Rejecting Unnecessary Violence

The only way you can take people's homes and land and not pay a heavy price in the future is if you completely destroy the population. I fear this is happening in Gaza now and I do not support any form of total population cleansing. Eliminating a perceived enemy that is hard to define in absolute terms is fodder for political ambition and propaganda. I understand we are hearing who the enemy is, but I see far too many collateral casualties and lives being ruined, which is unacceptable. We are no better than our enemies when we engage in supporting amplified and disproportionate responses.

I believe the time has come to rein in the fighting, not only in Gaza but in other messy conflicts around the globe, such as Ukraine. When victory or goals presented by leadership aren’t achievable and create instability for the world, it is a fool’s mission to push forward. It makes everyone less safe, not more. It goes from a defense mission to a holy war, and the United States cannot support a delusional and defiant last stand for a leader’s political future.

I think Israel really needs to look in the mirror and ask if what they want is achievable without completely erasing 2 million people’s lives from the territory. What population center will the Palestinian people occupy? Their land has already been reduced to that of distant and old borders — so are we to believe the world has to return to ancient times? It’s not a valid thought exercise.

I would call on the United States to delay further support for any such military crusade until the details of these ambitious attempts are more clear and more surgically specified. We cannot support initiatives that are against our values, and the lines are getting harder to see clearly. The support of defense is one thing, but the support of an ambitious land grab in the 21st century is not aligned with what citizens support or want.

I call on the international community to increase the pressure on having these conflicts brought to an end. I believe this will increase the safety of all our nations over the long term. Prolonged wars and destruction make people bitter, and enemies will be created for generations — unless you have a total defeat of a population. We can’t support such narratives.