A Prayer for Peace

Sadness and frustration fill my heart as the horrific attack on Gaza enters its third week.  With every story I read about what is really happening there, the sorrow overwhelms me.  I flip through pictures of dead bodies and destroyed buildings and shut my eyes – in prayer, but also to deflect the images.  Then, when I catch a glimpse of “mainstream” news and hear stories slanted to the “poor Israel has to defend itself,”li(n)e, the frustration takes hold. 

This morning I was in a coffee shop in Los Angeles where the TV station was tuned to a CNN interview with Netanyahu, sounding ever so “reasonable” as he explained to Wolf Blitzer that, of course, Israel had to defend itself against these “terrorists” – and that we in the US would certainly do the same!

My first impulse was to throw something at the TV screen (mature, right!?); my second was to request that the channel be changed.  Not happening – and, even if it had, nothing would have really changed.  All the Zionist-controlled and funded US media are running their own variation of the same story.  “We don’t target civilians; Hamas is using civilians as a shield; we are humane…”  

But what, to me, is even sadder and more frustrating is friends, family and people who I otherwise admire and respect who not only “don’t get it,” but don’t try to “get it.”  What is it about otherwise normal, intelligent people – who are usually very liberal on issues such as immigration or gay rights – who turn Fascist at the mere suggestion that Israel might be a bit heavy-handed in Gaza?   

Just this past week – mostly in reaction to my Facebook posting that I had participated in a “Stop the Violence in Gaza” rally – two clergy people took issue with my “one-sidedness,” as did several other FB “friends”.  Later, as I listened to an NPR interview on the subject while visiting a friend, I remarked, “too bad that even NPR can’t present both sides.”  My friend suggested that we not discuss this topic because, clearly, we held different views! 

An image we can all pray for...

I was feeling pretty “down,” when I received an e-mailed prayer, which I’d like to share.  I have no idea what news the sender is listening to, or which “side” she is on – but I love her for sending it because she so perfectly expressed what I am feeling

I come with a hurting heart for you as I learn of more and more conflict in Israel.  I know a bit about leaving your heart in a place that is special to you --- and then what it feels like when that heart is broken.  Please know that I am sending many prayers for PEACE and this is for you as well as for the people so affected by all this.  Your time of service and continued efforts are so appreciated.  Be strong and let me hear from you along the way. 

Love and Blessings!

A Rally for Gaza

In Gaza, a reign of terror.  Here in the safety of my American home, sadness.  I’ve never been to Gaza – the closest I got was the Israeli border town of Sderot, where an Israeli peace activist talked to my EA group about her sadness for her Palestinian friends in Gaza, while describing life in a city that has been described as “the most heavily fortified in the world.” 

Bomb Shelter in Sderot Playground

In Sderot, every house has a “safe room;” every bus stop is a bomb shelter and even playgrounds have shelters as play structures.  It’s a horrific life, she said, but nothing compared to what her Gazan “neighbors” go through.

In Gaza, there are no bomb shelters.  (There are probably no playgrounds either, but that’s another story for another day!)    High tech weapons (many US made) go screaming over the walls into Gaza, and the people have nowhere to run – nowhere to hide!

“Operation Protective Edge” sounds so benign, so innocent.  “We have to defend ourselves,” the Israelis claim – and the US buys into that lie, just as it has bought into virtually every lie that Israel has been telling the world since 1948.   This disproportionate reality of hand-held rockets against drones and other state-of-the-art weapons is not mentioned, nor is the fact that the Israeli military is on record as stating that their intention is to “cleanse” Gaza – civilians, children and the disabled be damned!

My sadness is for the situation, of course, but also for a US government that turns a blind eye – and to the American people who will never learn the truth because of the biased reporting of the media.  

Portland, OR Rally for Peace in gaza

Occasionally, there is a small bright spot – and yesterday was one of those days. Several local organizations, including local chapters of Students United for Palestinian Rights, Americans United for Palestinian Rights, and Jewish Voice for Peace organized a rally, calling for an end to the violence.  On a sunny summer afternoon, about 200 protesters gathered in a downtown park to carry signs, shout slogans and, finally, read the list of those who have died in the latest round of violence.

As of this morning (Sunday), 146 Palestinians – many of them children – have been killed in the Israeli attacks on Gaza.  No Israelis have been killed by the Palestinian rockets that they are defending themselves against (although a few injuries have been reported).  Yet the attack continues and is reported to be escalating as Israel threatens a “ground attack” to accompany the continuing blasts from above.

Reaction to the rally ranged from honks, thumbs up and the occasional waving of a keffiyeh from a car window to shouts of “Muslims go home!” from passersby.  Still, the local newspaper – hardly a bastion of liberal reporting – carried a brief story about the rally and, for a few hours anyway, those of us participating felt we were a part of something bigger – something that just might make a difference.

I’m heartened to read of similar rallies in other cities across the globe, and can only pray that, with awareness, will come the awakening of a conscience that has been too long dormant!