Posting the following open-letter to my Senators. How can we appeal to their hearts? How can we reach them?
Dear Senator Josh Hawley and Senator Eric Schmitt,
I write to you today with deep grief in my heart. Last week, you had the opportunity to vote with Senator Sanders to block sending $8.8 billion additional heavy bombs to Israel, which has recently broken the ceasefire in Gaza. You opposed that block and allowed the weapons flow to continue.
I have a friend in Gaza. He is an English professor, a husband, and a father of six children. His youngest was just an infant when the war began. Praise God, she survived to see her second birthday recently. I have been praying for his safety and that of his family for many months now, as his family has wandered through the small Gaza strip seeking anywhere safe to sleep after their apartment complex was destroyed in Gaza City in the early days of the war. I have written to your office on many occasions opposing the indiscriminate killing of Palestinian civilians at the hands of Israeli armed forces. Yet, you continue to send weapons, in violation of our own Leahy Laws.
Since late March, my friend was out of contact for over a week. This concerned me, as he usually communicates regularly. I heard that three schools were bombed in Gaza last week. As my latest knowledge was that his family was taking shelter with another family in a classroom at a school, I feared the worst. For months now, whenever I hear of ANOTHER SCHOOL being targeted, I grab my phone to check in on him.
This morning, after 8 days of silence, my friend messaged me. He is alive. His wife and children are alive. But, his sisters, their husbands, two of their daughters, the daughters’ husbands, and all of their young children were killed. He told me this is half of his family, wiped out. His mother and aunt are severely injured from this attack.
Just months ago, there was a CEASEFIRE. This never should have happened.
My heart is breaking for the pain my friend has endured at the hands of my government – a government I have been taught my entire life is one by the people, for the people.
Can you imagine your country sending weapons to murder your friends? With your tax dollars? What would you do?
I feel like I’ve been yelling at a wall for a long time – not only me – millions of Americans have raised their voices saying no to this war in our names. No more weapons in my name! Each time I reach out, I receive another form letter explaining your unqualified support for Israel.
Senator, if your child took your guns to school to murder bullies, would you cheer your child on? Would you pull up to the school to reinforce that child with more ammunition until they had gone through the whole school to ensure every bully had been eliminated, taking out countless hostage classmates and teachers in the process? For the sake of your child’s soul, you would try to stop them. You would yell at them to wake up from this adrenaline induced shooting spree. You would run into the school in an attempt to stop your child, even as you would willingly throw yourself in front of the bullets police may fire at your child in another attempt to stop them. Your love would compel you to put yourself at risk to stop the madness, but your love would not drive you to support it with additional firepower. As your child awaited trial, you and your wife would weep and cry and pray their soul would repent for their actions. You would hope against hope that your child would have a chance for a future. Those who love Palestinian and Israeli people must do the same.
Of course Hamas’ terrorism against Israeli civilians is wrong, and yet how can America encourage Israeli terrorism against Palestinians? No side is righteous here – but one side is clearly more powerful. Innocents are dying every day in this adrenaline induced madness. It must stop.
I adjure you to stop sending weapons to Israel. This conflict must end with room for future coexistence, peace, justice, and reconciliation. That future grows more distant with every dollar of military aid we inject into this conflict.
For God’s sake, please do everything within your power to stop the weapons’ flow, end this war, and encourage conditions for a just peace for Israel and Palestine.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Telfer
*Photo by Mike Labrum on Unsplash
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