[pjw] INFO: Gathering statements on Israel/Palesine conflict

[Peace and Justice Works]

Hi again PJW supporters

I wrote briefly on Saturday after the news broke about a new surge in the 
conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. Things have only gotten worse 
since then, with the US sending an aircraft carrier off the coast of Gaza 
to... I don't know, be consistent about escalating situations rather then 
de-escalating them. I think Joe Biden is pretty much of a warmonger and 
that his fond memories of the "good old days" post WWII drive his foreign 
policy (blunders).

We'll certainly be talking about this at the Friday Rally, not just at our 
usual point on the march route.

I'm continuing to look for mainstream commentators to recognize the stark 
similarities and main difference between the Palestinians and the 
Ukrainians:

--invaded and occupied by a larger neighbor which is nuclear-armed

--fighting back with weapons they scrap together even when
   unseemly (in Ukraine, cluster bombs and depleted uranium)

--the US supports the larger, nuclear armed country in one situation
   but the smaller, occupied nation in the other.

Anyway, most of the statements I'm hearing on the radio and coming through 
our email are balanced and mostly reasonable, while TV news is terribly 
biased toward Israel. (Taking a cue from Biden saying the US will stand by 
Israel no matter what. Really, one ought to be thoughtful about making 
statements like that about a country seeped in human rights violations.)

Friends of Sabeel North America sent a plea for peace:

https://www.fosna.org/the-fosna-blog/gaza-colonial-violence-and-the-pursuit-of-a-just-peace

Former Portland resident and now nationally recognized Palestinian human 
right activist Zaha Hassan was interviewed on NPR and laid out a great 
case that this siege has been going on for 16 years:

https://www.npr.org/2023/10/07/1204491013/a-human-rights-lawyer-on-israel-and-gaza-violence

I can't link to it but another show on NPR featured a person from Gaza 
responding to Israel's advice for them to seek shelter as the 
ID bombardment began-- they said they had to laugh because there's nowhere 
to take shelter when you're living in a military occupation and not 
allowed to leave.

The Western States Center put out a mostly balanced think piece talking 
about their relationships to an Israeli who was killed and to 
Palestinians. I say mostly because you can tell from the headline it's 
saying there's only a tragedy in Israel. I can't find it online but here 
are excerpts:

  A statement on the tragedy in Israel

  We have visited Israel and the Palestinian Territories with our board,
  staff, fellows and partners many times over the course of our work to
  counter the divisive impacts of antisemitism on American democracy,
  hosted each time in part by the Shaharit team. We know that histories of
  extraordinary injustice, pain, and violence define every facet of this
  conflict. We are moved with compassion for Palestinians who have suffered
  a violent, repressive, and cruel occupation for 75 years at the hands of
  the state of Israel and much of the developed world, including the United
  States.

  We know that any time the Israeli-Palestinian conflict makes the news,
  incidents of antisemitic, anti-Arab, and anti-Muslim rhetoric and bigotry
  surge. As an organization whose mission and vision is centered on
  strengthening inclusive democracy, including justice and equity for all,
  we urge all who are concerned with these events to denounce violence and
  explicitly reject antisemitism and racism, as well as the politics of
  isolation, exclusion, and dehumanizing cruelty that accompany these
  bigotries.

  We continue to hold out hope for a just and democratic society for the
  Israeli and Palestinian peoples, and a world free from bigotry and fear
  for us all.

George Takei the famous actor from Star Trek wrote a great piece on X the 
platform formerly known as Twitter about how hatred comes to people as a 
whole rather than just those who perpetuate violence, citing the bombing 
of Pearl Harbor and the backlash against Japanese Americans.

https://twitter.com/GeorgeTakei/status/1711043756483395845


The United National Anti-War Coalition (which you'll note isn't a "Peace 
Coalition") calls for solidarity with the Palestinians and supports their 
right to self-liberation.

https://nepajac.org/unac_100923.html

I'm sure there's a lot more being written out there, these are just some 
of the things that came my/our way.

--dan handelman
peace and justice works iraq affinity group