It has now been nearly 11 weeks since the deadly rocket attack on Israel that began the Israel-Hamas war. Most of the military destruction has occurred in Gaza, and most deaths have been of Palestinians who were not directly a part of Hamas, an acronym for Islamic Resistance Movement, its official name.
The destruction and death toll in Gaza has
been horrendous. Make
no mistake about it: the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel was an evil event. Wantonly
killing more than 1,200 people, most of whom were civilians, cannot be characterized
differently.
But I also see Israel’s revengeful attacks
on Gaza as even more evil, for far more innocent lives have been taken. The
latest figures indicate that around 20,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been
killed by the Israeli Defense Forces military. How much greater that is than “an
eye for an eye”!
A large percentage of Palestinian deaths
are of women and children, and as children (and others) dying of starvation and
disease will increase in the days/weeks ahead, Palestinian casualties will
continue to rise to ever more distressing numbers.
The U.S. government has clearly
supported Israel from
its beginning in 1948, and this support is even more distressing to me now.
As a U.S. citizen,
I am highly displeased with the stance of the federal government. The U.S. has given
Israel more than $260 billion of aid since World War II, more than to any other
nation. In October, the Administration asked Congress to provide $14.3 billion of
emergency aid to Israel.
I have been quite disappointed in
President Biden’s public stance on support for Israel—but not as much as
Thinking Friend Mike Greer, who on Dec. 15 posted his strong views on this blogsite:
Biden's role in the creation of a hell on earth in Gaza leaves me with little hope for the Democratic party here. I am wondering if he does not have a case of moral dementia . . . .
But I don’t think Biden’s position is
any different from what any other President’s would be, including Hillary
Clinton (who could well have been nearing the end of her seventh year as
President if it had not been for her inexplicable loss in 2016).
Near Election Day in 2016 when I thought
Clinton’s election was assured, I wrote “an open letter to Madame President.”
Among other things, I implored her to ease up on her support for Israel in
order to lessen the injustice being done to the Palestinians.
There are, though, voices for non-violence
and peace, even among Palestinians.
Despite all the violence that has been unleashed on Gaza by Israel since
October 7, I am heartened by those who are still advocating peaceful responses.
Just last week, I learned about Ali Abu Awwad,
a prominent Palestinian peace activist and proponent of nonviolence.*
Awwad (b. 1972) took part in the First Intifada as a
teenager and was subsequently sentenced to 10 years in prison. During the four
years before he was released, he read the writings of Gandhi, Mandela, and MLK Jr.
and embraced their commitment to non-violence.
In 2016 he co-founded Taghyeer (the Arabic
word for change), a Palestinian national movement promoting nonviolence
to achieve and guarantee a nonviolent solution to the conflict between Israel
and the Palestinians.
On the other side,
there is Jewish Voice for Peace in the U.S. Since its founding in 1996, it has
been working for “a world where all people—from the U.S. to Palestine—live in
freedom, justice, equality, and dignity.” (see here).
Also, Amanda
Gelender, a Jewish American anti-Zionist writer, has also recently stressed (here) that “Israel’s massacre of Palestine is an
assault on the Jewish faith.”**
So, in this war of Israel’s Defense
Force against Hamas which, broadly speaking, is seen as a Jewish war against Palestinians,
which side am I on? Without hesitation, I am on the side of those standing
for peace and justice.
*****
Merry Christmas to all as people around the world celebrate the birth of one
prophesied to be the Prince
of Peace.
_____
* The theme of the January 2024 issue
of Sojourners is “Nonviolence in a Time of War.” Their interview with Awwad
is titled “Nonviolence in the Face of War.”
**
Amanda Gelender is now based in the Netherlands. She has been a part of the
Palestinian solidarity movement since 2006. Her Dec. 7 article begins, “I am a Jewish
person who opposes the settler colonial state of Israel. This is not despite my
Judaism, but because of it.”
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Here is a link to "U.N. gridlock on Gaza continues amid U.S. objections," an article in Washington Post regading the U.S. opposition to a ceasefire in Gaza: https://wapo.st/47gG7uo
ReplyDeleteHere are the first comments received this morning. They are from Thinking Friend Jerry Jumper in southwest Missouri:
ReplyDelete"I am no military expert, and only a middling student of middle eastern history, so I maybe shouldn't even offer an opinion. But Israel wants to be safe in their own country. I suspect Palestinians want the same. Israeli leaders say no to a 2 state solution so the uncertain future continues.
