Israel's slaughter our responsibility

(This letter to the editor appeared in the Daily Sun Newspaper in Port Charlotte, FL on Feb. 27, 2024. It was written by a Partners for Palestine Board Member)

We are witnessing a slaughter of unimaginable proportions in Gaza. History will record this as a genocide that occurred while all the word was watching. From the comfort of our couches, we switch off the news and go about our daily lives.

The entire Gaza Strip is just one fifth the size of Charlotte County! 29,000 people have been killed in this tiny space, and another 69,000 wounded, with thousands still missing under the rubble.

To many in our area these are not just numbers. I met a man recently who has lost dozens of family members. I talked with a friend whose cousin – a Catholic church organist – bled to death after an Israeli sniper shot her in the leg and shot those who came to her aid.

The indiscriminate nature of Israel’s assault is staggering. Bombs and missiles are being fired into hospitals, schools, and tents where refugees are struggling to survive. In January, Oxfam International reported “The Israeli military is killing 250 Palestinians per day with many more lives at risk from hunger, disease and cold.” Almost 12,000 children are dead; others are missing limbs.

No attacks by a terrorist group, however barbaric, can justify this disproportionate action by a civilized country. It is being financed with money from every taxpayer in the  United States, and we are all responsible for calling on Congress to end it. We will be held to account by our grandchildren. We can’t say we didn’t know.

~ Susanne Hoder