Concerned Families of Westchester Newsletter
March 24, 2024
Hello All – When Concerned Families of Westchester was formed shortly after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, our focus was on stopping or minimizing the civilian casualties that were inevitable in the war(s) that loomed on the horizon. We have maintained this focus for the past 22 years, and the horror of civilian casualties in war has never been more obvious than it is today. From the day after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th, we have called for a ceasefire and the provision of humanitarian aid in Gaza. Our "demands" and messaging during our weekly peace vigils in Hastings are directed at what we want our government to do – not at foreign governments (Israel) or entities (Hamas), but to our own government. During the coming week, three critical issues will task our government with making decisions that may (or may not) move towards ending the Genocide now underway in Gaza.
The first decision is responding to the prospect of mass starvation in Gaza. The problem is especially acute in north Gaza, cut off from all humanitarian aid deliveries entering Gaza in the south, and where people are going without meals and babies are starving. If we assume that the main issue for Biden re: the Gaza war is to ensure that it won't jeopardize his re-election, that moment has now come and gone, largely propelled by the visuals and horror stories of civilians starving, while food trucks are blockaded nearby. All agencies connected with food delivery in Gaza say that air-dropping ready-to-eat meals and building a maritime port on Gaza's waterfront are ineffective strategies to prevent starvation, and that re-opening the truck-crossing in Rafah is the only practical avenue. So far, Biden has refused to pressure Israel to allow such a step. The longer this continues, the rage expressed by world opinion at Biden will grow, and his domestic "approval ratings" will continue to shrink. What will he do?
The second decision concerns the negotiations now underway at the UN Security Council for a ceasefire resolution. Negotiations are also underway in Qatar, attending by the CIA chief Burns and his counterparts from Israel and Egypt. Ten days ago, Hamas modified its main bargaining position by dropping the demand for a permanent ceasefire in exchange for any release of hostages. Their demand now seems to be that a significant number of hostages can be released during a temporary ceasefire, after which the remaining hostages (mostly male IDF soldiers) would be released once a permanent ceasefire has been achieved. The US proposed a resolution at the UN Security Council last week that, for the first time, used the word "ceasefire" (much to the applause of elite media, etc.) but proposed only a temporary ceasefire, and on this ground it was rejected in the Security Council by Algeria and vetoed by Russia and China. On Monday a more realistic resolution will be introduced by a coalition on non-permanent members of the Security Council: will the US veto this once again? How will Congress, world opinion, Democratic voters respond if a veto happens?
Finally, there is growing support in Congress (and in the country) for "conditioning": aid to Israel on the basis of its treatment of civilians in the Gaza War. Already, 17 Senators have asked President Biden to stop the shipment of "offensive weapons" to Israel. And on Monday, Israel is required to submit a memorandum to the US/Biden affirming that it is taking necessary steps to allow humanitarian aid to reach civilians in Gaza. The response to the Israeli declaration by the Biden people, by Congress, and by the rest of the world will be important: if the Biden people give a "pass" to an obviously BS statement by Israel, outrage may follow.
All of the "issues" described above lead quickly to the need for a ceasefire in Gaza. This has already been rejected by the Netanyahu government, which says it will go ahead with it plans for a genocidal "ground operation" in Gaza, now home to 1.5 million refugees from elsewhere in Gaza. Public opinion in the US against this war and the Biden administration's support for it has already had some effect; we have to keep up the pressure.
Illuminating the War on Gaza This Week
(Video) Israel's Ultimate Goal Is Ethnic Cleansing: Dr. Mustafa Barghouti on Growing Famine and the Al-Shifa Attack
From Democracy Now! [March 19, 2024]
---- Famine is imminent in northern Gaza. That's according to a U.N.-backed report published Monday. The latest findings say virtually everyone in Gaza is struggling to get enough food and that nearly a third of the population of 2.3 million people are experiencing the highest levels of catastrophic hunger. At least 27 people, mostly children, have died from malnutrition and dehydration in the north. According to the new report, the death rate is expected to accelerate and reach famine levels soon. [And much more.] … We're joined by Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, Palestinian physician, activist, politician. He serves as general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative. He's joining us from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. [See the Program]
With Aid Waiting Just Beyond Their Reach, Malnutrition Among Gaza's Children Keeps Spreading
By Amira Hass, Haaretz [Israel] [March 20, 2024]
---- The maritime aid corridor has received much attention, but organizations in Gaza say overland supplies are essential to meet urgent humanitarian needs. The UN has documented 16 cases of shootings at aid convoys, and organizations believe Israeli troops are behind most of them. Aid agencies with experience working in Gaza say that even if the U.S. completes the construction of a floating pier off the Gaza coast within two months, the maritime corridor can't replace a land route and can't meet 2 million people's urgent need for supplies of food and water, in addition to essential items like mattresses, clothes, hygiene products, cleaning supplies, and spare parts for destroyed water infrastructure, especially in northern Gaza. The quickest way to aid is still on trucks on the ground. [Read More] Also of interest – "Organizing Aid to Gaza Led Me to a Harsh Truth: Biden Is on Board for Ethnic Cleansing," by Amed Khan, The Intercept [March 23, 2024] [Link] and "'Man-made starvation': the obstacles to Gaza aid deliveries – visual guide," by Ana Lucía González Paz, et al., The Guardian [UK] [March 22, 2024] [Link]. And two excellent videos: Israeli historian Elon Pappe spoke on The Electronic Intifada about "Starvation as a Weapon" [Link], starting at 13:24; and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gave an impassioned speech in the House of Representatives, stating "There is no world in which the forced famine of 1.1 million people cannot be considered genocide" [LInk].
