I spoke in support of the Belfast City Council’s decision to divest from entities complicit in Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. I could not have been more grateful for the council’s courageous decision. Unfortunately, as happened when the Portland City Council voted to divest, the weaponization of antisemitism appeared in Belfast, and now in Bangor as well, as reflected in a recent opinion piece by the deputy director of ADL New England published in the Bangor Daily News.

Statements from Jewish Voice for Peace make clear the difference between antisemitism and anti-Zionism: “Antisemitism is discrimination, targeting, violence, and dehumanizing stereotypes directed at Jews because they are Jewish.” Anti-Zionism is opposition to the “political ideology of Zionism, which resulted in the expulsion of 750,000 Indigenous Palestinians from their land and homes.” Anti-Zionism rejects “the creation of a nation-state with exclusive rights for Jews above others on the land.”

There is no relationship between antisemitism and anti-Zionism and any attempt to conflate the two is historically inaccurate and, too often, anti-Palestinian propaganda. For those who may not be familiar with the unvarnished history of how Israel came into existence, books such as “The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine” by Israeli historian Ilan Pappe and “The Iron Cage” by Rashid Khalidi, who heads the Middle East Institute at Columbia University, are invaluable resources.

What is happening in Gaza is not the result of a “conflict between Israel and Hamas” or a “war.” It is the outcome of resistance to illegal occupation, ethnic cleansing and genocide of Palestinians. And it is the next step in a 75-year-old campaign to form what Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich recently referred to as the “Greater Israel project,” which would “have Israeli statehood extend into Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.”

Smotrich has also openly declared his stance that there is no such thing as a “Palestinian people,” that his family are the “real Palestinians.” Though shocking, his inflammatory statements are not surprising, given the position of other members of the right-wing Likud Party such as former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who stated 14 months ago, “We are imposing a complete siege on Gaza. There will be no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel, everything will be closed. We are fighting against human animals.”

For 14 months, the slaughter, torture, displacement and starvation of Palestinians, and the complete destruction of Gaza, have been aided and abetted by our country. This is despite multiple reports of Israeli war crimes, ignoring the Leahy Law, which forbids the provision of weapons to military units that are grossly violating human rights.

The fact that President Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, Secretary of Defense Austin and members of Congress have chosen not to enforce the Leahy Law has caused indescribable suffering to more than 2 million children, women and men in Gaza. On Nov. 27, less than a day after the much-vaunted, U.S.-backed ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was announced, the Biden administration moved forward on a $680 million arms package to Israel. As noted by Reuters, “The package follows a $20 billion sale in August of fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel.” Our tax dollars have supported genocide for 14 months. We are complicit.

When I spoke at the City Council meeting, it was for reasons beyond being a resident of Belfast. I recognized that it was my responsibility as a retired health care provider and a Christian peace activist to do so. There is no more urgent issue than to stop the genocide in Gaza and the West Bank. My hope is that the action of the Belfast and Portland city councils will be an inspiration to other communities, such as Bangor, to stand against genocide.