NFP Statement on the War in Israel and Gaza
Nebraskans for Peace calls for an immediate ceasefire and for a United Nations-negotiated resolution to stop the bloodshed and dehumanization of “The Other.” Violence by both Israel and Hamas will not solve, and only exacerbate, the underlying root cause of this conflict — the brutal and illegal occupation of Palestinian lands that has existed for the past 56 years.
Both the Israelis and Palestinians are Semitic people. The U.S. government has supplied Israel with large amounts of military aid for decades for their survival. At the same time, Israel has used barbaric military force to evict Palestinians, destroy their homes, and bulldoze their olive orchards to set up new Jewish settlements. The Palestinians in Gaza have endured a 16-year siege denying food, electricity, medical, and humanitarian aid. As Phyllis Bennis from The Hill writes, this siege has made Gaza into an open-air prison. Such collective punishment is a war crime.
Semitic teaching calls for welcoming and respecting sojourners in the land. Following that teaching, we urge the Biden Administration not to escalate this conflict by supplying more money, arms, and military support to Israel. We call for negotiations toward ending this unfolding humanitarian catastrophe, an immediate cease-fire; a stopping of all transfers of arms and military support; and a working toward a lasting peace through diplomacy and negotiation. Each nation has the opportunity to be part of the problem or part of the solution. We implore our nation to be part of the solution.
Ron Todd-Meyer, chair of NFP
Anti-War Committee
SOURCES:
1. ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS IN GAZA AND THE WEST BANK (INCLUDING JERUSALEM) Their Nature and Purpose, United Nations
https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-205221/
2. USA FACTS website, updated October 12, 2023
https://usafacts.org/articles/how-much-military-aid-does-the-us-give-to-israel
3. THE HILL website, As Israel and Gaza erupt, the US must commit to ending the violence — all the violence. by Phyllis Bennis, Opinion Contributor, October 8, 2023
https://thehill.com/opinion/international/4243830-as-israel-and-gaza-erupt-the-us-must-commit-to-ending-the-violence-all-the-violence/
Both the Israelis and Palestinians are Semitic people. The U.S. government has supplied Israel with large amounts of military aid for decades for their survival. At the same time, Israel has used barbaric military force to evict Palestinians, destroy their homes, and bulldoze their olive orchards to set up new Jewish settlements. The Palestinians in Gaza have endured a 16-year siege denying food, electricity, medical, and humanitarian aid. As Phyllis Bennis from The Hill writes, this siege has made Gaza into an open-air prison. Such collective punishment is a war crime.
Semitic teaching calls for welcoming and respecting sojourners in the land. Following that teaching, we urge the Biden Administration not to escalate this conflict by supplying more money, arms, and military support to Israel. We call for negotiations toward ending this unfolding humanitarian catastrophe, an immediate cease-fire; a stopping of all transfers of arms and military support; and a working toward a lasting peace through diplomacy and negotiation. Each nation has the opportunity to be part of the problem or part of the solution. We implore our nation to be part of the solution.
Ron Todd-Meyer, chair of NFP
Anti-War Committee
SOURCES:
1. ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS IN GAZA AND THE WEST BANK (INCLUDING JERUSALEM) Their Nature and Purpose, United Nations
https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-205221/
2. USA FACTS website, updated October 12, 2023
https://usafacts.org/articles/how-much-military-aid-does-the-us-give-to-israel
3. THE HILL website, As Israel and Gaza erupt, the US must commit to ending the violence — all the violence. by Phyllis Bennis, Opinion Contributor, October 8, 2023
https://thehill.com/opinion/international/4243830-as-israel-and-gaza-erupt-the-us-must-commit-to-ending-the-violence-all-the-violence/
