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On a recent episode of his podcast, Mother of All Talk Shows (MOATS), George Galloway noted how few major celebrities have spoken against the genocide in Gaza. He’s right — and the silence is telling.
For years, I’ve marveled at how selfish many of us are, especially those with leisure and means to do more. I’ve stayed quiet in this newspaper, thinking our platform too small to matter. But silence is complicity, and I can’t justify it any longer.
What is happening to Palestinians is not war — it is slaughter, and it is unjust. History condemns those who remained silent in Nazi Germany. I would rather risk criticism, or damage to our small labor paper, than stand by quietly.
I invite debate and discussion here. The time for passivity is over. If each of us speaks and acts, even in small ways, we may help shift attention toward justice for the innocent.
Peace be with you.
Ben August
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reenjoe
Good on you!
Wednesday, August 27 Report this
wpeakes
@Ben August
I agree, full stop. I can no longer support the state of Israel in the face of the obvious and overwhelming starvation and suffering of Palestinians. This is genocide and I see no other way to describe what's happening. Now there appears to be an illegal land grab of the almost-obliterated Gaza Strip and stepped up settlement incursions on the West Bank. I remember 10/7/23 very, very well. I was outraged, angry, mourned for the victims, and prayed for the safe return of the hostages. I also remember Benjamin Netanyahu vowing "revenge" and hoped that it was just hyperbole; I was wrong. It's been almost two years; when will enough be enough? I'm outraged that the IDF continues to kill and maim civilians with no proof of their assertions that they're attacking Hamas terrorists. Where do they believe Palestinians in Gaza City and the West Bank will go if they are forced to leave? How far will some Palestinians go to protect their homes? This is a disaster. There are innocent children starving and dying. It's also likely that any hostages still alive are facing the same fate. No matter what the Israelis say their original mission was, it has utterly failed. When will enough revenge be enough? This is impossible. United States taxpayer-supported and funded military and financial aid to the state of Israel must end. If humanitarian appeals are not enough and the only thing they respond to is money, then that flow and its implicit support must stop…now. And for those who equate criticism of Israel with antisemitism, I want you to know that this is the kind of false equivalence that renders the United States impotent in its attempts to help broker this situation to a conclusion. If you can't emphatically tell your allies when they're wrong, then are you really allies at all?
Wednesday, August 27 Report this
Word Man
Gaza is the consequence of Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, which serves as a suitable starting point for the debate. However, it’s important to note that the reasons behind Hamas’s attack on Israel are multifaceted.
According to Palestinian polls, the majority of Palestinians are not interested in living peacefully alongside Israel but rather in establishing a Palestinian state that replaces Israel. Any recognition of Israel never acknowledges its Jewish identity, merely stating its existence. Israelis regularly hear chants of “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free!” This is a call to wipe Israel off the map.
Palestinian maps don’t show portions of Israel, but the entire land. Palestinian leadership is a primary example of tyrannical and corrupt rule. Hamas’s control of the Gaza Strip saw the leaders of Hamas living as billionaires at the expense of their people, and foreign aid was stolen to build terror tunnels.
The Palestinian Authority isn’t any better. Its leader, Mahmoud Abbas, is in the 20th year of his first four-year term. He, his sons, and his close cronies have somehow earned millions without ever starting a business.
Israelis have witnessed over a century of Palestinian intransigence, rejecting numerous peace offers. They observed as non-combatant, regular Palestinians crossed their border alongside Hamas terrorists to participate in the heinous October 7 attacks. Mahmoud Abbas, a Palestinian leader whose doctoral thesis downplayed the Holocaust as a gross exaggeration, is pure evil.
When asked about good and evil, a wise poet said: “Of the good I can speak, but not of the evil.
Shalom Aleichem
Wednesday, August 27 Report this
wpeakes
@ Word Man (aka J Donne, 0000)
Too often, any discussion of Israel's current indiscretions is eclipsed by a history lesson on the origins of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict over land and sovereignty. There will be a place for in-depth, serious discussions about these issues that hopefully lead to long-lasting peace, prosperity, and stability for all in the region but not now. Simply put, right now there is so much death and destruction it's overwhelming. The state of Israel has squandered all the good will and sympathy they received following the 10/7/23 attack with their disproportionate, vengeful response. I'm not reading about the recent death of terrorists, the destruction of actual, verifiable terrorist strongholds...I'm seeing videos of starving, maimed, suffering children whose numbers are still increasing almost two years after the original attack. This is so wrong on so many levels and needs to stop...now.
Thursday, August 28 Report this
Word Man
wspeaks@ Ben August
We could talk about the history of the state of Israel, but I’ll leave that up to your discretion.
You focus on seeing videos of starving, maimed, suffering children whose numbers are still increasing almost two years after the original attack.
You said this is wrong and needs to stop now.
I agree, the human carnage and suffering must stop, but that’s up to Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah, who are responsible for the pain and suffering of men, women, and children in Gaza, and elsewhere in the world.
What would you do if your home were invaded by terrorists who wantonly killed members of your family, and afterwards burned your home to the ground?
On October 7, an unprecedented barrage of 5,000 missiles was launched into Israeli territory. This relentless assault successfully overwhelmed Israel’s Iron Dome defense system, leading to widespread loss of life and destruction.
Focus your attention on the cause of the human carnage in Gaza, not the result.
