Boston faith leaders call for Gaza ceasefire

Watch out for AIPAC. They may come after you.

It's not peace these advocates want, so much as condemnation of Israel, which is only defending itself against years of attacks against its civilian population.

Take, for example, Bishop Shaw of the Episcopal Church who is a well known outspoken critic of the State of Israel. He protested Israel outside the Boston Consulate a month after the September 11th terrorist attacks and has also advocated that the Episcopal Church divest itself from companies doing business with the State of Israel. Hardly a neutral, unbiased advocate of peace.

The larger story here may be the growing anti semitism of the American Left.

Where were all of these "well meaning" people when rockets were falling daily on Israeli civilians, inlcuding children, for years? Did these people issue calls for the rockets to stop? not a chance. Only when Israel responds--and then only after repeated public warnings--do all of these concerned individuals decide to go public.
The level of hypocrisy here is mind boggling.

Let them all pray to GOD that the killing stops. Wait a minute Hamas is a terrorist group that doesn't mind blowing up people of all faiths and hiding among civilians like the cowards they are. Until these so called religious leaders start condemning all acts of murder by Islamic groups around the world maybe they can have something to say, For now just SHUT UP.

yawn....

Hmm, interesting, there is no condemnation of the War crimes committed by Hamas against both israelis and Gazans. These people dont want peace, just to appease evil. Shame on them. The only way to make peace is to condemn the terrorists and make sure its not acceptable. Then peace is possible. None of the people I see listed are those of faith I respect or know, at least well. Makes me wonder about the liberal left and their policy against peace and for appeasement.

The signatories are guilty of moral blindness.  They fail to recognize that Israel has an obligation to defend its citizens from the Hamas regime that seeks to liquidate Israel.   An immediate cease-fire will allow the Hamas regime to continue to re-arm and to launch rockets on Israeli.  The perpetuation of the Hamas regime will make it impossible for there ever to be a two-state solution.  Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan recognize that Hamas poses a threat to the Mideast.  It is ironic that so-called "progressives" are enabling Hamas to stay in power.   If Americans really want there to be a Palestinian state in the West Bank, they must recognize that the elimination of Hamas extremism is a pre-condition.  Fortunately, most American citizens have more common sense than the naive left-wing clerics who are "useful idiots".   That is why ordinary Americans of all religious denominations understand that Israel should fight Hamas in Gaza rather let Hamas continue to inflict terror on those living in southern Israel.  While the leftist clerics can feel very self-righteous, they are too myopic to realize that their pro-appeasement policies are anti-peace.

I applaud this statement and the courage of the people and organizations that signed it. The Israeli government hides behind "we have to defend ourselves" when the scale of their offensive is so disproportionate to the rockets of Hamas. Further, has neither side learned that bombs lead to more bombs and violence to more violence? Finally, the US role in this violence must be noted: these are our weapons, purchased with our tax dollars. US military aid to Israel is conditioned on Israel buying arms from the USA, so this is cynical ploy to continue to sell arms so that the USA can maintain its bloated military.

A good investment of our tax dollars, against Hamas. And shame on the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church. How far they have fallen. And yes, #2 comment, the larger picture here is the growing anti-semitism of the liberal left. All the pope could do while the Jews were burning in the Holocaust was to "offer prayers". The UMC's "social justice" means vilifying Israel. No disproportionate response here, #8. 8000 rockets over the past years add up. Have you looked at any of the websites showing Israeli casualties of these rockets?

Israel has political parties that advocate what amounts to ethnic cleansing. Talk about moral blindness. What about the Palestinian right to exist? What about their right to an armed resistance against occupation, genocide, mass deportation, land confiscation, starvation, etc., etc., etc.?

People who support Israel are very good at talking about what's expected of others, and what Israel has a right to do. Yet for some reason, they can never bring themselves to terms with what Israel's moral obligations are. Stop blaming the victim. It's pathetic and it's turning the world against you.

"Hmm, interesting, there is no condemnation of the War crimes committed by Hamas against both israelis and Gazans."

What about what the Israelis are doing? What about the ghettos, the settlements?

"None of the people I see listed are those of faith I respect or know, at least well."

Ah, David - I see you're a beacon of intelligence!

