My dear friend, Over the last few days I have heard you say, with pride, that youre not on any ones side, that theres two sides to this conflict, that its not for you to judge, that it has nothing to do with you. Im writing to you to ask you - who is it to do with if not you? How bad does it have to get before you say ENOUGH, I cant take this any more? Over the last two weeks, 457,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced, 250,000 of them into refugee camps. These very same refugee camps have been bombed and almost a thousand Palestinians, a fifth of them children, have been killed. Almost 6000 people are seriously injured and fighting for their lives. Hospitals, schools, electricity plants,farms and homes have been bombed, sick children and elderly people killed. Doctors and teachers killed. How bad does it have to get before you say ENOUGH, not in my name? Does speaking out against the violence mean you are against the people of Israel? NO. Does speaking out mean you are against Jewish people? NO. Does speaking out mean you are against Jewish people living on that land? NO. Does speaking out mean you agree with Hamas and their violence? NO. Does speaking out mean you have a solution to this conflict and know exactly what should happen? NO. Does speaking out mean your heart bleeds for every single Israeli that is killed? YES. Does speaking out mean you care passionately about your friends in Israel who are living with fear, people who are traumatised, people who feel the world is against them and feel a threat to Israel is a threat to the security of Jewish people? YES. YES. YES. I beg you not to get confused. Speak out and know that you are none of those things.And you are not alone. The United Nations Human Rights Council has just passed a resolution condemning in the strongest terms the “widespread, systematic and gross violations of international human rights and fundamental freedoms” in Palestine since June 13th, agreeing to send a team to investigate these abuses. Soldiers from the Israeli Army have started to mobilise and are daily recording their testimonies of abuse. Conscientious objectors are refusing to serve in the Israeli Army because of the genocide and are risking being sent to prison under harsh conditions rather than serving for a cause they cannot support. There are Israelis from within and Israelis outside who are mobilising and standing against the violence and asking you to do the same. Those who are speaking out in Israel have been attacked by fascists determined to silence them. Stand in solidarity with these Israelis. Support their organisations so that they can be resourced to do what they need to do from within. I beg you to get off your fence and join the growing number of people around the world who say, not in my name.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 17:54:33 +0000
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