"I have an analogy: if water is placed in a closed container and enough pressure, or heat, is applied, sooner or later it's gonna blow. Palestinians have been in a contained space for years. Their freedoms have been contained. Some of their land has been illegally (according to the UN) settled. As a people they have been pressured for years, and it blew on October 7.
"The guy who was bitten by a rat in his house, and burns down the house solves one problem but causes others. I wish I knew a solution."
Thanks, Jerry, for your pertinent comments. While I certainly don't condone the terrorist attacks of Hamas, I think you correctly give a good explanation for why such attacks happened. Understanding is perhaps more important that condeming terrorist attacks, for without understanding leading to efforts to deal with the pressure that has been building up because of past injustices the cycle of injustice and violence just continues. As is often said, without justice there will be no peace.
DeleteI apologize for the keyboarding error in the post above. The second sentence should begin,
DeleteUnderstanding is perhaps more important than condemning . . . .
Leroy I'm doing a study of the Primeval History. Brought me in contact with old Lamech, descendant of Cain and husband of Adah and Zillah. he said, "I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. If Cain is avenged sevenfold, Lamech seventy seven." Netanyahu seems to be taking his cue more from Lamech than from YHWH. Charles Kiker
ReplyDeleteAs reported in many online posts, Netanyahu has called for genocide by evoking the biblical nation of 'Amalek' to explain Israel's position in the ongoing conflict with Hamas, which has resulted in significant civilian casualties.
DeleteHere is an example:
"Amid the escalating conflict, Netanyahu turned to ancient scripture to elucidate Israel's stance. He quoted from First Samuel 15:3, saying (YHWH speaking), "You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible. 'Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys'" The invocation of this biblical passage serves not only as a historical reference but also as a genocidal lens through which the Prime Minister views the current conflict."
This is perhaps one reason so many conservative evangelical Christians are so strongly supportive of Israel at this time -- and one reason why an inerrant and literal view of the Bible is so dangerous.
Here are comments by Thinking Friend Eric Dollard in Chicago:
ReplyDelete"Thanks, Leory, for sharing your views of the Israeli-Arab Palestinian conflict--views with which I agree.
"I am not optimistic, however, that any kind of just peace can be found in this conflict. Israel is a very complex, divided society made up of very secular Jews at one end and very religious ones at the other. There are many political parties, so coalitions to form governments are very difficult to arrange. Because of this, and other factors, I doubt that any Israeli government would have enough political support to negotiate a just settlement. But given this pessimism, there is nonetheless every reason to support Jews and Arab Palestinians who reject violence and who promote a just settlement. Those are the ones whom our government should be supporting.
"There needs to be an international Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice made up of representatives from Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and even Freethought. Perhaps such an organization already exists of which I am unaware, but we must find a way to move past tribalism, nationalism, and religious bigotry so we can address the real challenges we face as human beings."
Thanks for your meaningful comments, Eric. With regard to your second paragraph, you probably know of the Parliament of the World Religions, which met in Chicago in August of this years. This is mainly an organization for religious dialogue and cooperation, but it seems to do some of what you were suggesting. But it has no political power, and while it is a good and important organization it has little direct bearing on national governments that have power that tends to be used in ways that are not helpful to overcome conflicts such as we see in Israel/Gaza now as well in other countries where people are suffering because of domestic violence, poverty, and oppression.
DeleteAnd then a few minutes ago Thinking Friend Glenn Hinson in Kentucky sent me an email with these comments:
ReplyDelete"I’m with you, Leroy. When I lived in Israel in 1976, I witnessed again and again the IDFs maltreatment of Palestinians. It was worse than our treatment of Blacks in the U.S. The bombing of Gaza shows utter contempt for them. It looks very similar to Nazi treatment of Jews in the 1930s! The U.S. should not fund this dreadful, misguided, utter evil crusade against Palestinians."
Thanks for your strong comments, Dr. Hinson. I fully agree with what you said about the maltreatment of the Palestinians by Israel (the IDF). But the Jews didn't engage in military attacks against the Germans (Nazis) is the 1930s, and one reason there is so much support of the Jews worldwide and even in Israel now is because of the terrible, unjust treatment of the Jews in the Holocaust.
