ISRAEL’S SIEGE OF GAZA IS A BRAZEN ACT OF GENOCIDE

Oct. 24 — Since the Hamas attack that breached the Israeli border on Oct. 7, Israel has put Gaza under siege, intensifying their blockade of the area to restrict food or water from entering. As a result, 2 million Palestinians are currently without electricity and internet while food stores dwindle and some of the only water left is unsuitable for human consumption. 

“This is not a proportionate or reasonable response. It is an act of collective punishment that flies in the face of international law. Factor in the indiscriminate bombing that has left more than 5,000 Palestinians dead and I find it hard to conclude this is anything but an exercise in racial revenge.”

The rhetoric from Israeli officials has been alarming. They have called Palestinians “human animals”, pledged to “eliminate everything” in Gaza, called for a second “Nakba” — a term that refers to the 1948 ethnic cleansing of Palestinians by Zionist militias — and made statements claiming that the Palestinian People are responsible for the actions of Hamas. 

The International Community makes no bones about holding Hamas accountable for its actions and, yet, Israel is being allowed to act with impunity. Where is the outrage for the atrocity being committed before our eyes?

“The Israeli Government has been slowly suffocating the Palestinian People for decades and, now, they’re using this most recent tragedy to justify tightening the noose. The International Community must step in to end the hostilities before ‘Never Again’ becomes ‘Just As Long As It’s Not Us’.”

Rather than providing a rubber stamp to Israel’s response, President Biden must step in to broker an immediate ceasefire and, ultimately, a long-term deal that both affords the Palestinians self-determination and effectively safeguards Israel’s borders. The longer this horror is allowed to continue, the closer we march toward all-out war in the Middle East and the threat of worldwide conflict.