Some community members have taken issue in the Wednesday Journal (9/20) with the statement from our “Israel/Palestine – It’s All About Human Rights” campaign which reads: “I am an environmentalist. I believe that Israel’s occupation creates ongoing airstrikes in Gaza creating severe environmental harm to the land, rendering the land and its soil dangerous to its people due to harmful toxins.”
In fact, much of the world is repulsed by Israel’s ongoing airstrikes on Gaza since 2008, making Gaza a humanitarian and environmental crisis. This brutal campaign of collective punishment has cost hundreds of Palestinian lives — adults and children — and has destroyed homes, schools, and medical facilities. Combined with the 15-year blockade, Gazans do not have reliable access to clean water and have electricity for about 10 hours per day. None of this gets Palestinians and Israelis closer to a just and lasting peace.
Fortunately, there is a way that we can learn firsthand about the effect of Israel’s policies on Gaza. Committee for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine (CJPIP) is pleased to be one of the co-sponsors, with the American Friends Service Committee, of two New York Times authors’ positively reviewed anthology, Light in Gaza. Asmaa Abu Mezied and Yousef Aljamal will be speaking at a free event on Monday, Oct. 17 at Grace Place, 637 S. Dearborn, 2nd floor, Chicago, at 7 p.m.
Hope to see you there.
Committee for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine
Oak Park
