The Humane Message of "I Shall Not Hate" Amanda Maciocia College

From his childhood in Gaza to achievements in the medical field, Izzeldin Abuelaish has a unique life story. Against the odds, which included poverty, refugee camps, isolation and discrimination, he still managed to become the first Palestinian doctor to practice in Israel. Unfortunately, it would be the tragic death of his daughters that propelled him into an international figure as the violence of a historical conflict was exposed at its most personal level. After an incident like this, most people would turn to anger and revenge, but Abuelaish chose a different path and the reasons for doing so are expressed in his book, I Shall Not Hate, ‘A Gaza’s Doctor Journey’. Against the backdrop of the ongoing problems between the Palestinians and the state of Israel, he describes an unwavering support for peace and the need for the leaders on both sides to make such a breakthrough possible.

Abuelaish also provides firsthand accounts of life in Gaza and how local conditions were the final result of prolonged global power struggles in the Middle East. For outsiders, trying to understand Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be challenging. Along with the tendency to project our own values and beliefs on the situation, the history of this...