The rules of law are being willfully disregarded

Today I received an email from Defense for Children International-Palestine. Israeli forces fatally shot 2-year-old Laila Mohammad Ayman Khatib in a village south of Jenin in the occupied West Bank. She was having dinner with her family. Israeli snipers in a house across the street reportedly fired 4 bullets through their living room window. One bullet struck Laila in the back of the head. Her grandfather rushed her to the hospital, but she died.

Her picture made me think of my own daughters at that age, and of my grand-daughters at that age. What does it take to make us all see that the billions of dollars given to Israel for “defense” are being used to execute and massacre any and all Palestinians? Every country has a right to defend itself, but this is not defense. This is genocide. Military aid given to foreign security forces is illegal when used to violate human rights with impunity, under the Leahy Laws. I have written to my congressional representatives, good people, for years, with no change in their stance toward Israel’s aggression. I’m sorry, but they no longer represent me, and I’m done keeping them in office. Check out the group Taxpayers Against Genocide, who have initiated a class action suit against their congressional representatives in California. Our American values of respect for human rights, for the dignity of every person, and the rules of law are being willfully disregarded.

— Jane Thomas, Boulder