The Killing Must Stop

By Diane Middleton

War in the Middle East demands our response. As Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib said:  “We grieve the Israeli and Palestinian lives lost yesterday, today and every day”.

We must stand in support of the Jewish people even if we disagree with the actions of the state of Israel.

There is a vocal constituency within the state of Israel that does not agree with the anti democratic policies of the Netanyahu government.

Likewise, we must support the Palestinian people at the same time as we condemn the brutal assault by Hamas which does not have the support of all Palestinians.

We must oppose the “collective punishment” being rained down on the Palestinians  –  2.3  million people in an open air prison being deprived of water, food, fuel and electricity.  Entire buildings being bombed. Women, children and the elderly bearing the brunt of the attacks.

The killing must stop.

Certain facts are indisputable.

The October 7 attack by Hamas cannot be justified.  It was a brutal attack on civilians and must be condemned.

The Palestinians have suffered for over 75 years in a state of apartheid being inflicted by the state of Israel. 

Please take the time to educate yourself about the history of this tortured region that has seen so much suffering and death.  Facts are hard to come by.  Spend a few days watching Democracy Now (on PBS) or listening to it on KPFK then watch Chris Cuomo on News Nation (Channel 45) and then watch CNN.  You will get very different coverage of the same events which is why I prefer to read as much as I can.

Below I have posted some articles that I found helpful because I want you to make up your own minds.   Millions of people around the world are protesting what they describe as a “genocide taking place before our eyes”.   Nationally, Jewish Voices for Peace,  If Not Now, and Not in Our Name are calling for a ceasefire.  These same groups joined by many others have staged large demonstrations in downtown LA.  In San Pedro, Code Pink is organizing rallies  (go to their website if you want dates and times).

The United Nations has said that “collective punishment”  (the targeting of civilians) is a clear violation of international law.  UNICEF has called for a ceasefire. Oxfam has stated there is no excuse for using starvation  as a weapon of war. 

Dag Hammarskjöld, the second UN secretary-general, once said: “The UN was not created in order to bring us to heaven, but in order to save us from hell.” 

The reality today in Gaza is that there is not much humanity left and hell is settling in.

Sanders Says ‘Children and Innocent People Do Not Deserve To Be Punished for Acts of Hamas’

I Run the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees. History Will Judge Us All if There Is No Ceasefire in Gaza

Poll on Ceasefire in Gaza

Excerpts from a message from Justice Democrats on October 10

This did not just begin this weekend — it is a direct result of decades of Israeli military apartheid rule that has occupied the West Bank and turned Gaza into an open-air prison where Palestinians rarely have access to clean water, food, or electricity as a result of the Israeli military’s air, sea, and land blockades…. 

The United States’ complicity in the Israeli government and military’s decades of human rights abuses and international law violations cannot be understated. As long as we continue sending blank checks to the Israeli military, without any conditions, we are greenlighting the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people….

Now is the time to remember the lessons of the failed wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and call for diplomatic action and an end to US-funded military violence — for the sake of all Palestinians and Israelis.