I received some feedback regarding my post (that I emailed to friends/relatives and posted elsewhere as well as on Curezone)titled "American Jewish Response to Gaza" and wanted to respond.

Date:   1/9/2009 8:58:18 PM ( 15 y ago)

Dear All:

First, thank you to those of you who wrote expressing your opinions, even when they did not agree with me. I count my blessings that I live in the United States of America where we have freedom of the press and freedom of speech, without which this debate would never be possible.

Second, my intentions on the original post were to show the diversity of opinion among American Jews--we obviously are not "one united front" when it comes to Middle Eastern foreign policy, despite the way the main stream press portrays us. Also, I feel it is very important to let President-elect Obama and his foreign policy team know that not all American Jews think alike. The U.S. government rightfully publically censures Israel's foes for their part in the violence, but for too long the government has been afraid of censuring the violence perpetuated by Israel, thinking that by doing so they would erode American Jewish support.

Third, for the record, I am against violence and war on either side of the equation; killing is killing no matter what nationality, religion, or ethnic group we belong to, and it is morally and ethically abhorrent. Yes, Israel has the right to defend itself, but my opinion remains that they have engaged in gross excess of violence against a Palestinian civilian population that is not even able to evacuate and are therefore subject to daily attacks without any chance of escaping the bloodshed. And yes, the actions of Hamas are also inexcusable--suicide bombings, rocket attacks, and using civilians as "human shields."

There are no winners in this long-standing war, only losers. The only "win-win" situation is for level heads and diplomacy to work out a situation that years of warfare and bloodshed have not been able to do. I believe that in order to have peace, both the State of Israel and a free and autonomous Palestinian State must be recognized world-wide as having the "right to exist". This can only be accomplished through diplomacy and compromise on all "sides"; continued violence from anyone will get us nothing but more shame and grief.

Blessings for Peace,
Liora


Related Blogs:

Pray for Peace: http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1333446

American Jewish Response to Gaza: http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1330809


 

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