To the Editor:
Israel is a rogue nation which repeatedly violates international law, UN resolutions, and the human rights of Palestinians and Bedouins. This outlaw and criminal behavior would not be possible without the support of the United States and our taxpayer dollars ( $3.8 billion per year). Since 1967 Israel has demolished 55,000 Palestinian homes - in 1948 Israel demolished 60,000 homes and terrorized 850,000 Palestinians into abandoning their land and homes. Since 1967 the Israeli army (IDF) has militarily occupied Gaza and the West Bank, and imposed a brutal blockade on Gaza, intentionally causing shortages of food, water, electricity, and medical supplies. This year peaceful, non-violent border protests by desperate Palestinians were met with Israeli army sniper fire that killed over 200 Palestinians including journalists, medics, and disabled demonstrators in wheelchairs - IDF snipers severely wounded more than 20,000 protesters!
With the relentless, violent and illegal theft of occupied Palestinian lands, homes, and farms to build apartheid, Jewish only settlements there are now over 500,000 Jewish settlers occupying over 200 settlements, outposts, and neighborhoods. Israel has been condemned widely by the international community for it’s brutal ethnic cleansing and creation of an apartheid state where only Jews have full citizenship and rights.
The non-violent BDS (boycott, divestment, sanctions) movement is attempting to pressure Israel to end it’s military occupation, secure equal rights for all (Jews and Arabs), and to allow Palestinians to return to their stolen lands. A boycott ended South African apartheid - hopefully, BDS will end Israeli apartheid.
Eli Kassirer
New Paltz, NY