DeleteHere are insightful comments from local Thinking Friend Vern Barnet:
ReplyDelete"Israel is creating a new generation of terrorists by its massacre in Gaza. AIPAC, which has supported Netanyahu, is also guilty of this devastation of Gaza and the violence against Palestinians in the west Bank by 'settlers.' The destruction of lives and property and future in Gaza looks like part of the plan for Israel to claim all of Palestine for itself. Peace does not come by war but my peace. Peace is the way. Hatred does not cease by hatred but by compassion."
Thanks, Vern, for your pertinent comments. I have often quoted the succinct words of pacifist A.J. Muste (1885-1967): "There is no way to peace; peace is the way." I firmly believe that his words and your similar words are true.
DeleteNetanyahu is the Trump of Israel. He is even facing serious corruption charges that have prompted him to publicly push for the neutralization of the Israeli courts. Sound familiar? He came to America in 2015 to campaign against Obama's negotiations with Iran in a very divisive and political speech. You can read about that speech here: https://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/democrats-react-benjamin-netanyahu-speech-115705
ReplyDeleteThere is a limit to how much America can do about Netanyahu, but I am very appalled that Biden is doing far less than he could have done to stop the slaughter. With better policy before the attack, perhaps he might have even been able to forestall the attack. For starters, he embraced the Trump doctrine of embracing Israel and its efforts to marginalize the Palestinians as Israel sought to gain allies in nearby Arab dictatorships. I suspect it was no coincidence that October 7 happened just as Israel was publicly approaching an agreement with Saudi Arabia. Biden did not even undo the pro-Israel Trump action of moving the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Talk about actions speaking louder than words. After October 7 Biden made no effort to even appear even-handed in Israeli-Palestinian affairs. His too late whimpering protests about excessive Palestinian deaths have been way too much too little too late. If he has made any public pushback on AIPAC and its loud and cash-loaded attacks on progressive Democrats, I have missed it. When Bernie Sanders recently presented a peace plan speech in the Senate it was met with total blackout by both the corporate media and Biden. Even PBS gave it no coverage. I was going to provide a link to that speech, but I just discovered a new speech he just gave which you can view here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpmw4RSi4EA
As for Clinton's "inexplicable loss" in 2016, I have a short TicTok lecture to explain that, and Biden, too. A housemate posted it on Discord, and my wife Becky posted this reply, "Whew! Jack's Tiktok makes such sense. I keep railing about why are the Democrats being so stupid, and this is an answer that seems right. And scary and infuriating." View short video here: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8H2bD9w/
Well, Craig, to respond to just your last paragraph, I listened to the 10-minute TikTok video and found it highly questionable if not just outrageous. There is a grain of truth in what he says. In fact, in my Nov. 2016 "open letter to Madame President" that I was chagrined that I was unable to send, I said to HRC that "my final concern, which has been expressed by many liberal Democrats this year, is your connection with Wall Street and big money. I understand that politics is the 'art of the possible,' and that to win an election you needed the Jewish vote (and thus you needed to support Israel) and that you needed extensive campaign donations (and thus the support of bankers and other people of wealth)."
DeleteI also think what he said about Bernie Sanders was partially true. But in support of what the DNC did, he was elected to the Senate again in 2012 as an Independent and he self-identifies as a democratic socialist. So I don't think it is too surprising that the Democratic establishment wanted to have a Democrat to be their candidate in 2016, especially since even then there was strong criticism of Democrats being socialists. If the DNC had wanted to lose the election, as Jack Watchful (is that really his name?) claims, they would have supported Bernie's nomination.
By HRC's "inexplicable loss," I was referring to the national polls up to the time of the election. For example, on Nov. 8, 2016, The New York Times published an article with the headline "Hillary Clinton has an 85% chance to win."
Jack Watchful's personal website is "Heal the Cycle" and is about "tending the wounds of masculinity." I couldn't find much personal information about him, but his vocation seems to be in dealing with men's personal issues and is completely unrelated to national politics. I don't know why he thinks he can pontificate about the latter, implying that there is no basic difference between the Republican and Democratic parties and that all we hear about their political differences is erroneous and just a coverup for what they really are.
Well, Craig, these are just some of my thoughts after listening to the video you introduced. I wonder if you have more you would like to say in this regard.
