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12/24 Petition to Biden & U.S. Congress
Like Pope Francis, I too, “continue to receive very grave and painful news from Gaza”. I also agree with his words that “we have gone beyond wars. This is not war. This is terrorism.” Just a little over 43 miles away from Bethlehem, the Gaza strip remains besieged, and the Palestinians trapped there face apocalyptic conditions. Only 6 miles away from Bethlehem, Christians in East Jerusalem have had to camp in the quarter belonging to their church to try and stop Israeli settlers and developers from seizing more of their land. Israel’s reign of terror falls on Palestinian Muslims and Christians alike – this is what ethnic cleansing looks like.
In the birthplace of Christ, Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac shares the terrible truth, “If Jesus was born today, he’d be born under the rubble of Gaza.” From his pulpit in Bethlehem the reverend asks for those of us celebrating Christmas to “lift a prayer for us, for justice. And I hope they work and act to end the system of occupation and apartheid.”
Like Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, I too “see the image of Jesus in every child that is killed in Gaza.” From Father Rami Askarieh, also in Bethlehem, I too, mourn that “the international community hasn’t taken serious action to end the massacre”. Approximately 20,000 – 28,000 Palestinians have been murdered in Gaza since 10/7. Today, on Christmas Eve, I can’t help but wonder how many more will die over the next 48 hours.
The U.N. Security Council resolution that our country abstained from votin on, but still took the time to gut, is essentially meaningless. Per Doctors Without Borders, “the measure fell “painfully short” of what is needed”. I wish I had the optimism of the UAE ambassador to call the resolution passing a “Christmas miracle”. Our country has undermined the entire world by continuing to abuse our veto vote. We’ve made the U.N. effectively useless.
I can’t help but feel a deep shame knowing that this Christmas my tax dollars are paying for bombs to rain down on Gaza, tank artillery to terrorize starving people, and your salary as you do nothing to stop the genocide of Palestinians. I find myself preoccupied with questions instead of the holiday spirit. I’ve been asking myself:
– How many people have my tax dollars murdered?
– How can I quantify the level of human suffering my 2020 vote has led to?
– How can I ever be proud to be American ever again?
We need an immediate, permanent ceasefire. There must be unrestricted humanitarian aid into Gaza. This Christmas Eve, I ask you to reflect on Father Rami Askarieh’s words, “Israelis, Palestinians; we are all human, we are all the children of God.”
SOURCES
The Guardian “‘If Jesus was born today, he’d be born under the rubble’: Bethlehem set for forlorn Christmas“
New York Times “‘God Is Under the Rubble in Gaza’: Bethlehem’s Subdued Christmas“
12/24/23 Tweet from @ajplus of interview with pastor Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac
The Guardian “Pope Francis condemns Israeli killings of civilians at Gaza church“
Associated Press “UN approves watered-down resolution on aid to Gaza without call for suspension of hostilities“
Al Jazeera “UN resolution on Gaza aid criticised as ‘insufficient’, ‘meaningless’“
Doctors Without Borders “Open letter to Secretary Austin: Act now to protect civilians in Gaza“
Estimated deaths as of 12/11 from multiple sources*
Al Jazeera quotes 20,000 dead as of 12/23/23. Al Jazeera always includes the most up-to-date official death tolls on their Breaking/live updates page. Because the daily live pages are refreshed so frequently for each new day, I can’t link you to a specific date. You can always check the Breaking/live section on their site for the most recent official numbers.
EuroMed Monitor quotes an estimated 28,091 dead shown on an infographic posted on their Instagram (link to post) as of 12/23/23. Their website has past infographics, but does not currently have this newest one included as of the writing of this blog post.
This is not unusual- I believe they post infographics first on social media and then add them to the infographic section of their website later on. Prior infographics posted on Instagram and then shown on their site have the exact same figures & data.
*Why are multiple sources used for the death count?
Associated Press “Gaza health officials say they lost the ability to count dead as Israeli offensive intensifies“
The situation in Gaza has only gotten worse since the AP published this article on 11/21. The official numbers we are seeing from Gaza’s Ministry of Health are undercounted, and have been since at least 11/21.
EuroMed Monitor is a NGO established in 2011 that advocates for the human rights of all persons across Europe and the MENA region. They have a regional office in the Palestinian Occupied Territories. I believe their estimates are credible which is why I quote them, and will continue to, when referring to the estimated death toll.
My personal opinion is that the true number is even higher than estimated- people are dying from starvation, thirst, infections, and illnesses. Even if the genocide ended this moment, these types of deaths will unfortunately continue for some time. I believe their deaths should be counted. They may not have been shot/bombed/etc. by the Israeli military, but their deaths are directly attributable to the total siege, occupation, and intentional** destruction of civilian, water, waste management, and medical infrastructure by Israel.
**Why are you accusing Israel of intentionally destroying important infrastructure and targeting civilians?
It’s not an accusation. They’ve admitted to it.
The Guardian “‘The Gospel’: how Israel uses AI to select bombing targets in Gaza“
972 Magazine “‘A mass assassination factory’: Inside Israel’s calculated bombing of Gaza“