Heartbroken about events in the Middle East? I am too. I have been anguished and at a loss for words throughout this terrible year. Yet I am writing to urge Mainers to vote Nov. 5 such that the world can maintain hope of peace in the Middle East in a future I pray is not too far away.
Wonder where Trump stands on Israel? I was in Tel Aviv in 2019 and witnessed Netanyahu’s 15-story-high posters of himself with Trump plastered on skyscrapers. The posters on the other side were Vladimir Putin. Trump reposted those images on his own Instagram account. During his tenure, Trump proudly moved the American Embassy to Jerusalem. Praised by some in Israel, especially conservatives, it was commonly understood worldwide to be a movement against a two-state solution, and one that desecrated Palestinian autonomy. That decision violated decades of U.S. policy and international law. In 2020, Trump released his plan that would give Israel security responsibilities over a Palestinian state and sovereignty over areas of the West Bank where Netanyahu allowed Israeli settlers to steal land. Look where we are today.
Israel has long tried to get rid of Netanyahu, a man with a lengthy history of fraud, corruption and bribery, who also gutted Israel’s judicial oversight to benefit himself and his supporters. Sound familiar? It should. Before Oct. 7, I was proud of moderate Israelis tirelessly protesting to counteract Netanyahu and his actions. Even members of elite reserve forces protested Netanyahu’s unlawful activities. We in the U.S. were not as vocal or persistent about these issues during Trump’s tenure. Now embroiled in a horrific regional war with an unthinkable loss of life, Netanyahu secured his position for as long as fighting continues, and perhaps beyond. We should take note of his playbook and be wary.
In actions and nature, Trump and Netanyahu have been in lock-step for a long time. I fear they will remain so in the future. I urge all Mainers to vote instead for Kamala Harris, who still brings voice to a vision in the Middle East where Palestinians and Israelis could build a just and peaceful region. No one has solved this yet, but a second Trump tenure would kill that idea altogether.
In Maine, if you choose a conscious/objection-vote and your first choice is Jill Stein, please vote Kamala Harris as your second.
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