David Grossman, Israeli Peace Advocate: We Have Very Few Tools to Convince

David Grossman, a prominent Israeli author, has published a new book coinciding with the first anniversary of the unprecedented and deadly attack by the extremist group Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, part of which he wrote after this attack. In an interview with Le Monde, he emphasized that currently, Israeli intellectuals and peace advocates have very few tools to convince their audiences. Who is David Grossman? Born in 1954 in Jerusalem, Grossman has studied and lived in the same city, writing numerous works in the form of novels, essays, and children's books. This 70-year-old Israeli author is considered a 'peace advocate' and is well-received in global literary circles, especially after the passing of Amos Oz, another Israeli writer who had often been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. For instance, Grossman was the keynote speaker at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2020, the world's most important book fair, dedicating his speech to the theme of the fair (Signs of Hope). He stated, 'At first, I thought about how I could talk about hope while the conditions I live in are currently steeped in despair and frustration... But then I told myself that I would take this invitation to speak about hope as a good omen, perhaps I would find the strength to confront the fear and sadness that COVID has imposed on my life.' Grossman emphasized that 'hope' is an anchor that propels a person from a state of despair towards a free and better future. A few years prior, he received the 25,000 Euro award from the German Publishers Association, which, according to the jury, represented his 'commitment' to establishing reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. In recent months, Grossman has been a critic of Benjamin Netanyahu's government and has called on Israelis to fight for their country by participating in anti-government protests. What is Grossman's new book? The book 'The Thinking Heart; Reflections on Predicted Chaos' by David Grossman includes articles written by this prominent Israeli author before and after the Hamas attack on Israel. The extremist group Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. Grossman himself wrote about this book: 'This collection of articles and speeches expresses the thoughts and feelings of an individual who has never seen a day of real peace in his country and undoubtedly this is because he has fought for decades to achieve it.' Grossman was inspired to write this book by the writings of Etty Hillesum, a young Jewish woman who perished in Auschwitz in 1943. What does Grossman say? The release of 'The Thinking Heart' coincides with the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, and Le Monde, France's leading newspaper, sought the author's opinion on this attack. Grossman, a staunch advocate for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, responded to the question of how he feels a year after the October 7 attack: 'I feel mourning, pain. Because for me, the process that leads to a possible agreement with the Palestinians has suffered a terrible blow that I do not know if it can recover from the damage of this blow.' He continued, 'But before the lost opportunity for peace, I think of our hostages who are being held in inhumane conditions. I also think about the awakening of Israelis, as they lived under the illusion that they could remain invulnerable forever; an illusion that has been maintained by our leaders for years.' Grossman hopes that one day 'Israel will ultimately understand the need for peace with its neighbors, as the best thing for the future of this country is to reach an agreement as soon as possible with the guarantees of great powers and with the support of moderate Arab countries; countries that need Israel's support against Iran.' However, he emphasizes that 'of course, in the Middle East, it is forbidden to lay down your shield. But the goal is to achieve the best possible balance between two sides that do not like each other anyway.' The status of the 'arsenal' of Israeli peace intellectuals Grossman states that Israelis must learn from the October 7 attack, although, according to him, the people of Israel will need years to return to normalcy; especially since Israeli society was already politically divided before this attack. He emphasizes that Israel is a democratic country and that to end the contradictions in this country, Israel must accept the two-state solution desired by the international community. In such a case, Palestinians can also, according to Grossman, live in freedom and regain their dignity. But does talking about peace and such a plan have any purchase in the current crisis? Grossman responds: 'The bullet is always more effective and convincing than a thousand speeches in a public square. Fear has a tremendous power, and terrorism evokes a fear that turns into hatred.' This author emphasizes that in such circumstances, 'our arsenal, (that is) the intellectuals and peace writers of Israel, is very weak.' Grossman continues: 'We have come to tell Israelis that everything will be alright, the enemy will gradually understand the benefits of peace. But the reality is more complex and filled with threats. No side is willing to give up its achievements or extremism.' At the end of the conversation, this 70-year-old Israeli author, in response to why the new generation of Israeli writers is turning away from politics and leaning more towards personal topics, says: 'The writer's duty is more than anything to write good stories, and a good story can be far from reality.' Grossman believes that current events in the Middle East have caused writers to almost stop writing; 'at least in the same way they used to.' He says: 'All the writers I have recently met tell me the same thing. I myself am also falling silent. However, sometimes I think that perhaps the lack of words in this terrible moment is not a bad thing; because sometimes, words offer an overly easy solution to a complex situation.'