Pat Taub
GUEST POST by MARY DUNN
How did we come to live in this time where genocide is accepted, defended, and cheered? Many dissuade debating this incredibly important issue claiming it’s “complicated”. No, really, it’s not.
Every religion teaches us to love our neighbor, take in the stranger, and certainly thou shall not kill. But here we are.
A resident of Gaza City amid the rubble of residential buildings after Israeli airstrikes. (Guardian)
The Jewish community and millions of others mourn those who lost their lives and those who experienced the violence of the attack on October 7th. We mourn for those taken hostage and for family and friends who grieve and worry for them.
The Palestinian community and millions of others mourn the 14+ thousand killed in the attack that followed and continues with bombing around the clock. They mourn 75 years of occupation, apartheid, and violence that followed the creation of Israel in 1948. They mourn the 4,000 + prisoners Israel holds.
A Palestinian woman protecting her olive tree from destruction by an Israeli tank. For decades Palestinians have endured the sadistic practice of having their olive groves destroyed by Israel.
Like many around the world who are trying to understand the land, the peoples, and the history of this area has taken up quite a bit of my time these past few weeks. While it is important to wrap our heads around the history of the region and of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, let us not claim that history makes this issue “complicated.”
It doesn’t. The deliberate bombing, starvation, and denial of food and medical supplies is never “complicated” and should always be denounced.
Palestine and Israel are located in a strategic area. The bombardment and 75 years of violence that preceded it maintain the interests of the United States government as it fights to hold its global leadership The U.S. government wants access to this area and Israel provides that in exchange for money, weapons, and the turning of a blind eye. This area provides access to the oil rich Middle East and transportation routes for goods around the globe.
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, discusses a label used by General Custer to describe babies of Native Peoples, “nits.” Like nits of lice, the children were ordered killed to stop the Native populations from increasing. Referring to people as animals presents dehumanization as an excuse for violence. That term and the phrase, ”mowing the lawn” refer to genocidal actions and ethnic cleansing.
Premature babies at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza after being removed from incubators when fuel ran out to power the incubators. Most of these babies didn’t survive, despite heroic efforts of medical staff to keep them alive.
“Mowing the lawn” is what Israeli government officials have used for almost 20 years to justify invasions to remove Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank. Need to justify a ground invasion to reduce the population? Then go in and “mow the lawn.” I struggle to understand how we support such war crimes.
Norman Finklestein, Jewish historian and son of Holocaust survivors, has written extensively about the Israeli practice, “mowing the lawn.”
Jews around the world live with the fear of repeats of pogroms and the Holocaust that were carried out in Eastern and Western Europe. These fears are real. Jewish friends have told me that they fear the return of the hatred that led to the violence their ancestors experienced.
Sadly, being silent about the genocide that is taking place or supporting it under the guise that the destruction of Hamas is needed to keep them safe, they are supporting the destruction of Palestinians and Palestinian society, and many argue, making the world more dangerous for Israelites.
This is the part of this picture I struggle with the most. This is the “complicated” part. Their fear is palpable. It is understandable. But while we must be clear that we cannot allow such violence to happen again it must not lead to supporting the genocide of over 2 million innocent Palestinian people and the complete destruction of their homelands.
I am encouraged to see the moral bravery of Jewish-led organizations such as, Jewish Voice for Peace and Never Again. They are actively calling for an end to the genocide in Palestine. They have led massive rallies in The U.S. Capitol, The Statue of Liberty, and coastal ports where they blockade ships loaded with U.S. weapons heading for Israel. They have been assaulted and arrested yet they continue because they have one clear message, end the killing. They chant “Cease Fire Now” and “Not In Our Name”.
Hundreds of members of Jewish Voice for Peace staged an action at the Statute of Liberty on November 6, 2023
The critical question we face is this: do such fears justify the support of what the Israeli and U.S. governments are doing to the people of Palestine?
So where do we go from here? It’s really quite simple and the entire world is telling the leaders what to do. Stop the genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people; then work for a just, equal, and peaceful solution for all those who live in that area.
In other words, Ceasefire Now!
