A call to support Palestinian rights and end the destruction in Gaza
A year after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Israel’s unrelenting attacks on the Palestinian people of Gaza make peace appear a distant dream. Now Israel has escalated its attacks on Hezbollah and the people of Lebanon, killing hundreds of civilians, including children, along with members of Hezbollah.
I am outraged and sad that my government has sent Israel over $17.9 billion in military support since last year, allowing it unrestricted access to U.S.-made weapons, including 2,000-lb bombs that have leveled whole city blocks in Gaza. In this war, as in all modern day wars, the overwhelming majority of victims are civilians. Estimates of Palestinians killed range from over 40,000 to over 100,000.
The bombs Israel has unleashed against the people of Gaza have done incalculable damage. At least 19,000 children are orphans. Israel has destroyed hundreds of educational, religious and other cultural institutions in Gaza. The Netanyahu government has also given the green light to Israeli settlers to illegally invade the West Bank and carry out lethal attacks on Palestinians.
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I have joined with many in Chicago and around the world to protest this war. I applauded the city government when it passed a resolution calling for a permanent cease-fire between Israel and Hamas last January. I have marched with thousands of peaceful protesters on the streets of Chicago calling for an end to the war. I have called and written to my elected officials, signed countless petitions and spoken with friends about this war.
The United Nations, the International Court of Justice and other multinational bodies have condemned the Israeli government’s continued violations of international law. Yet, Israeli crimes against Palestinians show no signs of abating.
As an historian and engaged citizen, I urge all those who yearn for peace to support the rights of Palestinians to land, security, health care, education and food. Please demand an end to U.S. weapons to Israel, allow humanitarian aid to reach the starving people of Gaza and restore funding to UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine.
Margaret Power, professor of history emerita, Illinois Institute of Technology, and co-chair of Historians for Peace and Democracy
Residents overreact to homeless camps in Gompers Park
I walk in Gompers Park several times a week, and, in my opinion, the residents interviewed for the Sun-Times article last week about a homeless camp resorted to hyperbole and histrionics to get their point across. Contrary to what others in the neighborhood have reported, I do not feel in danger or see garbage and destruction.
I agree that something should be done to help people living in the park to move to appropriate housing. I also agree that fire codes need to be enforced. But I am still able to enjoy the vast majority of the park as the encampments are on the very outskirts of the borders. I have pictures to prove that one can walk on most paths without encountering any tents, litter, etc.
Patricia Koch, Mayfair
Liz Cheney brings me hope
Watching Liz Cheney speaking in support of Vice President Kamala Harris at a rally in Ripon, Wisconsin, the birthplace of the Republican Party, gave me hope — no, confidence — that we can right the ship of democracy, that this great nation can survive the Donald Trump scourge, that there are many decent Americans patriotic enough to place country over party.
Cheney’s speech brought a smile to my face and filled my heart with pride and joy. In the 2024 presidential election, the Democratic party is large enough to bring together leaders whose political ideologies are as diverse as liberal Sen. Bernie Sanders and conservative Vice President Dick Cheney. The crowd who attended had it exactly right when they chanted: "Thank you Liz" and "We won't go back." What is clear is that the decision Americans will make when they cast their ballot in November is a moral, not political, one. As Cheney suggested, placing patriotism above partisanship is not an aspiration but our duty. God bless America!
Richard Cherwitz, Ph.D., professor emeritus, University of Texas at Austin