What follows is a letter i sent to a friend who here i call Anon.
Dear Anon,
The ongoing tragedy in Gaza and the Middle East causes me considerable consternation as i have a number of Jewish friends and family that are dear to me, i feel for them, despise any antisemitism toward them, support them and wish only happiness for them.
I have struggled as to how to approach them on this subject that is rattling the world yet pretty much unspoken about as it is immensely important and equally touchy.
There is an US and a THEM in our world today, Anon, and the dividing line is fine at times, and broad at others. We are divided or joined by our sense of humanity.
The one thing i do know, am positive of, is that you and I are Brothers, and as such deserving of respect and brotherly love. You are important to me.
We are members of humanity and as far as religions go, after a life time and even being Baptized in THE River Jordan, supposedly the same spot as Jesus, i finally decided that I am a Secular Humanist, someone sitting outside the box of religion.
The middle East is a three thousand year old religious war. Time to look at it from a secular, not the sacred perspective.
In my most noblest of thoughts i think we have a responsibility to see to the welfare and comfort of all… A few years ago i came across a quote of George Eliot:
"What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult to each other?"
We need to stand back as far as we can to see the game being played out in the world today, back beyond religion, back before the present, to get the complete picture. Stand outside the box of religion and prejudice to understand, to see the THEM and understand that regardless of what they say they are misguided, not part of the US.
I read up on Netanyahu; he is a brilliant man, MIT Grad, retired Captain of Special Forces. He has been in virtual complete control of Israel for over 15 years.
Bibi, as i will refer to him, is also a criminally indicted accused felon. Israeli police brought charges against him in 2016 and he still avoids justice, just like Trump and the horrible Attorney General of Texas, Ken Paxton.
They are evil, Anon, evil. Time to take off our blinders. There is a lot in common between politics in Israel and the United States and they both have a dark side that is veiled by their righteous political/religious facade. Their game.
Most Jews, rightfully so, have strong emotional ties to Israel which can make objectivity difficult. Yesterday Tom Friedman wrote "Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has put his country's worst religious extremists in his cabinet".
We must stand against this inhumanity, call it what it is, have the courage to not be part of it for fear of what others may think.
Bibi et al has destroyed Gaza's medical care, cut off food supplies, destroyed clean water and sanitation. Starvation exists as we speak. Monstrous crimes against humanity and Biden endorses it through his ignorance, silence and supply of offensive weapons. I will not be complicit to it, i will not endorse it through silence.
I see King Bibi as a brutal fascist. He is the latest in a string of leaders who have deprived the Palestinians of their human rights and stood in the way of unity for over 70 years.
I see Bibi, et al, as murderers, hell bent to destroy Hamas without regard to innocents and drive the Palestinians that survive into the desert or elsewhere.
Power becomes an addiction, and like an alcoholic, too much is not enough. Bibi's need for control is pathological.
i also see Trump as a fascist in cahoots with Bibi as their goals are the same, domination, control and power, above the law. Trumps personal envoy, Jared Kushner, and Bibi were tight. A deal with Saudi Arabia and the murderer MBS was in the works, maybe that is what finally triggered the pent up anger of HAMAS. Biden is complicit in a number ways, his lack of condemnation being obvious.
Poor Bibi and Donald, always misunderstood as if they are victims instead of criminals.
But back to Bibi: until the world's Jews including AIPAC (AIPAC needs to be woke up), join campus revolts, condemn him and his ilk, (he has legions supporting his ideology, which is to get rid of the Palestinians once and for all) chaos will continue to worsen, he is starving thousands and laying waste to their homeland. He has allowed this to happen, it is not a result of Oct 7, it was the cause of it.
Great profits have been made in settling the West Bank, lots of people have their hand in the till.
It is proposed that has always been the goal of the radical Jewish Zionist far right, and they have seized the opportunity of Oct. 7 to initiate Jewish Zionist denouement of their settler colonial project. We just didn't see it, we were to close to the trees.
I do understand about Hamas murdering civilians on Oct 7, that was horrendous and Hamas invited the retaliation, but that was not the genesis of the act and all Palestinians were not party to it, but subjected to it.
The hostages need to be returned to their loved ones, HAMAS needs to be eliminated and in the process the source of the hatred that drives them corrected so as to not refill the ranks and healing begin.
One thing i learned decades ago about conflict management is there are two sides to each story, which begs the question: why Oct. 7? It was not spontaneous, it was provoked.
Granted HAMAS is evil and needs to be destroyed, but a kill ratio of 33 to one, 77,000 wounded and counting, with no apparent regard for Palestinian innocents, has rightfully sparked campus rebellions worldwide. State Department officials are resigning in protest.
As you once told me, it appears Hamas has already won; an astute observation.
Some say this carnage fits perfectly with the radical Zionist desires to purge Israel of all but Jews. The question "is Zionism a form of White supremacy" will get a professor fired from his university. The politician i admire most, Bernie Sanders, says it is not antisemitism to oppose Israels assault on Gaza or condemn Bibi. He also said anti zionism is not antisemitism.
Hatred is being spread and amplified towards every American and Jew (you and me) as the U.S.A. is complicit in supplying the offensive weaponry to facilitate this Gazan slaughter.
What amounts to genocide must be brought to an instant halt and care given to fellow humans, to make their lives less difficult. That is Jewish, Christian and Islamic code, all Abrahamic. We, The USs are responsible to prevent this evil, the Zionists and their supporters are part of the equation, they need light shined on their insanity, the undecided need to be forced to decide.
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. (Edmund Burke)
As Americans, as all decent people, have empathy, compassion and a sense of justice.
We have a duty to expose our blind complicity and indifference in this horror, and we cannot see it until we are in a state of awareness, untangled from our emotions and prejudices.
I am pro American, i am pro Israel, I am Pro Palestinian, I am pro Peace.
I look forward to your comments.
Your friend,
jack
p.s. I see just now that Bibi and Gang just raided the offices of and banned Al Jazeera from Gaza as they obviously want to control the news coming out of Gaza. A fascist act. We are supposed to trust only what Bibi and Trump tells us? They are really very alike in their goals but Bibi is smarter. (Biden simply doesn't get it.) They both want to head authoritarian governments, they both have their personal agendas and a constituency of radical believers who don't know what fascism means that would kill for them.
If Bibi & Gang backs off their deception will be exposed. It needs to be exposed.
