MY THOUGHTS ON THE CURRENT ISRAELI-HAMAS WAR AND HOW TO STOP IT

Like each of you, I am hearing from many people who ask my opinion about what is going on in Gaza, Israel, and Palestine. Here are my thoughts.


I am concerned about the current war in Gaza, Israel, and Palestine because I care about life, justice, truth, and peace as a follower, ordained minister, and pastor of a congregation of people whose faith and living are inspired by the teachings of an itinerant Palestinian Jewish rabbi named Jesus, who lived, suffered, and died under Roman military occupation.  

(1) I have deep anger and sorrow for the victims of the Hamas attack on last Saturday, the Israeli counterattack, and for the men, women, and children who are being killed, injured, traumatized, and otherwise scarred every day by the horrendous violence associated with this war. 

(2) I lament the casualties and destruction from the Hamas attack, the Israeli counterattack, the Israeli blockade, siege, and impending invasion of Gaza, and Israel's threat to depopulate and slaughter Gazans.

(3) I protest Israel's threatened invasion of Gaza, its threat to depopulate Gazans, and Israel's threat to slaughter Gazans as collective punishment for the October 7 Hamas attack.

(4) The horrific realities that have been suffered by Israelis and Palestinians over the past week are the latest consequences of 75 years of murders, land theft, bloodlust, hubris, bigotry, and hypocrisy associated with the Israeli occupation of Palestine, an occupation that has been supported by every US administration since 1948. 

(5) Continued violence will not stop the suffering, but will prolong, widen, and escalate it. 

(6) To stop and prevent further suffering, death, and sorrow, I call for an immediate ceasefire by all combatants, withdrawal of all Hamas forces from Israel and all Israeli forces from Gaza, and release and safe return of all hostages held by both sides, enforced by UN security and human rights personnel. 

(7) I call for immediate restoration and repair of electricity, fuel, water, and other vital services to Gaza, and repair and reconstruction of schools, hospitals, and other Gazan services.

(8) I call for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine (the West Bank), East Jerusalem, and Gaza, an end to Israeli settler colonialism in Palestine, and call for the safe return of all displaced Palestinian refugees to their homeland.  

(9) I call for a war crimes investigation by the International Criminal Commission (ICC) of all atrocities and other alleged violations of international law concerning the October 7 Hamas attack and Israel's response to it.

The present crisis is the gruesome descendant of 75 years of back and forth violence associated with Israeli settler colonialism, race-based nationalism, and manifest destiny. More violence will not produce justice. More violence will not console the grieving relatives of martyred people. Bloodlust, bigotry, hubris, greed, and violence produced the current situation. It is moral insanity to believe that more violence will produce peace for Israelis, Palestinians, and Gazans.

That is why I call on people of goodwill who care about truth, justice, and peace to join me in calling on Hamas and Israel to end the fighting now, release and restore all hostages now, and withdraw from existing combat positions now, so that suffering people can receive urgently needed humanitarian and rescue assistance. 

And we should call on the diplomatic and security agencies of all nations to support these calls for an end to the current hostilities. 

Please ponder and share these views within your spheres of influence. 

Wendell Griffen
he/him/his

Author
Parables, Politics, and Prophetic Faith 
(Nurturing Faith, (2023) 
The Fierce Urgency of Prophetic Hope 
(Judson Press, (2017)

Pastor, New Millennium Church, Little Rock, Arkansas

CEO, Griffen Strategic Consulting, PLLC
www.griffenstrategicconsulting.com

Co-Chair, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference

Hope fiercely.  Love boldly.
Love one another. Jesus of Galilee, Palestine
We will find a way or make one. Hannibal of Carthage
Writing is how I fight.  James H. Cone.
The time for pious words is over.  Allan Aubrey Boesak

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