I have witnessed videos depicting the brutal torture, maiming, and even beheading of Israeli individuals by Hamas and non-military Palestinian groups. However, the atrocities committed by Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and non-military Palestinians are often overlooked due to their peaceful demeanor and cultural beliefs.
Shalom Aleichem
Thursday, August 28 Report this
wpeakes
@ Word Man (aka J Donne, 0000)
You're deflecting. I have always sympathized with and have never minimized the very real and deadly struggles of the state of Israel to simply exist and live in peace yet I will not turn my attention away from innocent children being starved, maimed, and killed, right now, for no reason except as part of a murderous orgy of revenge. The discussion of the originating cause of the conflict is meaningless right now in the face of this continued, senseless slaughter. After all Israel has done to eradicate Hamas, they have not been able to achieve this objective and yet innocent children continue to suffer for all to see with more to come with the Israeli push to take over Gaza. Your reasoning to focus on Hamas and other bad actors is similar to an abuser beating you while telling you that your neighbor is making them do it. This must end...now.
Friday, August 29 Report this
Word Man
wpeakes
@Ben Augus
You are sidestepping the root cause of the problem, thereby negating a solution to the Gaza conflict. To treat any disease, its cause must be identified and understood. In this case, Iran and its allies are the root cause, which can be identified as the Caliph syndrome—a malady rooted in hatred for Christians, Jews, and Western Civilization. Currently, there is no known cure for this malignant disease. It is spreading rapidly worldwide, resulting in the tragic loss of hundreds of thousands of innocent lives. Its hatred knows no bounds. The Caliph syndrome has a long history, rooted in violence. Yes, the human carnage in Gaza must cease. However, a lasting peace and an end to the suffering of war will only become apparent when the Caliph mentality comprehends that peace cannot coexist with blind hatred towards one’s fellow man. Simply stating that the war in Gaza must end is meaningless because any aid sent to Gaza’s civilians ends up in the bellies of the beast, Hamas. I want to make it abundantly clear that I condemn all violence, as it has been the voice of humanity since the dawn of recorded time. I am a pacifist and a poet, neither a politician nor a religious leader. Therefore, I express my opinions through word patterns of stress and intonation in language, rather than through bombs, tanks, and bullets.
Shalom Aleichem
Friday, August 29 Report this
wpeakes
@ Word Man (aka J Donne, 0000)
There will never be any progress towards peace and stability until Israel and its supporters take deliberate action to stop the starving, maiming, and killing of children...it's just that simple. Children are suffering and there is no way, whether citing historical context, outside agitators, or distrust in general to justify or rationalize it...none. Israel must immediately stop the indiscriminate bombing of the few places where civilians in Gaza congregate and get out of the way of organizations providing relief which is desperately needed on an immediate, ongoing basis and won't be provided by Israel in any meaningful way. In what upside world are they the appointed gatekeepers of humanitarian assistance to a clearly suffering populace? The purposeful, deplorable assault, starvation, and murder of children is inexcusable and must end...now...full stop.
Friday, August 29 Report this
Word Man
wreaks
@Ben August
We concur on the indiscriminate killing of noncombatants. Indeed, all violence in Gaza and globally must cease. However, how can we attain a state of peaceful coexistence amidst the pervasive hatred that permeates the world? If you can elucidate this conundrum, you would undoubtedly be deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize. I empathize with your anguish regarding the heinous situation in Gaza. I share that sentiment whenever I witness violence on television news or read about it in local newspapers. If I possessed the power to eradicate all violence from the world, I would do so without hesitation. Gaza serves as a poignant illustration of humanity’s inhumanity towards one another; there are countless other instances. The annals of history are replete with violence and bloodshed. It is plausible that humanity may evolve to a point where violence ceases to be an integral component of our DNA. Your thoughtful concerns on this matter are indeed commendable.
Perhaps someday we can say that good has triumphed over evil and that the Man of Peace has returned to Earth.
“Shalom Aleichem”
Saturday, August 30 Report this
reenjoe
The brutality in Gaza will persist for as long as Israel is able to deflect blame for their indefensible actions following the 10/7 attacks. That accountability must include public condemnations from the U.S.
The Israeli narrative, that others (Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah, etc.) are making them carryout their atrocities, is no different from domestic abusers who blame their victims (proclaiming "see what you made me do") after each act of violence.
Monday, September 1 Report this
Word Man
I wholeheartedly disagree with your post; it’s an age-old story.
Amidst the debate over allegations of genocide in Gaza, the United States seems to agree that a genocide is underway in another place, yet it largely ignores it.
In January, the Biden administration declared the killing in Sudan a genocide. The Trump administration also called it a genocide in April, and the State Department confirmed it views the situation as a genocide.
The United States has bipartisan agreement that Sudan faces genocide, famine, and a lack of action. The Biden and Trump administrations have been passive, and the Trump administration is even cutting aid, increasing child starvation.
Regardless of our opinions on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, we must acknowledge our collective failure to address another crisis with a higher death toll.
This global failure is exacerbated by the actions of Arab and African countries in Sudan. Trump could call on the Emirates to end the atrocities by cutting off the Rapid Support Forces or appointing a special envoy. He could also increase American support for grassroots Sudanese assistance programs, such as emergency response rooms that operate communal kitchens.
It’s an age-old story; the RSF and its allied militias have renewed their genocidal ethnic cleansing campaign in Darfur, targeting the same non-Arab communities.
Monday, September 1 Report this