Ceasefire in Gaza is imperative

The horror in the Middle East is growing. Hamas, the Sunni Islamist movement that governs the Gaza Strip and violently opposes Israel, triggered the current catastrophe when its surprise attack in Israel killed 1,400 Israelis, including many children.

- Jesse Jackson

In rage and retaliation, Israel has responded by assaulting Gaza, launching mass bombing raids, cutting off access to water, food, electricity and fuel, warning over 1 million Gazans to evacuate to the south, and beginning a ground operation in the north. As this is written, an estimated 8,005 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 3,000 children, and UN agencies warn the humanitarian crisis has reached an “unprecedented point.”

Across the world and across this country, citizens have marched to decry the Hamas terrorist attacks, to protest the Israeli assault on Gaza, to demand a ceasefire, emergency humanitarian assistance, and negotiations to end the violence. Antisemitism and anti-Arab passions are rising here and elsewhere.

We should not forget. It is possible to be pro-Palestinian without being pro-Hamas. Indeed, most Palestinians do not support Hamas. It is possible to oppose Israel’s policies without being antisemitic. Indeed, most Israelis oppose the current government of Benjamin Netanyahu.