Gaza Ceasefire is not the End Goal
I am relieved that, for now, the violence, starvation and devastation throughout Gaza have stopped. I hope the surviving hostages will be able to heal in time. This brutality needed to stop — but that is just the beginning of what will be an immense period of grieving, PTSD and rebuilding.
Historically, people from outside Palestine only pay attention when the conflict erupts — and turn away when things quiet down. For Palestinians, things never quiet down. For decades they have lived under oppression, occupation and apartheid. That things can return to “normal” is an impossible notion. The world has watched and there has been no attempt to hide the cruelty. Israelis, too, are forever changed by these events and can hardly return to feelings of security and impunity they had prior to Oct. 7.
The new peace “deal” is not a deal for Palestinians. They are not even granted citizenship in their own land. I, as an American Jew, could go to Israel tomorrow and become a citizen. How does this not lead to more resistance, more uprisings, more violence, more loss? All people want to live with dignity, safety and self-determination. A democracy is not a democracy if it only applies to one segment of the population.
I implore Americans, Jewish and other, to stand up for Palestinian rights by telling our politicians that this war is not over — that the battle for Palestinian human rights wages on and this country has a role to play in helping that fight.