My statement on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Several years ago, I went on a Massachusetts Water Infrastructure summit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories. The trip included visiting Jerusalem, the Naagev desert, Tel Aviv, and Ramallah, in the West Bank. It was one of the most powerful international trips I’ve been on. In my conversations with Jewish Israelis, I was struck by the amount of debate and disagreement around the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In my conversations with Arab Israelis and (Muslim and Christian) Palestinians, more often than not there were expressions of heartbreaking acceptance at the restrictions on their lives - physically, psychologically, and economically. A former Christian Palestinian mayor of Bethlehem talked about how the people of Bethlehem (in the West Bank) felt suffocated mentioning that any healthcare emergency for a resident required residents to pass through security gates to receive needed medical services in Israel. While visiting special places around Israel and the Palestinian Territories, I very clearly felt Israel’s occupation - its comparative wealth, and the disproportionate power dynamic between Israelis and Palestinians.  

The uneven power dynamic I witnessed firsthand is nothing new, and my observations are not particularly revelatory. But they were present. Not much has changed since that visit, except that that power differential has translated into right-wing Israeli nationalists growing more brazen, and Israeli police removing more Palestinians from East Jerusalem.

This is an important conversation to have in 2021, because the 2-week violent conflict between the Israeli government and the Palestinian militant group Hamas was sparked by the growing tensions in Jerusalem. Recent reporting revealed the devastating reality of this conflict: 227 Palestinians, 64 of whom are children, and 12 Israelis, 2 of whom are children, were killed before the two parties agreed to a ceasefire.  

I write all of this with the full acknowledgement that anyone who comments on the Israel-Palestine conflict is delving not only into hotly-contested facts and history, but also into politics. But as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.” As an American, and an elected official, it is critical to note the noticeable shift around conflict in the Middle East, and speak out about it.

 I observe more Jewish-Americans questioning the actions of the Israeli government, including my constituents. I observe more statements by Muslim-Americans expressing their points of view on Israel and Palestine, including my constituents. I see more national Democratic politicians no longer invoking the standard knee-jerk “both sides now” pithy statements. I see more young people of color, not just Muslim, but Black, Latino, Asian and Indigenous, identifying with and advocating for Palestinians. In the spirit of free speech that Americans hold so dear, I am hoping that we all foster much-needed dialogue around this very serious and consequential conflict. This issue needs to be uplifted and allowed to exist in a peaceful environment where people can make mistakes in explaining their views on the conflict.

Against the backdrop of hundreds of human lives lost over the course of this long-standing conflict, I hope more people can engage in this dialogue with an acknowledgement of the massive power differential between the Israeli government and Hamas in what is left of Palestinian territories. 

 And I want to be clear where I stand, I fully oppose the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the forcible removal of any Palestinians from their homes and communities. If Arab Israelis and Palestinians are not going to enjoy equal rights as other Israelis under the current conventional wisdom of the two-state solution, then it may be time to embrace the establishment of a single democratic country including the lands of Israel and Palestine. 

After a year of racial justice protests in America, the voices of people of color and marginalized populations are finally being heard. This demands that we stand in solidarity with the oppressed not just within our borders but around the world and take action. Lastly, speaking to the many  in our own communities fearing for their family’s safety, I hope for peace and movement towards a long-term solution.

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