By: Franci Kindelhofer
Is the state, specifically Slovenia, always obligated to help someone outside its borders, or should it also consider its own, primarily security, interests? What is at stake?
On September 19th, 2024, the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had approved aid to Palestine amounting to 700,000 euros. The money is intended for the care of war-injured children at the Soča facility and for support to particularly vulnerable Palestinian families. Questioning the legitimacy of such a decision is certainly a delicate matter, as this is, after all, aid to very affected and needy groups. The fact that this project is supposedly being carried out through the Danilo Türk Foundation, whose likely founder is not particularly known for a realistic assessment of the situation in Palestine, as long as he is not pretending, is not as troubling if the report is true that the charitable organisation Caritas oversees the proper execution of the project. I would also leave aside the question of whether the Slovenian budget can afford this in the current situation. I see a different problem in the whole matter.
It is widely known that the cause of the conflict between Gaza and Israel is the very brutal terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7th last year. This attack exceeded all norms of civilisation. Civilians of all ages and genders were killed, women were brutally raped, both alive and dead, children were beheaded, and one baby was even found in an oven, and property was looted. When these terrorists triumphantly returned to Gaza, they were enthusiastically, even frenetically, received by the people of Gaza as national heroes. Israel considers this event to be the second most brutal attack on Jews after the Holocaust in Germany. On that day, Israel faced an even greater threat, as was recently revealed. The now-deceased Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had planned a joint attack on Israel in a coordinated invasion with Hamas from Gaza. Due to some disruptions in coordination, the attack from the north, from the Lebanese side, did not occur, sparing Israel an even greater catastrophe.
After this extremely brutal attack on Israel, Hamas had to expect a decisive reaction from Israel. Despite the looming danger to Gaza’s residents, Hamas did nothing to ensure their safety. The underground tunnels, which also ran beneath schools, kindergartens, and hospitals, were not available to civilians as shelters from the expected bombings. The terrorists themselves hid in them, leaving families with children to their fate, knowing that dead children and women would serve as unique propaganda against Israel worldwide. What happened in Gaza afterward is well known to us. Whether Israel could have acted differently, with fewer civilian casualties, can be debated, and more will be revealed by later independent analyses. The fact is that Hamas did not want to end the conflict by releasing at least the hostages. As a result, Netanyahu was under immense pressure, even from their relatives.
Throughout the conflict, the people of Gaza have received substantial international aid, which of course cannot replace all the suffering and loss of civilian life.
I would now like to address the core of my writing. Can Slovenia contribute anything to alleviating the suffering of Palestinians, and if so, how? Of course, in times of crisis and misfortune, especially in war, any help is welcome. However, we must admit that Gaza is a very special problem. On one hand, the residents need help, but on the other hand, their self-proclaimed protectors are spending millions on weapons and a war against Israel, whose ultimate goal is the genocide of Jews. Perhaps we should consider waiting with aid until Hamas runs out of money for the rockets they are launching at Israel. In any case, there are enough countries around Gaza, many much wealthier than Slovenia, that can take care of their fellow nationals.
The second problem is the care of the wounded and sick in Europe, both children and adults. Even if they come as people in need of help, we cannot judge which of them are connected to terrorism and which are not. Children have parents with whom ties should not be broken. But these parents may be inciting their children against us, Europeans. Many fathers see in their sons potential fighters for their cause. In other words, with such aid, we could bring potential problems into Europe.
If Slovenia can afford financial aid to Palestinians, I have no objection to that. But not on our soil. This is not any kind of phobia; this is sober thinking. It is about our safety, which we must not squander at the expense of good intentions and European civilisational habits.