Olive fields in as-Samu.
I get it. No one wants to hear about the slaughter of innocent people day in and out. No one wants to hear that women and children are the highest casualties of the nearly 27,000 dead and 66,000 wounded.
No one wants to believe the United States could be on the wrong side of this devastation, even as the International Criminal Justices’ nearly unanimous decisions to deter Israel may implicate us in acts of genocide. We still want to believe we’re the good guys.
And on top of the slaughtering of innocents with our bombs, the United States government has led nine of its allies to halt funds to the UN agency, UNWRA, that provides supplies to six million Palestinians in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and those who are refugees in neighboring countries. Our government took no time to consider if the allegations leveled at the agency were true or not, nor did we consider the suffering we would be subjecting to innocent lives.
Seems we are unable to slow Netanyahu’s reign of terror, but are quite capable of derailing food and life saving provisions to survivors.
And while the cries for permanent ceasefire echo around the world, there’s still a deafening silence in the media of our country.
So here’s the challenge. Its time we stop waiting for our government to do the right thing. Its time we demand of our clergy and all humanitarian agencies and organizations to unite in one voice denouncing this senseless violence.
We must break free of the propaganda that allows us to sleep walk through this blood bath. If you recognize that you have a voice and that every life counts, step up to your humanity and find a way to say, “No more”.
Here are some things that you can do:
If you are of a Christian faith, urge your clergy to help save lives. Here is a petition by Mennonites that welcomes all Christians to stand in conscientious objection to the violence of war.
If you live in Wisconsin, learn about and participate in the rallies, press releases, and actions happening around the state at the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine. With over 60 diverse organizations educating about and uplifting Palestine while demanding ceasefire and an end to occupation.
Learn from Palestinians, not the media. Friends of Tent of Nations. FOTONNA provides grassroots support through the Tent of Nations, a peace project located on Daher’s Vineyard – a 100-acre farm located about six miles from Bethlehem in the West Bank.
Listen to my interview with Akram Abed on WDRTCommunity Radio show, Conversations, to understand life from a Palestinian point of view.
Sign petitions calling for ceasefire by Amnesty or OXFAM or a host of local and national organizations that are working towards that end.
Challenge your own personal beliefs and the indoctrination that allow us to go immediately to war and violence. Challenge your legislators to find peaceful solutions. We can do this. But it will take everyone who cares to speak up.
Let Kindness Win blogpost Feb 1, 2024 - by WNPJ Board member, Dena Eakles https://letkindnesswin.com/ Photo compliments of Wikimedia Commons share alike license.
Comments