It is worth setting the record straight (Letters, Herald, Sept. 12). After all, propaganda is what's allowed the holocaust in Gaza and the West Bank to start and continue for nearly two years. Mr. Perlmutter was actually told that mass rapes and beheaded babies have been widely refuted (Le Monde, Apr. 3, 2024).
Whereas, those of us watching this live streamed genocide have witnessed numerous babies with their heads mutilated and Palestinian hostages being raped. The violation of Palestinians by the Israeli Occupation Forces has been widely documented (CNN, May 11, 2024).
Israeli settlers were so enraged at the IOF being held to account for their sexual violence, they rioted for the right to rape (The Jerusalem Post, Aug. 11, 2024).
Journalists, protected under international law, have been targeted through Hasbara, Israel’s public diplomacy efforts aimed at shaping public opinion in its favor.
We all have “skin in the game,” as we are all complicit in the atrocities of our government, which supplies much of the money and weapons for this barbarity. We have Palestinian and Arab members whose families have been displaced by, and are directly affected by, Israel's brutality.
Additionally, calling keffiyehs, traditional head scarves, and a sacred symbol of Palestinians' resiliency and resistance, “silly” is highly disrespectful and culturally insensitive.
Lastly, Israel was created in 1948. It is not “thousands of years old.”
Conflating Judaism with Zionism, with a state orchestrating a genocide with no regard for actual Jewish safety, is extremely dangerous. One of our organization's objectives is education. I hope this helps.
Jodi Underwood, Durango Palestine Solidarity Coalition
Bayfield