Don,
The people of the Gaza Strip have been prevented from any hope of freedom by the blockades of the Israeli's. If I were made to live like that, I'd sure as hell be firing rockets at my captors.
How about acknowledging that the body count is in fact, very disproportionate, and always has been.

Since 2000, four times as many Palestinian civilians have been killed in the conflict as Israeli citizens.

"I applaud this statement and the courage of the people and organizations that signed it. "

You have got to be kidding....signing a letter is "courage"?

I also applaud the statement...and want especially to thank the following signers whom I know, or know of: Antal, Carter, Gordis, Hiatt, Solomont, Spitzer, Stendahl,
(--and to greet Michael Paulson!) --Bradbury Seasholes

The Palestinians are amazing people. After 60 years of occupation, limited access to water, food, medicine. Being terrorized by a much larger army financed by the United States, they still manage to keep their heads up. I cannot believe that Americans (who fought a war of Independence) actually are supporting Israel in this matter. Man, if these same Americans were alive 300 years they would call George Washington the biggest terrorist of all time!

The world community is pressuring the United States to stop arming and giving diplomatic immunity to Israel.
This Israeli bombing of Gaza is inhumane and criminal.
It amounts to Genocide and those responsible ought to be brought before an international criminal court of justice.

The corporate fascist media in the U.S are nothing but Zionist apologists.

The time has come for Israel to STOP once and for all its evil colonial occupation of Palestine.
We have had enough with this domination, this unjust war against the Palestinians.
Israel has engaged in an ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people, and in a outgoing expansion
of their Jewish settlements on Palestinian territories for years now.

Hamas is a consequence of the brutal, abusive and ruthless Israeli occupation.
The Palestinian people and Hamas are simply resisting and fighting for their freedom.
It's a struggle for liberation and self determination.
And for an autonomy and sovereignty that Israel has deny them for way too long now.

As long as Israel continues its heinous crimes against the Palestinians
There will be no "security for Israel" and no peace in the middle east.

We owe it to the Palestinian people to have autonomy over their territories without Israeli intervention,
occupation and control of their borders.

All the Palestinians want is a sovereign Palestinian state or Palestinian territories.
And a peaceful coexistence with Israel.

Guillermo Kuhl
gkuhl3@bellsouth.net

http://www.rense.com/1.mpicons/dees1.htm
http://www.rense.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt.
He has been given a large brain by mistake, science for him the spinal cord would fully suffice.
This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once.
Heroism at command, senseless brutality, deplorable love-of-country stance, how violently I hate all this,
how despicable an ignorable war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action!
It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder." (Albert Einstein)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Both sides want peace and definitely not war. One would expect agreement to stop the war; but that would be against what God said would happen. He always stirred up enemies for the disobedient. In this case, both are disobedient. He ONLY promises peace for obedience.

Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 are God's eternal promises for blessing and 4 x 7 curses according to following His word or not. (Qur’an 39.24) The children of Israel were told not to add to or change God's word, including the Books of Moses and prophets.

A Messiah was expected that they must follow.(Deut. 18). Many believe Jesus Christ was that Messiah, but after the Catholics took away all God's teachings through Moses (300+AD), no reformer has corrected that error. The continuing error says that Jesus did away with the Law of Moses through the cross. That is a lie and would make him a false prophet. (Deut. 13).

Muhammad came in 600+AD with a message to follow the whole Bible; be not divided therein. None of the three religions and their offshoots follow the word of God as it is written. They follow teachings of errors passed down. We must live as Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone; but by EVERY word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4 repeats what God said to Moses in Deut. 8:3.) With that message, Jesus can be the Messiah. “It is written” destroys the enemies of God.

God always sends a deliverer to Israel and those who love Him; but deliverance only comes when they accept and follow His word. God’s messengers do not come alone; they come with the word of God through all the prophets that came before. Always, it is not the prophet or the messenger; it is God . God never goes against His word.

(Qur’an, Ahmad. Numbers:5.68, 69; 42.14-16; 3.85; 29.47; 2.41, 42, 64, 125; 4.93, 94; 5.13-16; 5.29, 33; and in older Qur’an 7.158, 159 guides to follow one other than Muhammad, Jesus-Isa)