I did not link to Jack's video because he persuaded me. I did the link because he said very succinctly what I was already thinking. For a recent look at some of what is behind his view, the following link features a discussion involving UMKC professor Michael Hudson concerning the rise of neoliberalism. Particularly the rolls of Bill Clinton and Joe Biden are discussed, along with several Republicans. https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2023/12/is-neoliberalism-really-dead-or-does-it-live-on-like-a-zombie.html
DeleteAs for Bernie Sanders, I voted for him in the primaries in 2016 and 2020 because he was running ahead of Clinton and Biden against Trump in the national polls, and because he had better policies. On Israel, he also has better policies today. As he and his friend Rep. Rashida Tlaib keep saying, we need peace, even, as Tlaib famously says, peace from the river to the sea. Hamas is wrong for wanting Palestine from the river to the sea. Netanyahu is even more wrong for wanting Israel from the river to the sea. In case we missed his point, he refers approvingly to the the command of Samuel to annihilate the Amalekites as a metaphor for his plans for Palestine. The public commission of genocide by Israel is supported by US vetoes at the UN. Bernie Sanders peace plan may seem far fetched, but at some point one must set aside "practical politics" and speak from a moral center. Here is the Senate speech where Sanders laid out his plan, including the right of return: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWVSdJJ4vr8
Thanks for commenting on my response to you yesterday--and I perceive there is much that we need to talk about in that regard, but maybe only to a limited degree here. I was glad to learn a bit about Michael Hudson (and surprised to find that he is only seven months younger than I), and there is much I need to learn from him, for I have to admit that my knowledge about neoliberalism is quite deficient. The book my daughter Karen is working on now is partly about the relation of conservative evangelical Christians to neoliberalism, and I am eager to learn more about that. I called up the website you linked to but have not listened to it yet.
DeleteWith regards to your second paragraph, let me say that although I think the DNC was correct in pushing for Hillary to be the Dem. candidate for 2016, I am fairly sure I agreed even then with Bernie's political views on most matters. And I certainly agree with him now that any further aid to Israel should be with strings attached rather than what the Administration is proposing. (Also, I am a supporter of Rep. Tlaib and think she has been unfairly treated by many of her House colleagues.) In addition, I have no problem with Bernie's democratic socialism, which I mostly agree with. But I still think he would have been defeated more soundly than Hillary had he been the Democratic nominee in 2016 and that he would have had a far more difficult time governing than Biden has had if he had been elected in 2020.
A local acquaintance (a retired Christian minister) from several years ago but a new Thinking Friend just now sent the following comments:
ReplyDelete"I share your concerns, and am so appreciative for your articulate, powerful presentation of them. I learned just a couple nights ago that Biden’s approval among young adults is severely 'tanking' related to his handling of the situation. It was further reported that if he would at least get fully in support of a ceasefire, his support would markedly increase. Among the multitude of heartbreaking problems is, I’m afraid, Trump’s increasedd chances of being elected. I certainly don’t mean to minimize the multiple tragedies being suffered by the Palestinian people. But if Trump is elected, I see no 'upside' for issues nationally or internationally."
All good thoughts, Leroy. The side of those standing for peace and justice is the right side.
ReplyDeleteWhen I shared some thoughts about the situation yesterday on FB, an old friend answered: “October 7 shows what happens if Israel doesn’t defend itself from the attacks by Hamas.”
Sorry about the length, but I’ll share here what I shared with him:
I understand 100% where you’re coming from. It’s the gut feeling I had too when I first heard about the Oct 7 attacks. But maybe Jesus asks us to go with more than our gut? Maybe to look for a better way than retaliation?
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also….. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Mat. 5:38-39, 43-44).
However, you make a good point. Yes, Prime Minister Netanyahu could have done a better job of defense and of militarily preventing the horrendous attack. But the best thing he could have done to prevent the attack would have been to negotiate toward a 2-state solution, not turn Gaza into a prison camp. His treatment of the Palestinians is what fueled Hamas.
The Oct 7 attacks were evil. Hamas has evil goals and strategies. I’m just saying we can do better than to follow the way of Hamas.
In fact, Netanyahu is using the IDF to do Hamas’s job for them right now. The higher the Palestinian casualties, the more Hamas succeeds in its goal to get the media, the Arab world, and the rest of the world to see Hamas as the good guys and Israel as the enemy.
