My congressman is a true would-be progressive, John Hall, a longtime musician (Orleans) serving his second term after knocking off a Republican incumbent 3 years ago in the anti-Iraq war election. Well it's one thing to run against the Iraq war and another to say a word against Israel's massacre of Gaza. Lately my friend Joan Turner wrote him about Gaza. It is amazing to read the volumes of pro-Israel talking points that Hall crams into one letter. There is not a word about the slaughter of 400 children. But yes, he's holding a rocket in his hands in Sderot and saying, We would fight those terrorists. If you don't think our politics are corrupted… Here's the exchange. First Hall's response, then Turner's response to him.
February 5, 2009
Dear Ms. Turner,
Thank you for contacting me about the recent conflict between Israel and
Hamas in Gaza. I appreciate hearing your thoughts on this issue.
I am deeply concerned about the ongoing conflict between the Israelis
and the Palestinians. For decades the fighting in that region has been
the focus of international concern which has been heightened by the
resurgence of violence in the last few years. There are no easy
answers,and the burden for peace does not lie with just one side.
Following an intense barrage of rocket attacks into Southern Israel by
the terrorist group Hamas, the Israeli Defense Forces entered Gaza in
December, 2008, to put an end to the rocket fire. Article 51 of the
United Nations Charter allows nations to engage in self-defense
against armed attacks. Hamas is listed as a terrorist organization
by the U.S. State Department and has repeatedly expressed the explicit goal of
destroying the state of Israel.
During my first year in Congress, I witnessed the devastating
effects of
these rocket attacks first hand. I had the privilege of visiting
Israel and during my visit I walked inside a home that was hit by
rocket fire
in Sderot, just outside Gaza. As I stood in the room with the
rocket in
my hands and peered through the open hole in the roof into the open
blue sky, I realized that any nation would take drastic measures to
make such
attacks stop. Israel has the right to destroy those arms caches and
organizations that support these attacks. In doing so, they must
exercise maximum effort so that there will be minimum casualties.
The United States can and must play an integral role in ending the
violence and establishing a lasting peace. Hundreds of thousands of
Israeli and Palestinian civilians have been displaced by the conflict.
Every day that passes brings with it the loss of innocent life, the
loss of hope, and the loss of future opportunities. The United
States needs
to work with the international community, especially the neighboring
Arab states, to forge a peace agreement that disarms Hamas and brings
order to Gaza and the surrounding region. I hope that this
confrontationwill be quickly resolved, and talks will continue to
create a durable,
sustainable peace in the Middle East.
I appreciate your comments on this issue, and I will certainly keep
themin mind as I work with my colleagues to help make the United
States a
force for peace in the region. Thank you again for taking the time to
contact me. If there is anything further my staff or I can do for you,
please do not hesitate to call on me again.
Sincerely,
John Hall
Member of Congress
Dear Sir:
Thank you for your reply. However, I am sadly disappointed; if AIPAC had
written this I could understand. I had expected a more informed and
thoughtful analysis from you, one that might have at least recognized the
difference between a resistance fighter (after all the Israeli occupation
is illegal) and a terrorist. Parroting the propaganda that the State
Department puts out will hardly lead to peace in the Middle East. It is
time for a change in US policy but this means having an open mind,
dedicating oneself to justice for all, and the courage to take on the
Israeli lobby.
Sincerely,
Joan Turner, PhD
