I Will Not Stand By
Hi,
My name is Kate Deutsch. I'm a 17-year-old female, born and raised in Israel. I have sent this letter by e-mail to everyone in my address book and I hope they forward it to people who have never heard of me. I want this message to be read by as many people as possible.
I'm angry. I'm so angry that I find it hard to concentrate on regular things. Israel has been fighting against terror since before it was a formal state. I really don't understand much in politics. I'm a pacifist; I hate violence. But I'm learning that today it's the way things are solved. So here is my piece of the pie.
I have been sending out all kinds of speeches that I've read, but I still feel that there is so much more to say. The American government wants the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces- note the name of our army, DEFENSE! forces) out of area A and B. It wants us to sit quietly and not retaliate when people get murdered here every day! Children who have done nothing to harm anyone, who live right in Jerusalem, are listening to shooting matches outside their windows. I hear this too. I sat on a bus listening to those deep booming noises from the tanks outside Gilo. and I felt anger, a deep, painful anger.
Why is it OK for the American government to make deals with Arab leaders who give money to terror organizations? Why is it OK to say they don't want our assistance publicly, but seek it secretly? Am I the only one who sees how idiotic this is??? How wrong it is???? Is America so consumed in its own peace of mind that it has no human decency left??
I have never lived in America though I've visited it numerous times and I loved it. I found people open-minded and decent; so where are all these people now???
The other night at my youth group activity, I heard the chilling testimony of a young man who had been in a bombing, and it was on my way home that I heard the tanks shooting and the helicopters circling above. If I could, I would get up on the highest mountain and shout my rage, my frustration, my feeling of helplessness.
When Israel kills Arab leaders in the territories who plan bombs, who plan walking suicide bombs, we do it with as minimal damage as possible, and get CRITICIZED (!) by the American government who started a war on a poor land ruled by dictators!!!
Where is the sense? Where is the logic? Haven't we learned anything at all this past century?? Haven't we learned that violence isn't the answer?? Why are we letting this go on??
I have no answers. I have no solutions. All I have is hope. I want to get people to take a stand in making a change in how we solve our differences. Please pass this on. Please let this be a sign, a wake-up call. Please take a stand. This has nothing to do with nationality, nothing to do with religion; this has to do with one thing and one thing alone, human lives.
I would be very pleased to receive comments.
Kate
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