I know you must care about the thousands of Palestinian civilians, the families, the women and children who are being killed or dying of starvation and disease. The Palestinian people are being used, not only by Hamas, but by an alliance of fundamentalist organizations that want to destroy Israel. Yossi Klein Halevi calls the Hamas attack “war with Iran by proxy.”
Even for those who just want to be practical: think about Hamas’s success in using Palestinian casualties to rile up the Arab world and stop the peace process. Bahrain and the UAE had already recognized Israel, and Saudi Arabia was getting close to normalizing relations with Israel too, and then the rest of the Arab world could follow—this is what Hamas found unacceptable and one of the reasons they struck when they did. Since its attempt to disrupt the Oslo peace accords in 1993, Hamas has worked relentlessly to stop the subsequent peace efforts.
If we think in terms of retaliation, or even “hurt them harder than they hurt us” (like the Biblical Lamech), we join with Hamas in its goals to stoke hostility and vengeance against Israel. We not only contribute to Mideast tensions and violence, but to the possibility of regional war—and war involving Israel involves us, which could in turn escalate into an even more unthinkable war and loss of life worldwide.
When will we learn? Violence leads to more violence.
Wow, Fred, thanks so much for posting your comments here. I thought they were excellent, and I appreciate you sharing them with my other Thinking Friends.
DeleteEarlier today I received the following comments (and recommendation) from Thinking Friend Andrew Bolton, who lives in England but is now visiting family in California, including a new grandson who was born this month.
ReplyDelete"A prophetic blog. Thank you.
"I have just read a very good book by Jeff Halper [b. 1946], 'Decolonizing Israel, Liberating Palestine – Zionism, Settle Colonialism, and the Case for One Democratic State' [2021]. I think you would like it. Halper is a Jewish American Israeli and academic."
Thanks, Andrew, for reading and responding to my blog article last week. I also appreciate the book recommendation, but I was disappointed that it is not in the local libraries. (At my age now, I am trying to find ways to dispose of good books rather than buying new ones.)
DeleteAs happens every time I read your blog and its responses, I grieve that I am not as well read as so many of your TFs. Yet I relate as one who would love to see peace locally and internationally, but I wonder if that can be except by the hand of another God. The "will to power" is a recognized force in man. It is a drug which is beyond addictive. Power to be satisfied must conquer and hold others in subjection. When it involves human beings, winners gain the power and losers suffer. Netanyahu wants power to govern Israel the way he wants. The leaders of Hamas want power to rule the land they claim for Palestinians. Did they gain power in Gaza with the blessing of all Palestinians? Can Netanyahu remain in power without catering to extremists? Are either of these groups truly seeking to serve the "least of these" with their efforts?
ReplyDeleteYes, I am that biblical conservative. Sin and man's arrogant demand to rule in place of God and his greed for power are at the heart of it. If Hamas is defeated, another group will rise in their place. If Natanyahu is defeated, ultimately another individual supporting Jewish nationalism will rise. What can we hope to see that will bring change? I would suggest those pro-peace groups representing the Islamic faith begin dialogues with those from the Jewish faith and take their united case to the United Nations, the capitols of their countries, and share their hopes in ways that are peaceful but cannot be ignored. How will they be treated? In Russia and China they may simply disappear. In Jerusalem and Gaza, I do not know. In Washington and European capitols, we can hope they will be heard. Perhaps the Parliament of World Religions needs to be a lot more vocal. As long an any individual who seeks power at any cost exists, however, the conflicts will continue. Yet we know peace at any price only invites the rise of more dictators. That is the nature of sinful humanity.
Tom, thanks for your comments, and I apologize for being so slow to respond to them. I certainly agree that the "will to power" is the sinful source of most violent conflicts in the world--and that is, no doubt, a major reason for the current situation in Israel/Gaza as personified by PM Netanyahu and Hamas. But what most Israelis primarily want is to have a homeland in which to live in peace and freedom from outside attack. And what most Palestinians want is freedom from domination and justice for the way they were wrongfully driven off the land where they had lived for generations. The Parliament of World Religions and the United Nations make good and important proclamations, but neither has the power to enforce what they envision. We can hope that eventually their voices--and especially the U.N.'s voice--will be heard and heeded, but the U.N. demand for a ceasefire was first vetoed and then, when re-written, abstained from by the U.S.--an action which I think is shameful. In this country we need more people to speak up, demanding that our country pursue peace and justice.
Delete