The Bowman Campaign
Concerned Families of Westchester is supporting Jamaal Bowman in the congressional Democratic primary election (June 25th). Last week we collected petition signatures at the Hastings farmers market. To get involved in the campaign, go to https://www.bowmanforcongress.com/. We also endorsed William Wagstaff for Westchester District Attorney (Who is he? Go here.). And there is strong support for casting a Blank Ballot in the Democratic presidential primary on April 2nd. (Why do this? Go here.) Jamaal Bowman's opponent, George Latimer, is heavily funded by the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC (American Israel Political Action Committee). AIPAC has been endorsing/supporting/bribing many "moderate" Democrats and well as many Republicans to secure support for Israel in Congress. It is an ugly picture, a threat to what is left of our democracy. Below are links to some useful articles exploring and explaining AIPAC.
How AIPAC supports Israel's far Right Likud Party over Democratic America
By Jeffrey Rudolph, Informed Comment [March 19, 2024]
---- While the NYT article accurately highlights AIPAC's involvement in financing electoral campaigns against left-leaning Democrats perceived as not adequately supportive of Israel, it overlooks AIPAC's broader antidemocratic effects. For example, AIPAC raises funds for many right-wing politicians, including individuals commonly described as insurrectionists. In the 2022 midterm elections, AIPAC endorsed 109 Republican candidates who voted in favor of overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election. [Read More]
A Statement From Jewish Americans Opposing AIPAC
"We will support candidates who are opposed by AIPAC, and who are advocates for peace and a new, just US policy toward Israel/Palestine." Jewish Americans Opposing AIPAC [FB - Signed by more than 100 people.] ---- We are Jewish Americans who have varying perspectives. We've come together to highlight and oppose the unprecedented and damaging role of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and its allied groups in US elections, especially within Democratic Party primaries. We recognize that the purpose of AIPAC's interventions in electoral politics is to defeat any critics of Israeli government policy and to support candidates who vow unwavering loyalty to Israel, thereby ensuring the United States' continuing support for all that Israel does, regardless of its violence and illegality. [Read More]
CFOW Nuts & Bolts
Please consider getting involved with Concerned Families of Westchester. Weather permitting we meet for a protest/rally each Saturday in Hastings, at 12 noon at the VFW Plaza (Warburton and Spring St.) A "Black Lives Matter/Say Their Names" vigil is held in Yonkers on the first Monday of the month (next is April 1st) from 5:30 to 6:00 pm at the intersection of Warburton Ave. and Odell. Our newsletter is archived at https://cfow.blogspot.com/; and news of interest and coming events is posted on our CFOW Facebook page. Another Facebook page focuses on the climate crisis. If you would like to join one of our Zoom meetings, each Tuesday and Thursday at noon, please send a return email for the link. If you would like to support our work by making a contribution, please send your check to CFOW, PO Box 364, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706. Thanks!
Rewards!
The Rewards for stalwart Newsletter readers this week are ripped from the daily Sports Pages, which featured many terrific videos about the world ice-skating championships. One of my favorites was about 17-year-old Isabeau Levito from Mt. Holly, NJ, shown in this amazing video. And then there is the story of the incredible Kamila Valieva of Russia, who in the 2021 championships gave one of the greatest "free skating" performances of all time. What happened to Kamila Valieva? A victim of the new, new Cold War? Read "How the West Upended the World's Best Figure Skater To Undermine Russia" [Link]. Say NO to war!
