Daniel Barenboim’s article in Ha’aretz “Compassion on both sides is a moral obligation” is with all respect nothing extraordinary, but in these days basic morality has become the exception. That’s why Barenboims article is worth reading, that’s why his position is a brave position:

‘At the very heart of the much needed rapprochement is the necessity for a mutual feeling of empathy, or compassion. In my opinion, compassion is not merely a sentiment that results from a psychological understanding of a person’s need, but it is a moral obligation. Only through trying to understand the other side’s plight can we take a step towards each other. As Schopenhauer put it, “nothing will bring us back to the path of justice so readily as the mental picture of the trouble, grief, and lamentation of the loser.” In this conflict, we are all losers. We can only overcome this sad state if we finally begin to accept the other side’s suffering and their rights. Only from this understanding can we attempt to build a future together.’

(Read the article here.)