I’m writing because my heart is broken. It is broken by the recent attack against Israel, leaving thousands dead and untold numbers injured. I can not fathom a moral framework that excuses this kind of attack on innocent people. I’m writing because my heart is broken by the retaliation against Gaza which has killed thousands, and displaced hundreds of thousands. I equally can not fathom justifying this kind of retaliation.

The pain of generational warfare and occupation is beyond my comprehension. Everyone has suffered undue losses. I don’t support Hamas’ attack. It was horrendous. Blood won’t wash away blood. I grieve deeply for the Israelis and everyone harmed in that attack.

The strength of my condemnation is reserved for the injustices facing the Palestinians and the evils of ongoing occupation. The Palestinians live in a subdivided territory occupied by a foreign military that protects illegal settlers who steal lands and invade homes. Palestinian rights are curtailed. They do not have access to Israel’s civil courts and are routinely funneled through hostile military courts. There is no justice for Palestinians under the occupation.

If we wish for peace and justice to prevail, we need a transformation to occur.

If we wish for peace, we must pressure Israel to adhere to international law, end the settlements, and end the occupation of Palestine. The U.S. must stop providing aid to Israel unless it withdraws to its pre-1967 borders. The U.S. funding makes us complicit in injustice.

Rev. Zeb Green
Freeport

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