Truth needs to be spelled out, not glossed over

September 29, 2025

For the first time, Bishop Browning disappoints. “The actions of Hamas on 7 October were inhumane and contemptible.” Those words give no context for what happened on 7 October, and directly followed, as they are, by “But what Israel has unleashed is barbaric.” implies that Israel started its genocide in response.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Reading Browning, anyone could be excused for thinking the confiscation of land, building the wall and building settlements on occupied land did not involve violence towards Palestinians that was “inhumane and contemptible”.

The truth is, Palestinians have been suffering a slow genocide since Jewish settlement gathered pace following World War I and the Balfour Declaration. The number of Palestinian deaths, injuries and hostages prior to 7 October far, far outweighed those of Israelis. The only surprise on 7 October was that more people were killed than usual in a Palestinian raid. The extent of that raid’s brutality, as described by Israel, has been largely disproven and it has been even shown that Israel killed Israelis in their immediate response. Israel’s ongoing response did not “unleash” anything. It “merely” ramped up the genocide it had been practising for almost a century.

There can be no peace without truth.