To the editor:

Five years ago, if someone said, “Israel/Palestine,” I would have said, “It’s complicated; the Middle East has always been violent, what’s new?” But mostly it would not have registered as relevant.

I have since learned how wrong my assumptions were, and that as a taxpaying American, I am partially funding unimaginable acts of violence. I realize there is no shortage of issues to be alarmed over, but if the genocide in Gaza isn’t one of them, I invite you to be curious enough to learn more.

Here are a small handful of the revelations I have learned: 1.) The land currently occupied by Israel was not a vacant wasteland before 1948 (Israel’s birth date), nor was it a cesspool of violence, suffering and intolerance. There is a documented history of rich culture, an intimate relation to the land and diverse populations existing in harmony. Search the Nakba and the Balfour Declaration to learn more about the history of Israel. 2.) Zionism is NOT the same as Antisemitism, nor is protesting against what millions perceive to be genocide and an act of terrorism. Learn more by researching Zionism — including the history of how it came to exist. Also consider the term Antisemitism and what it literally means — what is the definition of Semite? 3.) Oct. 7, 2023, is NOT the launching point of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. There are decades of documented atrocities perpetrated against Palestinians by Israelis, backed by the US government, including a near–complete blockade of the Palestinian people. Consider what you would do if someone showed up at your house and told you your land was now theirs? And they then demolished your home, destroying everything you and your ancestors built and cultivated? If you were arrested for resisting? If they controlled nearly every aspect of your and your family’s lives? If they told you you were inferior, an animal, undeserving of basic human rights? If they imprisoned you and your family members without due process? Consider the term terrorist, and at what point is an act of resistance against oppression terrorism, and when is it justified self-defense? 4.) While many of us are shouting that Russia has infiltrated our presidency, the government of Israel has verifiably infiltrated our political system in more ways than I could have imagined. AIPAC — the American Israel Public Affairs Committee — is the most notorious path.

Want to learn how much pro-Israel interests have contributed to your politicians? Search OpenSecrets.org. Kirsten Gillibrand — $480,614; Kamala Harris — $2,166,792; Chuck Schumer –$1,725,324; Elise Stefanik — $774,178; Marco Rubio — $109,800; Ted Cruz — $565,877; Joe Biden — $4,346,264. Wonder why the US contributes billions of dollars in aid and weapons to Israel each year? Why are we one of the small few to veto all Palestinian rights in UN actions? Meanwhile in America … How’s your access to affordable health care? Access to affordable housing? Inflation rates? How’s that deficit looking? Who truly benefits from this relationship?

Jennifer Perry

Gabriels