Gaza

Shea Thompson sees parallels between what is happening in Gaza and what is happening in his own backyard.

Faith leaders from across Greater Boston sang and prayed for peace in Copley Square recently, joining a chorus of religious leaders nationwide who have been pushing for an end to the bombings in Gaza that have cost thousands of innocent lives.

What happened to Israel on Oct. 7 was an unspeakable tragedy, and there is no justification for it. What happened in Gaza since then is also unacceptable. The loss of civilian lives is inexcusable and not justified, as either a resistance to oppression, as Hamas claims, or the right of self-defense, as the Israel Defense Forces contends.

As New Mission High School senior Kameela Blackmon and other students exited the school’s Hyde Park building Dec. 2 to demonstrate for a ceasefire in Gaza, the school’s principal, William Thomas, issued a stern warning.

The Harvard faculty, staff and board of trustees should be applauded for standing in support of President Gay. Let’s hope Harvard’s first Black president can continue to receive the support she deserves for her illustrious career and lifetime commitment to higher education. 

Fatema Ahmed wanted desperately to talk to Sen. Elizabeth Warren about Israel’s war in Gaza. On Nov. 6, while Warren was speaking in Boston’s City Hall at a news conference on student debt, Ahmed, the executive director of the Muslim Justice League, waited patiently until the conference ended, then pressed forward as Warren left the stage.

Over the past month, the people of Gaza have been subjected to a rain of Israeli missiles, white phosphorous munitions, tank shells and other weapons. This on top of Israel’s closure of all borders with the territory designed to cut off all water, food and electricity to Gazans, half of whom are children.

As of May 18, 212 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s latest air raids. More than 58 of those killed were children. This blood is on American hands. The US finances the Israeli military with a colossal $3.8 billion annually — and that’s just direct funding.

Likening the Israeli government’s repression of nonviolent protests over the displacement of Palestinian families from occupied East Jerusalem to police brutality in the U.S., Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley on Thursday made a case for conditioning America’s $3.8 billion in military aid to Israel to its compliance with international human rights laws.