Dear Editor: July 8, 2015, is the one-year anniversary of “Operation Protective Edge,” the most recent devastation of Gaza by Israel. According to the United Nations, about 2,200 Gazan people were killed during the onslaught, 65% of them civilians. I think it is high time that Friends discuss more vigorously and publicly the issues surrounding Israel and the Palestinians.
How will this slaughter ever end? Several sources seem to be in agreement that: The United States must suspend arms transfers to Israel. The blockade of Gaza must end, and Gazans must stop their violence. Israel must negotiate with Hamas.
These actions, of course, are only part of a broader package needed in the region. Americans who care about true peace must learn the entire picture, quit mouthing platitudes about Israel, and speak up.
– Peg Morton, Eugene Friends Meeting (NPYM)
[A longer version of this letter is posted in Western Friend’s online library at https://westernfriend.org/media/gaza-devastation-continues.]