We’ve been quiet on Pulse about what’s been occurring in Gaza the past two weeks.
It’s hard to know what to say, exactly, when the history of the region is so complicated and so politicized that just to try to talk about the situation stirs passions and tends to prevent rational conversation.
But Bill Moyers, my favorite American journalist, found just the right words, and he said them on his weekly news show, “Bill Moyers Journal,” which aired January 9.
It’s hard to elaborate on anything Moyers says, so I’ll just ask that you take the time to watch the segment and then, share your thoughts below:
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6 Comments... join the discussion!
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Thanks very much for this, Julie. I especially appreciate his emphasis on the rigid conformity and silencing of dissent around this issue — it's the thing that frustrates me the most, and — no disrespect meant to the dead — it might actually do more harm in the long run than the actual bombing. I remember an Israeli friend telling me once he was amazed by the inability to debate Israeli military policy in Canada; I was amazed that it was any different there, but of course, on the ground they have opposition factions, parties, NGOs… At my university, I knew a Jewish kid who spent a summer volunteering in Ramallah. He wrote a very moving piece about the experience (I remember being impressed by how apolitical it was; its essential theme was that it's not very fun to be a child in the West Bank – fair enough, right?) and got called a self-hating Jew for his trouble. He also got death threats. A fellow student was eventually banned from campus for harassing him. I don't happen to know many (any) Palestinians, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to find a similar embargo on dialogue among them, too. It's poison.
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Really enjoyed this piece. Enjoyed isn't the right word. I'm thankful for this piece.
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Stunning commentary from Bill Moyers. Thanks for posting this rational voice on the conflict.
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Really appreciated this, Julie. Hope that it (both the situation at hand and your mention of it) receives the attention it deserves.
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I have a hard time believing you buy into Bill Moyers's gross distortions of what's happening in Gaza. The Israelis have sat for eight years as up to 50 rockets a day slammed into their cities, endangering a million people and driving hundreds of thousands into underground bunkers. There's a whole generation of Israeli children who pee in their bed every night because of the terror they 're living through, and adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder. Israel withdrew all of its citizens and soldiers from Gaza three years ago; the Palestinians receive more international aid than any other group on earth; and what have they done? Rather than building a civil society, they've focused all their efforts on killing the Jews next door. These are the same people as the Taliban and al Qaeda — radical Islamists who are committed to either converting you to their way of life or killing you. Guess what? Today they're after the Jews, but tomorrow they'll be coming for you. And then let's see how you feel about it. PS – Where were you while 8,000 rockets fell on Israel, killing women and maiming children? That didn't seem to bother you too much, did it?
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