Best wishes,
Frank Brodhead
For CFOW
CFOW Weekly Reader
Featured Articles & Essays
A Revolution in American Foreign Policy
By Bernie Sanders, Foreign Affairs [March 18, 2024]
---- A sad fact about the politics of Washington is that some of the most important issues facing the United States and the world are rarely debated in a serious manner. Nowhere is that more true than in the area of foreign policy. For many decades, there has been a "bipartisan consensus" on foreign affairs. Tragically, that consensus has almost always been wrong. Whether it has been the wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, the overthrow of democratic governments throughout the world, or disastrous moves on trade, such as entering the North American Free Trade Agreement and establishing permanent normal trade relations with China, the results have often damaged the United States' standing in the world, undermined the country's professed values, and been disastrous for the American working class. This pattern continues today. [Read More]
(Video) Working Class Democracy and the Question of Palestine
[FB – Favorite historian Robin D. G. Kelley speaks about the (largely unknown) history of American and worldwide workers supporting the Palestinian freedom struggle. – 30 minutes]. From Boston Review (March 18, 2024)] [See the Program]
The Great Rupture in American Jewish Life
By Peter Beinart, New York Times [March 22, 2024]
---- For the last decade or so, an ideological tremor has been unsettling American Jewish life. Since Oct. 7, it has become an earthquake. It concerns the relationship between liberalism and Zionism, two creeds that for more than half a century have defined American Jewish identity. In the years to come, American Jews will face growing pressure to choose between them. They will face that pressure because Israel's war in Gaza has supercharged a transformation on the American left. Solidarity with Palestinians is becoming as essential to leftist politics as support for abortion rights or opposition to fossil fuels. … The emerging rupture between American liberalism and American Zionism constitutes the greatest transformation in American Jewish politics in half a century. It will redefine American Jewish life for decades to come. [Read More]
The One Idea That Could Save American Democracy
By Astra Taylor and Leah Hunt-Hendrix, New York Times [March 21, 2024]
---- Winning elections is critical, especially as liberal and progressive forces try to fend off radical right-wing movements. But the democratic crisis that our society faces will not be solved by voting alone. We need to do more than defeat Donald Trump and his allies — we need to make cultivating solidarity a national priority. … Both means and end, solidarity can be a source of power, built through the day-to-day work of organizing, and our shared purpose. Solidarity is the essential and too often missing ingredient of today's most important political project: not just saving democracy but creating an egalitarian, multiracial society that can guarantee each of us a dignified life. [Read More]. Also interesting is this interview with the authors: "'Organising is the best kind of antidepressant': Astra Taylor and Leah Hunt-Hendrix on solidarity," by Amy Fleming, The Guardian [UK] [March 23, 2024] [Link].
Standing With Palestinians. Reflecting on the past 60 years.
By Angela Y. Davis, Hammer and Hope [March 2024]
---- Solidarity with Palestinians and their decades-long struggle in defense of their land, culture, and freedom has long been a central theme of my political life. I am gratified to see so many young people — especially young Black people — supporting the struggle in Palestine today. The emotional turbulence so many of us have experienced for the past five months as we've witnessed the unprecedented damage the Israeli military has inflicted reminds me just how central the Palestinian quest for justice is to liberation struggles here in the U.S. and in other parts of the world, as well as to my own sense of self in our extremely complicated political world. … Some might say that the issues driving the George Floyd mobilizations and the current protests against the war on Gaza are different. But are they? [Read More]
The Zone of Interest is about the danger of ignoring atrocities – including in Gaza
By Naomi Klein, The Guardian [UK] [March 14, 2024]
---- It's an Oscar tradition: a serious political speech pierces the bubble of glamour and self-congratulation. Warring responses ensue. Some proclaim the speech an example of artists at their culture-shifting best; others an egotistical usurpation of an otherwise celebratory night. Then everyone moves on. Yet I suspect that the impact of Jonathan Glazer's time-stopping speech at last Sunday's Academy Awards will be significantly more lasting, with its meaning and import analyzed for many years to come. Glazer was accepting the award for best international film for The Zone of Interest, which is inspired by the real life of Rudolf Höss, commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp. [Read More] Also of interest is "Hit Dogs Holler: What the Backlash Against Jonathan Glazer Says About Israel's Defenders," by David Klion, The Nation [March 22, 2024][Link]. Also of interest – "Apologists for Israel's Mass Murder in Gaza Fall Back on 'Antisemitism' Claims," by Norman Solomon, Antiwar.com [March 21, 2024] [Link]; and "Art During Wartime," by Barry Schwabsky, The Nation [March 14, 2024] [Link].
