Protest for Gaza in Philly 12/29 & 12/30

We are out there in the freezing wind, holding signs at the Israeli Consulate and chanting. Do they see us inside I wonder? What do they think when they see us- are we angry leftists who can't accept reality? Are we too young to know any better? Are we too poor to be complicit in oppression and therefore silent? Are we misguided radicals who cannot see the forest for the trees, or perhaps that is our mistake, to see the forest instead of the trees. 

I am happy because Israel has finally lifted the blockade to allow trucks carrying humanitarian aid into Gaza. At the same time, I wonder why this cat and mouse game, why feed them in order to kill them later? If Israel is dedicated to the eradication of Hamas and the Palestinian resistance (which includes everyone because to be a Palestinian is an act of resistance) then why keep anyone alive at all? 

The issue of Israeli/Palestinian memory is large and intricate, too large for me to do it justice here but I will say that in certain places, between certain enemies, there grows a bond that is not unlike love. Time intertwines their histories so that difference becomes the ground of faith, it draws people together instead of pushing them apart. Israel does not want the Palestinians to disappear despite their efforts to the contrary. Like distant cousins (which the Palestinians and Israelis are), no amount of ill will or violence can completely alienate them from each other. 

Don't tell me that the beast has no heart. I know that people of conscience exist everywhere just like their opposites. The heart of Israel is like the heart of America, silenced by the majority or by political maneuvering. Every country with a stake in this conflict must step up and press both sides to accept a cease fire. The incoming administration of Barack Obama must compel Israel to enter peace talks with real dedication and commitment to compromise and encourage its allies to do the same with Hamas. That is what I hope we are today, a tiny shivering but resolute piece of America's heart.