Please let us stand for peace

 My letter to the Daily Catch:

I'm so disturbed by the conflict in Israel/Palestine and the unending, simple and biased media blitz in the US. I have been long concerned about the brutal apartheid that Israel has become, this time under Netanyahu, and the US military support that has helped fuel this conflict. I do not want to hear another politician use the term "unprovoked" in regards to the attack by Hamas. I do not support the use of violence by either Hamas or Israel. I do not stand with Israel when they are perpetuating war in Gaza, inflicting far more harm than was done to them. It is time to look at what is happening now and name it correctly. Israel has a vastly superior military and has used it to maintain the occupation, throwing Palestinians out of their homes and confining them to walled in camps. Israel has been brutal in the killing of civilians which is strictly against international law, yet the US stand with Israel no matter what. What is terrorism if it is not a desperate act by people who are systematically brutalized. But war is real terror and this war has been killing far more Palestinians than Israelis. It is wildly unfair to paint the people of Gaza with one brush and indiscriminately wage war on an entire population, most whom are just trying to live their lives. Netanyahu is a war criminal and must be removed. The United States has got to stand with the people, not with one people over the other. I only stand with the people of Israel who refuse to allow their brethren to live in the settlements, condemn the brutal regime of Netanyahu, and demand equal rights for the Palestinians.

I also think it is imperative for the people of the US to look at the history of this region and understand how complex and interwoven the people have been. There has also been extreme meddling by other nations for purposes not in the best interest of the people. We cannot allow those that profit on war and conflict to call the shots. If we stand with one people over another we are encouraging conflict and standing for war. Please let us stand for peace.
 
Cary Kittner