Yesterday marked the anniversary of the worst terrorist attack per capita in modern history, when Hamas invaded Israel, killed 1200 innocent people, and captured 250 more. In the aftermath of this unconscionable attack on civilians, the Israeli government under the far-right Netanyahu has waged war on the people of Gaza, wreaking unimaginable devastation. The official death tolls suggest at least 42,000 people have been killed, including another 50 today, but some doctors on the ground have suggested that up to 118,000 Palestinian, or about 5% of the population, have been died in the war. About 1,200 Israelis have died during the same period.
Death tolls of course are a grave under estimation of the true extent of the devastation and destruction experienced. There are the over 100,000 people injured in the war, the psychological and physical deprivation and malnutrition, as well as the millions displaced across Gaza and Lebanon.
The conflict has not left the Israeli people, or Jewish people at-large, safer than they were one year ago. In Israel, 70,000 people have been displaced from their homes, and nearly 100 hostages are still held by Hamas. The conflict has been a geopolitical disaster, with Israeli officials having been accused of war crimes and genocide in the International Criminal Court, and in 42 out of 43 countries surveyed, disposition towards Israel has decreased. Only the United States still had a net positive view of Israel. Outside of Israel, Jews at large have experienced rises in antisemitism, with old fringe-bigotries suddenly seeing the light of day.
The conflict, and requisite death and destruction, are no closer to resolution on year in, in fact, it has only expanded, with increased bombardments taking place across the Israeli Lebanon border and worries of a wider regional conflict. Nearly a year ago when we first wrote about this issue at DSOT, we warned that going down this path violence was profound mistake for Israel to make. Seeking vengeance through violence, while understandable, won’t bring safety and security to Israel. We need to seek another solution, and that begins with seeking peace.
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We are not saying peace will be easy. War is big business, with billions to be made from every bomb sold and bullet sent, and it is hard to stop the machine once it gears up. But more fundamentally, with every death, with every injury, with every house or dream destroyed, it becomes harder and takes more bravery for either side to suggest an end to the cycle of violence. It will not get easier with thousands more dead, and the hostages that remain alive will not be saved through endless
bombardment and an ever-widening conflict. an ever-widening conflict.e not saying peace will be and it is hard to stop the machine once it gears up. But more fundamentally, with every death, with every ijury, with every house or dream destroyed, it becomes harder and takes more bravery for Unfortunately, it appears that Netanyahu has a great deal to gain from keeping this war going, even in the face of an Israeli public now against the war. His fortunes ride on keeping chaos in the region in order to evade his own legal and political troubles. In the absence of Israel seeking peace itself, the international community must exert pressure, and we in the United States must use our unique position of leverage to force the Israeli government to seek another path and move towards a ceasefire. Netanyahu’s actions have made it clear that this will take halting arm sales to Israelto force a permanent ceasefire. To some, even now, this may seem an extreme measure, but frankly the path of continued violence is equally unthinkable, and leaves Israel threatening its own survival, left without global support and enemies all around.
For the good the Palestinian people, for the good of Jews around the world, for the good of Israelis for the good of humanity worldwide, let us have the courage to push for peace and spare more from this bloodshed. To do so will take political organizing as well as economic organizing, for wars are, as we said, big business. So, join us each Tuesday in growing solidarity, as we work for the cause of peace, bringing this bloodshed to an end as quickly as possible, and then advocating for creative new solutions that will prevent this from being yet another escalation in an endless tit-for-tat cycle of brutality. Together, we can create a community of care not violence as we call bravely for peace.
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