Some War Reisters/Heroes
In Memoriam Aaron Bushnell 1999-2024
By Radha Surya, ZNet [March 22, 2024]
---- His utterance was matter of fact, almost devoid of passion. He was walking rapidly toward the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC at the time, and it's not surprising he sounded as if he was somewhat out of breath. He would have rehearsed the words in advance. Every aspect of his planning was impeccable–from informing news sources in advance of the protest that was to take place to live streaming both his statement and the culminating action of setting himself on fire. With moral courage of the kind that is all but impossible even to conceive, all but impossible to replicate, he did everything in his power to maximize the impact of his self-immolation and to ensure his message Free Palestine blazed strong and clear across the world. And so having set the stage for the concluding act of his life, twenty-five-year-old Aaron Bushnell perished in the most excruciating manner possible. [Read More]
Israel's Conscientious Objectors Stand on the Shoulders of Giants
By Ariel Gold, Fellowship of Reconciliation [March 22, 2024]
---- According to legend, the organization I lead, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, was founded in August 1914 when a British Quaker and a German Lutheran shook hands at a railway station in Cologne. … Political activist and theologian A.J. Muste responded to his country's gearing up for war by becoming a pacifist. His views resulted in him being forced out of his pastoral position. Likewise, pacifist and social reformer Jane Addams (who later went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize) was viciously criticized for calling the war "an insane outburst." Despite the pro-war hysteria that countries use to justify their military endeavors, conscientious objection remains a courageous option for those committed to peace. As the ongoing genocide of Palestinians unfolds in front of the eyes of the world, a couple of young Israelis are choosing this brave, though unpopular, path. [Read More]
The War in Gaza
(Video) October 7 [60 minutes]
From Al Jazeera Investigations [March 20, 2024]
---- Hamas's incursion into Israel on October 7 transformed the politics of the Middle East. In "October 7," the I-Unit reveals widespread human rights abuses by Hamas fighters and others who followed them through the fence from Gaza into Israel. But the investigation also found that many of the worst stories that came out in the days following the attack were false. This was especially true of atrocities that were used repeatedly by politicians in Israel and the West to justify the ferocity of the bombardment of the Gaza Strip, such as the mass killing of babies and allegations of widespread and systematic rape. … "October 7" is a deep dive into the events that led to the deaths of tens of thousands of people, the significance of which will reverberate for decades. [See the Program] Also of interest is this documentary film, "Palestine 1920: The Other Side of the Palestinian Story," from Aljazeera [Link].
The US Role in the War
(Video) Who is arming Israel's war on Gaza?
From Aljazeera ["Inside Story"] [March 20, 2024]
---- Weapons manufacturers could face legal scrutiny for supplying Israel. Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed at least 31,923 Palestinians, has relied mostly on Western arms and technology. Which producers are supplying Israel with arms? And could there be legal consequences? [Several interesting guests/speakers – 30 minutes] [See the Program].
The War on Gaza Comes With a Label: "Made in the USA"
By Priti Gulati Cox and Stan Cox, The Nation [March 21, 2024]
---- It's been almost two months since the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to stop killing Gazans and destroying their means of subsistence. So let's look back and ask (1) how Israel has responded to its "orders," and (2) how hard the Biden administration has pushed Israel to abide by those orders. Spoiler alert: the short answers are (1) not well and (2) not very. … The court's first order prohibited "killing members" of the Palestinian population or "causing serious bodily or mental harm" to them. How did Israel respond? Consider that, between late December 2023 and January 21st of this year, the IDF had killed about 5,000 Palestinians, already pushing the death toll in the Gaza Strip past 25,000. The court's order, issued days later, would have essentially zero effect. Another 5,000-plus Palestinians would be killed by late February, raising the death toll to more than 30,000. [Read More]
Also of interest – "Joe Biden Is Shipping Weapons to Israel Every 36 Hours," by Stephen Semler, Jacobin Magazine [March 2024] [Link]; and "Rights Groups Demand US End Weapon Shipments to Israel," by Kyle Anzalone, Libertarian Institute [March 21, 2024] [Link].
