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Caroline Beckwith is a college senior who lives in Hampden.
On May 26, Israel launched an airstrike on a refugee camp in a region in Gaza called Rafah. Weeks before, they had dropped leaflets on local Palestinians, designating that specific area as a safe zone and encouraging displaced people to shelter there. It was bombed anyway. Forty-five people died, some of them children. A Washington Post analysis by weapons experts days later revealed that Israel had used U.S.-made weapons to carry out the attack.
In order to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East, we need an urgent arms embargo.
The Rafah strike is not the only time that munitions from the United States have been used to kill civilians in Palestine. An October strike on a Jabaliya refugee camp killed more than 80 people, using two 2,000-pound bombs that were sent from the U.S. Four later strikes also used United States weaponry, including one in January, which targeted a refugee camp and killed 42 children.
Amnesty International condemned these attacks as unlawful war crimes. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reported that Israel receives 69 percent of its imported arms from the United States. If our government enacted an arms embargo, that would be an enormous blow to Israel’s capabilities for aggression.
The conversation surrounding this violence is a difficult one to have. Misinformation is rampant, both online and in real life. Most of us have very strong opinions on the subject — and there are indeed reasons why people might be opposed to a ceasefire and arms embargo. They might cite “Israel’s right to defend itself,” and they might believe that the best way to do that is to continue sending arms. It’s understandable that people who have been historically persecuted want to prevent that from happening — after all, as freed concentration camp prisoners said, “Never again.” However, I believe that “Never again” means “Never again for anyone,” including Palestinians.
Another justification I see for continued aggression is the desire to rescue the Israeli hostages. It’s devastating that civilians are held hostage; of course they must be freed. I believe a cease-fire and arms embargo is the best way to achieve this. Without one, the Israeli hostages will likely continue to be killed with carpet bombing and indiscriminate attacks. Israeli military officials admitted it is very likely that they inadvertently killed three hostages last November in an airstrike. A month later, they shot three escaped hostages, who were waving white flags and asking for help.
The continued aggression does not only place Israeli lives at risk — it also causes massive Palestinian suffering. Over one million Palestinians are facing famine and severe food insecurity. Ninety-seven percent of Gaza’s freshwater is contaminated. According to The Lancet, the confirmed death toll of Palestinians as of July was already at over 37,000, and over 186,000 more could die from causes such as starvation, thirst, and disease. A United Nations report revealed that over 70 percent of Gaza’s civilian buildings, such as hospitals, water sanitation facilities, and schools, have been completely destroyed.
We must stop this unthinkable violence.
Coexistence is possible, but the apartheid, the 2,000-pound bombs, and the targeting of civilians must end first. Although I cannot solve the entire crisis in the Middle East with a 600-word column, I can firmly state that an arms embargo is the first step towards reaching peace.