From the Sea to the River
Many who opine on Israel/Palestine say that the non-Jewish people living there are full of hatred for Jews. And say that the Palestinian slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free” reflects a determination to eradicate Israel and its peoples. There may be some, like Hamas fighters, who do feel that way. But that is not what the average Palestinian wants. They want the chance to live happy, productive, peaceful lives with equal rights in the places that their ancestors have lived for generations. The Netanyahu government has now explicitly declared the intention to completely take over Gaza and is allowing ever more Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Watching this unfold, the only surprise is that these policies were not widely known in the world before this; they have been part of the platform of Netanyahu’s Likud party since its formation. For Likud, the goal was that Israel had to have full sovereignty from the sea (Mediterranean) to the river (Jordan). But, with the excuse that there are some Palestinians who want to prevent that Israeli expansion with armed struggle, the Israelis have controlled the non-Jewish people of these areas. The allies that keep Netanyahu’s government from collapsing are explicit that they wish to remove all non-Jewish people. The latest military push in Gaza from the Israelis is in full agreement with this goal of ethnic cleansing. How can the world allow this? Why does our government provide money, weapons and diplomatic support for these illegal actions? Contact your representative to cosponsor legislation to stop providing bombs to Israel, H.R. 3565. Ask Senators Shaheen and Hassan to cosponsor similar bills.
Jennifer Smith
Pembroke, NH