The US/Israeli Campaign Against UNRWA
U.S. Set to Bar UNRWA Funding Through March 2025 – a Potential Critical Blow for the UN Agency
By Ben Samuels, Haaretz [Israel] [March 21, 2024]
---- The fate of the UN agency dedicated to Palestinian refugees may well have been revealed, after U.S. congressional leaders released the text of the final batch of spending bills that need to be passed this weekend to avoid a government shutdown.The bills, released overnight, include what amounts to a year-long ban on U.S. funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, known as UNRWA. This amounts to a devastating blow and a potential death knell for the organization that had been responsible for navigating Gaza's humanitarian crisis prior to the international community's halted funding in January, following Israeli allegations that at least 12 UNRWA staffers participated in the October 7 attack. [Read More] Also useful/of interest – "U.S. cuts UNRWA funding as famine looms for Gaza," by Michael Arria, Mondoweiss [March 23, 2024] [Link]; "U.S. Doubles Down on Defunding UNRWA — Despite Flimsy Allegations," by Prem Thakker, The Intercept [March 22, 2024] [LInk]; and "Defunding UNRWA Was Never About Hamas," by Yousef Aljamal, In These Times [March 21, 2024] [Link].
The War at Home
Ceasefire resolutions are building organizing power throughout the U.S.
By Michael Arria, Mondoweiss [March 22, 2024]
---- Since Israel began its assault on Gaza last October, we've seen ceasefire resolutions passed across cities small and large, from Belfast, Maine to Seattle. The Building Movement Project (BMP) and Muslims for Just Futures maintain a tracker that focuses on resolutions passed by local and state institutions across the United States. As of March 19th, 107 ceasefire resolutions have passed and another 33 have been proposed. … While few national lawmakers have embraced calls for a ceasefire, polls show that there's firm support for one among the U.S. public. A February Data for Progress poll found that 67% of likely U.S. voters support a ceasefire, including 77% of Democrats. [Read More].
From October 7 to mid-February, Biden had delivered twenty-one thousand bombs to Israel, and Israel had already dropped half of them.
By Stephen Semler, Jacobin Magazine [March 2024]
---- Israel lacks the production capacity to prosecute one of the deadliest, most intense bombing campaigns in history relying only on its own munitions. Israel's assault on Gaza continues because Biden thinks it should continue. If he thought otherwise, he would shut down the weapons pipeline he constructed to enable it. In a recent poll, 52 percent of Americans said the United States should halt weapons transfers to Israel, while only 27 percent said they should continue. Among 2020 Biden voters, the margin was 62 to 14 percent. [Read More]
The Role of the Mainstream Media
Flour Massacre Called 'Aid-Related Deaths'—Rather Than Part of Israel's Engineered Famine
By Robin Andersen, FAIR [Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting] [March 22, 2024]
---- Over 100 Palestinians were killed and hundreds more wounded on February 29, when Israeli snipers opened fire on people approaching a convoy of trucks carrying desperately needed supplies of flour. The attack was quickly dubbed the flour massacre. Corporate media reporting was contentious and confused, mired in accusations and conflicting details that filled the news hole, even as media downplayed the grave conditions in Gaza created by Israel's engineered famine. … As the genocide enters its sixth month, media analysts, investigative reporters and social media users have become adept at recognizing pro-Israeli contortions and patterns of language that justify Israel's war on Gaza. This has become an essential aspect in exposing Israel's genocide. [Read More] Also of interest is "Establishment Papers Fell Short in Coverage of Genocide Charges," by Lara-Nour Walton, FAIR [March 21, 2024] [Link].
Our History
(Video) Rachel Corrie: Parents & Friend Remember U.S. Activist Crushed by Israeli Bulldozer in Rafah in 2003
---- We mark the 21st anniversary of the death of Rachel Corrie, the 23-year-old U.S. peace activist who was crushed to death by an Israeli soldier driving a military bulldozer on March 16, 2003. Corrie was in Rafah with the International Solidarity Movement to monitor human rights abuses and protect Palestinian homes from destruction when she was killed. Rachel Corrie has since become a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinian people. We speak with Corrie's parents, Cindy and Craig, who say they have met many Palestinians over the years who continue to honor their daughter's memory. [See the Program]. Also of interest is "Rachel Corrie Gave Her Life for Palestine," by Tom Dale, Jacobin Magazine [March 2024] [Link].
William Carlos Williams: Poet of the Left
By Ciarán O'Rourke, Hard Crackers [March 19, 2024]
---- "A labor revolution by a society seeking to be in fact classless", declared the poet William Carlos Williams in 1936, "is both great and traditionally American in its appeal." Often presented by literary critics as a liberal with paternalistic instincts towards the working poor, Williams was in fact one of the most exuberantly left-wing poets of his generation: a socialistic chronicler of proletarian scenes and settings in his native New Jersey, where he served as a pediatrician and doctor-on-call for over forty years. "I'm a radical!", he exclaimed in a late interview, "I write modern poetry, baby!" [Read More]
