WHY GOOD PEOPLE SUPPORT GENOCIDE

 
                                                                  

Hoping to understand why good people support genocidal behavior, I invited a Zionist friend to coffee to exchange thoughts on the Israeli invasion of Gaza.

We met three times, including twice after the International Court of Justice ruled in January that there was a plausible case that Israel’s tactics constituted genocide (an opinion more than 500 genocide experts had expressed in a public letter released Oct. 15).

The ICJ ruling cited Israel’s systematic commission of war crimes in its response to the Hamas attack, crimes that continue today. This is why warrants are being prepared by the International Criminal Court for the arrest of Netanyahu and his defense minister, and why the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to stop its Rafah offensive to allow aid in.

The conversations with my friend were enlightening. She would state her opinions about why the assault on the Palestinian people was justified, and I would cite factual sources that undermined the assumptions behind her arguments.

At her request, I supplied links to the sources of my claims, including Israeli newspapers and mainstream press articles, citing Israeli sources. She said little about the information I shared. Instead, she raised new arguments each time we met for why Israel had no choice but to continue its wholesale slaughter of the population of Gaza.

I eventually realized that she was able to support the destruction of an entire people because she didn’t want to confront the facts. I think she suspected that knowing the whole truth might undermine her deeply held beliefs about Israel and perhaps Zionism itself.

I haven’t heard from my friend lately. I miss talking to her. Until Oct. 7, she always had a bright smile and a carefree, friendly demeanor. I’m sure we had much in common besides membership in a local interfaith group and concern for the lives endangered by the 100-year-old conflict that has exploded since Oct. 7.

The critical difference between us was that her concern seemed almost exclusively for the safety of Israelis. She seemed adamant that the ongoing bombardment and starvation of tens of thousands of innocent civilians was an appropriate response to a single attack by a specific group among them.

I wonder: Has she ever seen the pictures of the Palestinian children mutilated by Israeli bombs, or those emaciated as a result of Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon?

I suspect that if my friend were to acknowledge the reality that what is happening to Gazan civilians is not the result of a war but of systematic war crimes, she would understand why millions are outraged by Israel’s actions. Perhaps then she would realize that slaughtering civilians will not make Israelis safer.

Despite our differences, I still regard this person as my friend. I refuse to let a conflict between us diminish my regard for her as a human. This attitude is not based solely on my spiritual beliefs; it is an essential part of waging peace.

True peace requires us to look beyond our differences, even when seemingly insurmountable, to see the humanity of others beneath their fear and anger.

We must abandon the notion that any human is “the other” and beyond redemption. When your identity is based on membership in the human family, these illusions fall away.

A lasting peace in Palestine/Israel will require justice. There can be no justice unless negotiations are based on recognition of mutual rights and acknowledgement of facts.

However painful it may be to surrender one’s cherished fantasies, that pain is nothing compared to the suffering Zionists are causing Gazans, and all Palestinians.

This essay was originally published in the Albany Democrat-Herald on June 18, 2024 as Why good people support genocidal behavior.

OREGON FOOD BANK CALLS OUT ISRAEL'S USE OF STARVATION AS A WEAPON

          

 

                                                                                              

The Oregon Food Bank took the unprecedented step of issuing a public statement that begins, "Oregon Food Bank calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire of Israel’s war against Palestine — as well as free and unobstructed access to humanitarian relief efforts to deliver water, food, clothing, medicine and shelter to the people of Palestine. We also call for the release of all hostages by Hamas and condemn all acts of violence that disregard the respect for human dignity and right to life. In response to feedback from our communities stressing the importance of our stance, we acknowledge the delayed release of this statement and regret Oregon Food Bank's prior silence.

We condemn the indiscriminate attacks by the Israeli army on Palestinians, including the bombardment of neighborhoods, healthcare facilities, humanitarian aid efforts and refugee camps. The Israeli army’s months of assaults have killed over 33,000 and injured over 73,000 Palestinians, putting them at risk of genocide. We also condemn the horrific attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which included the killing of over 1,200 Israelis and others, the abduction of over 200 hostages and other atrocities."

In retaliation for this act of conscience, five Portland synagogues and several Jewish nonprofits, led by the Jewish Federation of Portland, announced that they would halt further aid to OFB. An Oregon Public Broadcasting report noted that the OFB letter explained its action with the statement “We remain committed to addressing the root causes of hunger and work within our scope of influence to strategically dismantle systems that perpetuate hunger and poverty,”

In response to the letter attacking the Oregon Food Bank statement, the Portland chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace released a statement of support for OFB that expanded on the justification for the reference to "risk of genocide," citing the opinions issued by the International Court of Justice and hundreds of genocide experts. 

Please read the statement of support by JVP-Portland, add your name, and contribute to the Oregon Food Bank today.