At WDN, our work on Palestine-Israel is deeply-rooted. Many of our members have spent much of their lives grappling with their understanding of this ongoing cycle and working together to bring more justice to the region. In 2009 WDN members traveled to Gaza in the aftermath of Operation Cast Lead. In 2012, we were part of a women’s leadership mission with a congressional delegation to Palestine-Israel. And now, we are watching a humanitarian crisis unfold while our political leaders do more of the same.
We cannot repeat the same harmful patterns of the past and expect a different result. We must confront the necessary truth at this moment: there is no path to a future of safety and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians without accountability and an end to Israel’s occupation and apartheid system that is causing so much pain.
As decisions are being made in real-time by political leaders who are using this moment to cut off 2.2 million Palestinians trapped in Gaza from food, water, fuel, and electricity, we cannot remain silent. Here in our own backyard, this relentless cycle of violence is fueling a sharp rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia, including most recently the fatal stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy in Chicago who was targeted for being Muslim.
At WDN, it is precisely in difficult times such as these that we transform our pain into collective action. We did so in the aftermath of the Dobbs decision in 2022. We did so in 2020 in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd. We did so in 2016 in the aftermath of the U.S. election. And we do so now.
Violence only begets more violence. We are joining our leaders and partners who are calling for an immediate ceasefire and mobilizing resources to ensure they have the strength and capacity to lead the work ahead.
This is a moment that calls on our collective courage, moral consistency, and clarity. Our community is hurting, and must channel our collective voice, activism, and resources to advance freedom, safety and dignity for all people–beginning with the call for ceasefire.
Together we are building a community rooted in love for justice and in a vision of a world where everyone can experience the safety, dignity, and freedom we all deserve.
