We need to move past arguing historical perspectives and confront the current reality in Gaza and across Palestine. The scale and disproportionality of death, violence and human rights abuses overwhelm debates about the past. I am far less interested in rhetoric than in what is unfolding right now — a humanitarian nightmare that, plainly stated, constitutes genocide.
Organizations such as AIPAC work to control the narrative, discouraging mainstream media from telling the full story. When Americans increasingly begin to ask “why,” they are met with dismissive and recycled talking points. This response is not only inadequate — it is insulting to people who are sincerely seeking truth and exercising compassion.
Here in Chattanooga, we recently hosted a public forum on Israel, Palestine and the broader war economy. Jews, Christians, Palestinians, former military members and others spoke as eyewitnesses to the horrors unfolding on the ground. One participant who joined us then traveled to the Netherlands to testify at The Hague about what he witnessed in Gaza. People are waking up and beginning to question long-standing assumptions.
Americans are struggling to meet basic needs as the cost of living continues to rise. Why, then, are we sending roughly $5 billion a year in taxpayer money to Israel for weapons and war? If we truly believe in an “America First” vision, we must speak honestly about what our status quo represents and whom it serves.
As an activist who has spent time in Israel and Palestine, I have personally witnessed settler violence and destruction. I also carry Jewish heritage. I am deeply troubled by tactics used by Zionist coalitions — often led, it should be noted, by Christians, who make up the largest group of Zionists — to silence dissent. Those who speak out are routinely labeled “self-hating Jews” or “antisemitic.” Palestinians themselves are Semitic people, yet the term “antisemitic” has been co-opted to apply exclusively to Jews — one more way the dominant narrative manipulates public perception.