In response to Dulce Paloma Baltazar Pedraza’s Nov. 26 article, “Pro-Israel, Pro-Palestine Student Groups Share Goal of Peace.”
Sun Devils for Israel was recently quoted as saying they stand by Israel in its decision to dramatically escalate attacks on Hamas — attacks that destroyed Gaza, a territory the size of Washington, D.C., by rockets raining down on the population.
SDI failed to mention that most killed in the attacks were civilians — 102 of the 158 Palestinians, including 30 children—and attacks on civilian infrastructure were somehow construed as "military targets."
Many Palestinian families died in areas where no fighting between militants and Israeli forces occurred. Beyond this, Israel initiated the violence by assassinating the man with whom they were actively working on a peace agreement, Ahmed al-Ja'abari. So, although the pro-Israel group may claim they are seeking peace, how can there be a meaningful peace with no justice?
I was appalled to hear that pro-Israel groups are raising money for the same military that is belligerently occupying an indigenous population, and killing with impunity, while receiving $3 billion a year in military aid from our tax dollars.
The thought of a campus group raising money for one of the world's most well-funded militaries, while the people of Gaza, which the U.N. declared will be "unlivable by 2020," are living in abject poverty directly caused by the occupation, is insane. The list of offenses includes illegal settlement building, an illegal “apartheid” wall, an illegal blockade of Gaza, illegal detainment without charge, and numerous raids and attacks, like the 2008 Gaza “Massacre” that killed almost 1,000 Palestinian civilians. Every one of these policies has been deemed illegal or denounced by the International Court of Justice, the United Nations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and others.
SDI should be ashamed of themselves for seeking to support blatant human rights abuses — abuses that are doing fine without their charity anyway.
Dagan Sassarini
Undergraduate
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