ben

I’m grieving the deaths of the two Israeli soldiers killed in Hebron today, and praying for the full & speedy recovery of those who were injured. I’ve spoken out loudly this week against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, which imposes violence on a daily basis, and I will continue to do so. But violence is not the path to ending it — or to achieving safety, freedom, and peace for both Palestinians and Israelis. And neither is collective punishment or ethnic cleansing of an entire neighborhood, or punishing millions of people for the criminal act of two, which Netanyahu has promised to enact in response. I’ve seen a lot this week and I’ll have more to say about in the coming days (I’m on my way home shortly). There is a path to ending this excruciating cycle of violence. It starts by insisting that every life is sacred, that everyone is created in God’s image. For now: Shabbat Shalom, to everyone who believes in the hard work of making peace & justice a reality, for everyone.