Edhat Reader
By Kate Connell, Presiding Clerk of Santa Barbara Friends Meeting (Quakers)
Moved by the great suffering sustained by the people of Palestine and Israel, and guided by the words of organizations that are united in the pursuit of peace and justice, we, the members of Santa Barbara Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, urge our lawmakers, President Biden, Vice President Harris, Senators Padilla and Butler, and Representative Carbajal to:
- Endorse a ceasefire, de-escalation, and respect for international law against targeting civilians.
- Protect civilian lives, including hostages held by Hamas and all others, both Palestinian and Israeli, suffering because of the conflict.
- Provide humanitarian aid wherever needed.
- Address and resolve the root causes of the longstanding regional dispute.
Adhering to our three-hundred-year-old peace testimony, we protest the use of our tax dollars for these military expenditures.
“We seek a world free of war, and the threat of war.” – statement by Friend’s Committee on National Legislation, Quaker Lobbying organization in Washington D.C.
Yours in peace.
Op-Ed’s are written by community members. The views and opinions expressed in Op-Ed articles are those of the author.
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Very much appreciate, respect and admire the call for peace from the Quaker delegation. I join them in calling for peace.
Unfortunately, world peace as it relates to Israel and Palestine, cannot be possible until Hamas is destroyed. Hamas leaders and other perpetrators need to be captured or killed and/or face military tribunal for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Similar to that of Nuremberg trials. Rule of law and justice must prevail if peace is ever possible.
Here, Here. SbTejano
Well done. The majority of the world supports a ceasefire, but the US still opposes it. Nevertheless, US State Dept’s Miller admits the following: “”you can’t defeat an idea on the battlefield.” So, while they acknowledge terrorism won’t be vanquished by military might, they still support the ongoing bombardment and attacks, resulting in tens of thousands of civilian deaths. It would be interesting to see how (or even if) the US State Dept. reconciles that sentiment.
The immediate release of all Israeli hostages and all Palestinians under “administrative detention” (held without charge or trial) should be the prerequisite for a cease fire. From there, the establishment of a safe and secure governing body in Gaza and the West Bank should be the priority. Anything less will result in the continued and unending conflict that we’ve seen since 1948.
Well said! This has gone on for over 75 years and it must end. The US is seen around the world as Israel’s enabler and we will pay a price for this in the future. Biden calls for Israel’s restraint and at the same time keeps shipping it thousands of heavy bombs and shells. Mr. President-hello? This is not 1973 and the Arabs are much better equipped than they were then. Hezbollah has the abilility to destroy much of Israel and so do Iran and Turkey. The US is now a paper tiger in the region and our armed might and the nukes that Israel and we have do not frighten anyone there. They cannot be used! This might be the last chance for Israel to continue to exist, unless the Palestinians get a land and a life!
“The nukes that Israel has don’t frighten anyone there.”
Sure. If there were ever a true chance that Israel could be, as so many in the region wish, “wiped from the map”, they have the ability to hit every major Middle Eastern Country with nuclear weapons ten times over. They know it.
Hamas can declare a cease fire at any moment. They never will because their leadership is sitting in luxury on top of billions of dollars of cash stolen from the Palestinian people. All they care about is staying in power and staying rich.
So, no cease fire. More innocent people die, wash, rinse, repeat.
Sac – if you’re any to call the US “they” you should go live somewhere else and stop moaning and crying about how our country acts politically.
SBTONER – Hey Copernicus, read it again. “They” refers to the US State Department, not the US as a whole. And even if it did….. what a vacuous and simple complaint. I’m not allowed to refer to the US as they in the sentence after I identify them? So, you some kind of editor now?
WORDS OF WISDOM
“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
MARTIN LUTHER KING
They should stick to Oatmeal!