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A Plea for Humanity: In Defense of Human Rights, Stand with Gaza and Palestine
Late last year, I shared a harrowing account of my visit to the West Bank in January 2020, only a few months before the Covid-19 pandemic devastatingly struck the U.S. Under incredibly heartbreaking circumstances today, I come back once again, this time with a pleading message: Please take a clear and unapologetic stand for the freedom of Palestinians from Israeli occupation and apartheid.
Over the past few weeks, you might have seen disturbing footage of Israel bombing buildings in the Gaza Strip — a place inhabited by Palestinians that has been described by the UN as ‘unlivable’. These recent bombings have already killed over 200 Gazans, including over 60 children. You might have also seen reporting from mainstream news outlets referring to the horrifying and violent events unfolding between Gaza and Israel as one that is exceedingly “complex”. I think comedian John Oliver put it best this week in his segment resoundingly condemning Israel when he stated quite clearly: “While some things are incredibly complex and require a great deal of context, others are just wrong.”
The depiction of this issue by Western media has traditionally been a “both sides” narrative in which Israel and Palestine are two entities that are on seemingly equal footing. Two conflicted parties with equal…
