Israeli aggression

 Dear Editor: 

Since 2006 I have been supporting The Freedom Theatre in Jenin, Occupied Palestine. I am outraged at the massive Israeli army attacks on Jenin refugee camp and The Freedom Theatre.  While it is impossible to assess the true extent of the damage while the Israeli army bars entrance to the camp, we know rockets were fired into the Theatre's courtyard and the Theatre was broken into and occupied by Israeli troops. We know the refugee camp infrastructure -- streets, sewers, electricity -- has been destroyed. We know many have been killed, more injured, and hundreds arrested. This nightmarish invasion has blocked ambulances and assistance to civilians, terrorized inhabitants, and forced thousands to flee their homes. There is no excuse for this war on a civilian population. The Israeli actions are war crimes.

I am equally outraged that our government's main reaction is to repeat well-worn, empty phrases about Israel's "right to defend itself" to cover up its unstinting support for Israeli aggression. Israeli land thefts, settler violence, military raids, and thousands of arrests are the authors of resistance from a people simply insisting on their right to live in dignity. Israel is not defending itself, it is, as Israeli politicians have made so clear recently, embarked on an all-out attempt to drive Palestinians out of their homeland and annex more territory.  

We must insist the US stop enabling Israeli impunity and end the funding of $3.8+ billion/year of our U.S. tax dollars to Israel’s out-of-control military.

Felice Gelman

The Freedom Theatre

 I've just sent this to Pat Ryan and will send similar to Schumer:

Dear Representative Pat Ryan,

 

I am writing with urgency to ask you to immediately demand an end to the Israeli forces' murderous collective punishment of Palestinians.

 

The IDF could not do what it’s doing without the US’s $3.8 billion per year. Therefore we, US citizens, and you particularly, as a Congress representative, have a moral responsibility regarding how that massive funding is used. 

 

Right now, the IDF is brutally attacking the Jenin refugee camp as if they intend to obliterate it—which perhaps they do. There have been numerous civilian casualties including elderly people and children.

 

Here is an excerpt from The Freedom Theatre’s update today. TFT, in the heart of the refugee camp, is a major cultural institution devoted to creating original theatre with local young people. 

 

“The Israeli army blew the entrance of The Freedom Theatre at approx. 02:00 this morning. They took the Naghnaghiye family to the theatre stage including the father of the 14-year old Sadeel that was killed by the army last week, and Adnan, the technical manager of The Freedom Theatre. They locked the entire family including elders and children inside the theatre and interrogated them there. Some members were held until the late morning. Adnan was taken by the army and there’s no further news on his status.” (See the full update below.)

 

Representative Ryan, you and I have met several times. We are neighbors in Gardiner. Through me, you are no more than two degrees of separation from Adnan. Some years ago I taught theatre at TFT and drove with Adnan to a deeply moving performance in a Bedouin village. 

 

The people in the Jenin refugee camp are not faceless “terrorists”. They are human beings who have endured unthinkable trauma and oppression for generations. 

 

Israel’s rightwing government claims it is taking these violent actions in order to keep Jewish Israelis safe. A far more moral and more effective way to achieve that goal would be to stop denying Palestinians basic human rights and grant them citizenship.  

 

I ask you to respond to the specific points I am making. It is not helpful to receive your standard response on this topic, defending Israel’s actions. 

Thank you.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jo Salas

To support and not silence Palestinian voices

Hello Dr. Solimene.

I have read the communication to students. Your statement endorses anti-Palestinian ethnic cleansing, illegal under international law.

The student’s statement affirmed international law and UN resolutions, which say that Palestinians have legal right to East Jerusalem. That legal right has been denied by the Israeli Interior Minister, and by soldiers and mobs chanting “death to Arabs” in Palestinian neighborhoods. The Israeli government also recently criminalized the Palestinian flag. 

Incredibly, your email to students says that they cannot speak about their rights under the law, or object when their identity is criminalized.

The student’s statement is not hate speech. It is a statement of the self-determination of the Palestinian people. Silencing speech, chilling dissent and censorship have no place in public education. 

What is being done to rectify this harm? “Reviewing our yearbook content and procedures going forward.." is absolutely important for the future. I would like to know specifically, in regards to the remaining academic year and graduation, what steps Arlington will take to support and not silence Palestinian voices and challenge colonialism and genocide.

Regards,  John Francis Mulligan