The Root of Violence Is Oppression.

What’s happening in Palestine/Israel is truly unprecedented. In the coming days, the people around us will be curious and confused, in large part due to one-sided coverage without any context. 

We offer the following statement to help equip us all to reach out to those around us, and engage them politically, with love and patience. 

Right now, Palestinians, Israelis and all of us with family on the ground are terrified for loved ones. We grieve the lives of those already lost and remain committed to a future where every life is precious, and all people live in freedom and safety.  

Following 16 years of Israeli military blockade, Palestinian fighters from Gaza launched an unprecedented assault, in which hundreds of Israelis were killed and wounded, and civilians kidnapped. The Israeli government declared war, launching airstrikes, killing hundreds of Palestinians and wounding thousands, bombing residential buildings and threatening to commit war crimes against besieged Palestinians in Gaza…