To my letter to Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman (JF), which I share below, I received a reply from him yesterday. I share his letter on his stand on the situation in Gaza. I was simply dismayed by his wreck less pro-Israeli support that has murdered nearly 10,000 Palestinian civilians. To guys like him, history started on Oct 7. Context has no meanings. Lost is the history of Palestinian dispossession since the 1940s, the daily harassment that they have been facing, the genocidal pogroms, the demolition of their homes, schools, hospitals, the armed settler attacks, the blockade, etc, etc., etc.
You may recall that 2020 witnessed a very contested election year, And so was the 2022 mid-year election in which the Republican candidate Dr Mehmet Oz ran against JF, a Democrat. I was not sure initially whether to vote for JF since Dr Oz appeared more qualified. But the latter's alignment with Donald Trump whom I detested badly did not encourage me to vote for Dr Oz, despite the fact that he was a person of Islamic faith. My nephew Shabab who works for the advocacy group - America Votes - personally came with his group from DC to campaign in favor of JF in Philadelphia. He called me personally to change my mind to vote for JF, as were my two sons. I even wrote an article on the subject of why I was voting for JF and not Dr Oz. JF looked or appeared to be a better human being during the election time. But I was wrong. As to why I am saying it, please, judge for yourself from his letter shared below as a response to my letter. He endorses genocide of Palestinians.
Shameful, criminal, despicable!
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Dear Senator,
I am appalled learning about the use of chemical weapons like White Phosphorus
by Israel in its latest attacks against the Palestinians in Gaza. It is a
serious war crime. I don't want to see my Senator approving such crimes against
humanity.
Top-down from our old presidents Carter to Obama to everyone knows about the
unsustainability of an oppressive and apartheid system that is practiced by
Israel against the indigenous people who are non-Jews. Many have voiced
their strong statements before and after their presidency, and yet succumbed to
the 'Amen Corner' when in power.
As a conscionable human being, you know better the suffering of unarmed
civilians. What is happening in Gaza in the hands of Netanyahu's government of
Israel is worse than the pains that were inflicted by Hamas militants.
Collective punishment is unlawful and a genocidal crime in international law.
Please, stop the genocidal crime of the apartheid regime in Israel. Please work
seriously for finding a just solution and cement that process by being true to
your inner soul. Half-hearted lip services and efforts that are unjust and
hypocritical will not solve the problem nor can it be ignored by overlooking
it.
I am deeply shocked by the responses that I have heard from Biden
Administration so far. It is simply disgusting and deplorable, as if the lives
of Palestinian civilians don't matter at all. We can preach about the lives of
the Ukrainians when they are bombed by Russia but when we endorse worse bombing
campaigns of Israel with the use of White Phosphorus, if it is not double
standards, what is? Succinctly put, we are sponsoring crimes of highest
proportion by endorsing the genocidal crimes of an apartheid government in
Israel.
May God guide you and others in the Capitol Hill to stop this genocide,
perpetrated by Israel, against 2.4 million people of Gaza that are encaged in
the largest concentration camp on earth in our time.
Thanks for reading.
Senator's reply:
|
October 30, 2023 Dr.
Habib Siddiqui Dear
Dr. Siddiqui: Thank
you for reaching out to my office. I appreciate hearing from you. I
forcefully condemn Hamas’s unjustified terrorist attacks on Israel. I grieve
the loss of thousands of innocent civilians, including Israelis,
Palestinians, and Americans, and am sickened by the reports of those being
held hostage. We must do everything in our power to bring them home safely
and quickly. In the
Senate, I will unequivocally support any necessary security, intelligence,
and humanitarian assistance to Israel in its time of need. The United States
has a moral obligation to stand with our ally as it confronts this terrorist
threat. It’s
critical that leaders around the world step up to prevent the spread of this
war and prioritize the health and safety of civilians caught in the violence.
To that end, I’m committed to ensuring that we are getting humanitarian aid
to the people of Gaza – and that this aid matches the need. I’ll also
continue to work with my colleagues to promote stability in the region by
continuing to advocate for solutions that will address the seemingly endless
cycle of violence. The
American response to the conflict in Israel and Gaza must be swift and
decisive. Unfortunately, our ability to act has been hampered by political
games in Washington—key ambassadorships and senior military positions remain
vacant thanks to procedural obstruction caused by small handful of my
colleagues. This political grandstanding has come at the expense of our
national and global security, and now the world is feeling the
consequences. Please
know that I am closely monitoring the ongoing conflict and will use the tools
at my disposal to bring home any Pennsylvanians who remain in the region. My
constituent services team is available to help those who are experiencing
visa or passport issues during this time and can be reached via email at casework@fetterman.senate.gov.
Additionally, if you need to notify the State Department of a U.S. Citizen
who is experiencing an emergency abroad, please call the Department at
202-485-6100 or 202-647-4000 (after hours), or contact the nearest U.S.
Embassy or Consulate in that country. Thank
you again for contacting me to share your thoughts. Please do not hesitate to
reach out in the future about other issues of importance to you. If I can be
of assistance, or if you’d like to learn more about my work on behalf of
Pennsylvanians and our commonwealth, I encourage you to visit my website, https://www.fetterman.senate.gov/. Sincerely, |
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