For Gaza - Lord Have Mercy!

By Marla Schrader
Senior Fellow for Middle East Issues
Disciples Center for Public Witness

This week and last week in Gaza, the quiet deaths from a brutal, illegal blockade joined hundreds more deaths this time, so gruesome and all at once. Both types of killings are violent and arguably constitute war crimes. Indeed, the violence of occupation has not ended, neither in Gaza nor the West Bank. The occupation goes on and so does, sadly, the nakbah. Have Mercy!

This time I am not forwarding any church statements or prayers. They ring hollow to me because don't lay it out clearly with context and truth. The only ones I would point you towards is the statement from Sabeel, www.sabeel.org, because of their reference to human rights and international law.

Below are three items: a point by point analysis, an excellent compilation of articles from ICAHD and from George Rishmawi's Siraj Center, 25 Things to Do. Everyone in the region is asking us to ACT, to DO something, to TELL the truth with courage. So, George's list is of particular importance.

As the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, stated: "Let's be crystal clear. Israel 's massive attacks on Gaza today have one overarching goal: conflict management. How to end rocket attacks on Israel from a besieged and starving Gaza without ending the impetus for those attacks, 41 years of increasingly oppressive Israeli Occupation without a hint that a sovereign and viable Palestinian state will ever emerge."

And Archbishop DesmondTutu: "It is a blight not only on the Middle East, but on the entire world - and particularly world leaders who have consistently failed the people of Palestine and Israel over the past 60 years."

Faithfully,

Marla

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1. Lights Out in Gaza, News Blackout in US by Deena Guzder http://www.commondreams.org/

2. Build Peace Newsletter: Analysis, background & context compiled by the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions: http://icahdusa.org/

3. Twenty-five things to do to bring peace with justice by George Rishmawi: http://www.pcr.ps