We cannot look away from atrocities in Palestine

At the time of this writing, n early 30,000 people in Gaza have been killed as a direct result of Israel’s military operations (condoned by the United States and paid for by our tax dollars). That number is unfathomable to most of us, but it is 8,000 more than the entire population of Bloomingdale, where I grew up. It has been estimated that 70% of the dead are women and children, yet the Israeli government insists that these killings are a necessary evil.

This war on Gaza (which has expanded to the West Bank through encouraged settler attacks) is a thinly veiled operation to do what many in Israel have wanted to do since its creation: rid the entirety of the land of Palestinians.

Children are being starved to death and eating animal feed to try to survive. The only thing that makes them different from our own children is where they live.

Aaron Bushnell, an active duty U.S. Air Force member who sacrificed his life to draw attention to the horrors inflicted upon Palestinians, has forced us all to take a hard look at what we have truly been doing to affirm the dignity and rights of all people.

Life cannot go on as usual. We must act. Pressure your representative via phone or email; read and write about the history and present struggle of the Palestinian people; attend a protest demanding an immediate and permanent cease-fire. Teach your children, students, and friends that this asymmetrical war is wrong. We cannot stand idly by while our tax dollars fund the murder of an average of 200 people per day. Act now and free Palestine.

Michaela Brant

Bloomingdale