just peace.”
The Grand Mufti’s words were well spoken but he too while recognizing the problem also suggests a way to a solution that’s already been tried twice and failed for the same reason. Here are those words:
Unfortunately, some countries not only do not contribute to a fair solution to this conflict, but, on the contrary, once again demonstrate to the whole world their right of force and double standards.
There are also attempts to distort reality in the information space and falsify facts. This undoubtedly points to the provocative background – and timing – of what is happening in the Middle East. And, of course, as you have confirmed, their goal is to increase instability in the world. A multipolar world may not suit them either. And when there are a lot of "hot spots", it is very profitable for someone….
We call on the international community and the countries of the Islamic world to support Russia's efforts to convene the United Nations Security Council as soon as possible to discuss the situation in the Middle East and to make every effort to start high-level negotiations; to initiate new actions, perhaps even a peacekeeping force in the conflict zone, to organize humanitarian corridors for refugees; and Today, it is undoubtedly necessary to do this faster in order to further stop the shedding of blood. [My Emphasis]
There seems, however, to be no other recourse than to continue to hammer away at the UNSC to allow the force of the vast Global Majority to force the Outlaw US Empire and its vassals to desist from impeding the formulation of an initial solution before the conflict further escalates.
Rabbi Lazar, however, is clearly partisan, although he professes unity at the outset of his words. The Zionists have been murdering Palestinians and the British Mandate keepers for over 80 years; yet, in his condemnation of murderers, there is only reference to 7 October. Furthermore, there’s no recognition of Palestinians as Semites, which they most certainly are.
There was much talk of double standards and their implied hypocrisy, but it was also present within other words that were spoken. Mult-confessional Russia could be an example to the world IF it recognizes its own double standards, some of which are explored above. In the eyes of several billions, Hamas acted in a very correct manner to resist the Nazi-like occupation and genocide being waged upon it and ALL Palestinians: It’s the lawful right of Palestinians to fight for their freedom, but not once is that right recognized in the above transcript, although later in the meeting it might have been mentioned. Russia talks a lot about Neocolonialism and the West’s efforts to perpetuate that condition, which includes the Zionist program.
I invite all readers to comment on this article; you shouldn’t need to be a subscriber to do that. Do please stick to the content of this meeting and refrain from going on a tirade. Thanks.
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Occupy peace. Justify love. Transcend historical grievances.
Remember our lessons from childhood:
Two wrongs don't make a right. Might does not make right. The ends do not justify the means.
Time to grow up, grow a set of balls and act as enlightened, serious members of the human race to stop the needless slaughter of innocents and create a sovereign Palestinian state. Hamas loses its funding and raison d'etre when Palestinians are free. The October 7 perpetrators can be identified and rounded up for justice in the future, as can the Zionist war criminals.
Yes, I know I'm a hopelessly naive optimist. But I believe in God's love for all his children.
It's a beautiful thing that such a meeting took place, even if all the participants were not as skillful as might be wished. Putin himself does set a standard that's maybe hard to meet, eh? Thanks for putting this up.
The terrorism label is hard to push back on. We want to be quick to condemn that, to be on the "peaceful" side, but it's been 75 years. We talk about the children. Were it not for this event, for the "terrorism", would those children be condemned to live for another 75 years under the occupation? (And one might argue if that were a "best" or "worse" case outcome.)
When does doing nothing, when does suffering the abuse, forcing ones and others to suffer the abuse, when does that become worse than fighting back? Bear in mind that legally, an occupied people can fight back. There is a reason international law reccognizes that right. Humans will and do abuse each other terribly unless at least some learn to stand up. This is, frankly, the dilemma in the US itself now. For our failure to stand up to stop the carnage "our" leaders wreak worldwide destroys us as well. Sure, most of us can't see it because we are so manipulated by the deep state - the demons. The oppressor's role is every bit as damaging as the oppressed; this war, as all others do, comes home.
Even the Buddha knew when to kill someone. Arjuna - with Kirshna's help - brought down an entire empire because his family was wronged and oppressed. Look at Nelson Mandela and the ANC, John Brown, the list is endless. History, after all, is one violent event after another.
My understanding: the Vedas note that all those that perished at Kurukshetra were immediately liberated - both sides. Those who fought with Krishna as well as those that fought against him. And Krishna himself received a fatal curse.
The events of Oct 7 upset the table. How the world responds is what matters and the world responds according to how we approach it.
Yeah, I would have loved to hear what some of the other leaders said!