How to describe Israel’s latest horror? Intercepting and sabotaging pagers and walkie-talkies, then remotely detonating them so that thousands of people in another country –on the streets, in their homes, at work, grocery shopping—are blown up. Diabolical. Revolting. Unspeakable. All of the above.
My dear friend who is a Syrian-Lebanese refugee in Europe writes:
“For years now, I’ve been aware of Palestine’s ongoing struggle for freedom. But today, everything feels different, heavier. I’ve survived so much already—the war in Syria, being kidnapped by militias in Lebanon, living in terror of politicians, and being hunted by the Syrian regime. Each of these events left a deep mark on me, but somehow, I made it through.
Now, I'm dealing with the consequences. Doctors give me different labels—PTSD, complex trauma, depression—but none of these words truly capture the weight I carry. Every morning I wake up feeling scared, suffocated, and in pain. The nightmares never let me go.
I'm trying to make sense of my life, to understand the world around me, but what’s happening today in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria—it’s overwhelming. It’s terrifying.
They are killing us. Erasing us. Wiping our existence from the land that belongs to us. And no matter how much I’ve survived, this is something I can't comprehend. The fear is all-consuming, and I don't know how much more I can endure.”
Another Lebanese friend, a mother of young children, writes: “Oh scared is the word that says it all, resilience is tiring! What happened yesterday and today is beyond our minds to understand, the kids are no longer coming near their phones and tablets in fear of explosions.”
Our taxes fund this escalating catastrophe. We citizens must demand that the US immediately halt the flow of money and weapons to Israel’s murderous regime. We are responsible.
--Jo