WHEN WILL THIS END?

Every morning, we wake up to another unimaginable horror—yet it's all become disturbingly routine. Another hospital bombed. More health care workers killed while trying to save lives. More children buried beneath rubble. More settlers taking homes that don’t belong to them. More journalists deliberately targeted for daring to report the truth. More people silenced, threatened, and vilified for simply speaking out. And still, all aid has been stopped. There is no food. No medicine. Barely any electricity. The infrastructure is destroyed beyond recognition. What we are witnessing is not just a crisis—it is the systematic dismantling of life itself.

The question on everyone’s mind is: When will this end?

How is this still happening? How are we, as a global community, still allowing this to unfold? How do we expect people to function, to raise children, to plan for the future, when everything around them is being destroyed?

And yet, still, some try to justify it. For those who say it’s complicated. It’s not. There’s nothing complicated about the denial of basic human rights. What is complicated is how so many still look away. How some remain silent in the face of this extreme cruelty. And even worse—how others cheer it on.

We are living through a moment that will define us all. And the old mindset—that for someone to win, someone else must lose—is killing us. The truth is, in the path we’re on now, everyone loses. When we lose our moral compass as a society, we lose our ability to feel, and we lose our humanity.

We need to wake up. Ask who profits from this suffering. Let’s not be fooled by ideology dressed up in ‘security’ or ‘defence’. There is no justification—none—for bombing civilians, for dehumanising an entire population over the decades, for silencing voices calling for peace and justice, for deliberately targeting children, health workers and journalists.

If you're still unsure, then try looking inward. Maybe you’ve shut down emotionally because the pain feels too heavy. Or maybe you’ve hardened your heart and convinced yourself that this has nothing to do with you. But either way, know this—this will come back to bite us all. Injustice like this doesn’t stay neatly confined to one particular area or one particular people. It spreads. It corrupts everything it touches, just like cancer.

People often ask, “But what can I do? Speaking up could hurt my career, my relationships, my future.” And I get it. Really, I do. But look around you. It’s alarmingly easy to become the other. To wake up one day and realise that you are no longer the one looking away—but the one others are looking away from.

And when that day comes, you’ll ask, “Where is humanity?” So, I have to ask—what are we waiting for?

When I began writing “From the River to the Sea – Humanizing Freedom” over three and a half years ago, I was working on an organisational leadership book. I had just finished chapter four when I felt a real pull to write something else, still connected with leadership but at a global level.  It was a book that was never meant to be written but had to be written. A book not just from the head but also from the heart.

The first half of the book is written to help people understand the history—without the excuses, without the “it’s complicated” comeback. I break it down to the simplest terms, in the simplest language, so anyone—no matter their background—can understand what’s happening and why.

The second half of the book is from the heart. It’s about the way forward. About truth-telling, justice, and healing. About standing together across faiths, identities, and borders to say: enough is enough.

As a Palestinian Christian born and raised in Haifa, within the 1948 territories, with Israeli citizenship, and as a proud Australian, I share a slightly different narrative — not to create division, but to help us find common ground we often forget we share. Given my background and the work we do at Dreem Coaching & Consulting— heart-centred leadership, strengthening resilience, and inspiring growth—how could I not write this book?

Over the years, one thing I’ve learned—both through life and leadership—is that when people reconnect with their values, their humanity, and their purpose, something shifts. That’s when real, lasting change becomes possible. It’s also what inspired Dreem Coaching & Consulting—to focus on heart-centred leadership, strengthening resilience, and inspiring meaningful growth in people and teams. We are all allowed to make mistakes, stumble and allow fear to get in the way.  But at some point, we all need to put our ego to the side,  to learn from our mistakes and course correct.

These lessons didn’t come from a textbook. They came from experience. From watching people rise even in the toughest of times. From seeing how empathy, clarity, and courage can turn entire teams around. And honestly, I wouldn’t have come to that without the incredible mentors I’ve had throughout my life.

So, when I wrote “From the River to the Sea – Humanizing Freedom”, it came from that same place. Not just a desire to tell the truth but to stay in alignment with what I’ve been taught: that leadership, which starts with self-leadership, at its core, is about showing up with integrity—even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard.

And while none of us could have imagined just how bad things would get—or how long this would go on for—what I know for sure is this: change doesn’t just happen. We have to create it. Together.

People often ask, “But what can I really do?”

The truth is—probably more than you think. Sometimes, it starts small, like having a conversation that feels a little uncomfortable, whether it’s at work, at home, or around the dinner table, with an open heart. Other times, it might look like asking questions, reading more, writing, showing up to a peaceful rally or vigil, or choosing not to support something that doesn’t sit right with your values.

Silence can feel safer—but in times like these, it’s worth reflecting on what silence might mean. Even a gentle “I don’t agree with this” can go a long way. Every little action adds up.

When it comes to corporations, maybe it’s time we started encouraging them to think more deeply. If a partnership or sponsorship is tied to harm or injustice, is that something we want to be part of? Brands have power—and so do we as consumers. We can start asking the question: is this aligned with our shared humanity?

And governments—well, they have a big role to play. It’s not about expecting perfection, but about urging them to lead with principle. To stop enabling violence, and to support international law consistently, not selectively. To look at what justice really means and prioritise that—not just politics, alliances, or optics.

No one has all the answers. But if we all do a little more thinking, a little more questioning, and a little more speaking from the heart, change becomes possible.

This is not about picking sides. It’s about choosing humanity.

If you’ve made it this far, you’re already halfway there. Keep asking questions. Keep feeling. Keep standing up. And whatever you do—don’t look away.

Because history is watching. And so are our children.