Ceasefire agreement reached
Mark:
People in Gaza broke into song and dance at the news of a ceasefire. I can only imagine the relief and joy that hostages and their families have at the news that they’ll be able to be reunited soon.
This decision will save lives, it’s as simple as that.
Yet, as the announcement was made, PM Netanyahu began to hem and haw that there were still some details left to finalize tonight, and extremist Israeli ministers have boasted that they're doing all they can to stop this deal and any progress toward peace.
It just goes to show that this glimmer of hope isn’t the result of the work of the supposed leaders in these negotiations, who have time and again chosen violence over the safety of people in Israel, Gaza and around the world. It comes from the work of peace-seeking Palestinians and Israelis, hostage families, aid workers, protesters in the streets — and you.
This time last year, the Biden Administration was refusing to even utter the words ‘ceasefire’ — senior U.S. officials only got there because of pressure from people like you, as well as countless individuals and organizations here and around the world.
While I’m full of joy for the potential of this moment, I’m also heartbroken for the tens of thousands of people who died needlessly, and the hostages who have spent over a year in horrific conditions, because political leaders put their own interests above people’s lives.
Today, I can only hope that this deal comes together, when so many in recent months have fallen away — and the gratitude I have is to people like you, and the people in Israel and Palestine who have been campaigning for peace in horrific conditions.
Our leaders may not save us, but we show up for each other time and time again.
Thank you for showing up, for insisting on the right of everyone in Palestine and Israel to live with dignity and thrive without the fear of violence. Today, let us savor the hope — because tomorrow, there will be a lot we have to do together to help make sure this isn’t a temporary pause, but rather the start of a true pathway to peace and security for all.
Yours,
Sara, and the Win Without War team
First ceasefire, then Palestinian liberation.
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Today, after 15 months of the Israeli government’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, supported and enabled by the U.S. government, a 42-day ceasefire agreement was reported.
We hold tightly to the hope of a halt to the Israeli military’s
bombardments, an end to the starvation of Palestinians by the Israeli
government, a beginning of rebuilding in Gaza, and the return of
hostages held in Israel and in Gaza to their families.
The coming days and weeks during this fragile ceasefire will be critical
for the Palestine solidarity movement to turn this temporary agreement
into a full halt of the genocide, including the unrestricted flow of
humanitarian aid and an end to the Israeli military occupation and siege
of Gaza.
Since the Israeli government’s genocide began, over 47,000 Palestinians
have been killed by the Israeli military — a severe undercount, with
some estimations as high as hundreds of thousands. The Israeli military
has devastated entire neighborhoods and cities, and has razed the
centuries-old infrastructure of Palestinian life, decimating Gaza’s
healthcare infrastructure, water supplies, electricity grid, schools,
universities and cultural institutions.
We mourn each and every precious life lost. As Jews, we know that the
trauma of this campaign of annihilation will unfold for generations.
As
Americans, we understand that the Israeli genocide has been carried out
with U.S. bombs, U.S. funds, and U.S.-facilitated impunity — we
continue to demand a full weapons embargo now.
We also demand an end to the complicity of corporations that profit from
genocide. Left in the hands of the U.S. and Israeli governments,
weapons manufacturers, and warmongering institutions, this fragile
respite will not mean an end to Israeli genocide or to the violent
status quo of Israeli apartheid.
It is up to all of us to ensure that this temporary agreement is only a beginning.
Every day of the last 467 days, millions of people around the world have come together to demand an end to the genocide and Palestinian freedom. Together, we must ensure this agreement becomes a step on the path toward Palestinian liberation — the only way to achieve a just peace for all.
jewishvoiceforpeace.org e-mail of Wed Jan15 2025
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