Pax Christi International remains committed to its call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
On this day, the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, we reaffirm our solidarity with all our sisters and brothers in the Holy Land. For it is only when every human being is valued as a child of God that justice and peace will prevail.
We stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza as they continue to endure a nightmare of unthinkable proportion.
We stand in solidarity with the families of the hostages as they eagerly hope for their safe return.
We stand in solidarity with the people of the West Bank who are increasingly victims of settler and military violence and an on-going military occupation.
We stand in solidarity with the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem as they call out for the protection of the Armenian Quarter and other Christian holy sites.
We stand in solidarity with all those who have been displaced because of the war in Gaza, the attack of 7 October and from the unhindered demolition of houses and land confiscation in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
We stand in solidarity with the children whose every dream is threatened by the actions of their elders in pursuit of land and power.
We stand in solidarity with all those suffering from wounds of the body and spirit.
We stand in solidarity with all those who are mourning the death of a beloved family member or friend.
We stand in solidarity with all those whose cries for freedom, justice and peace go unanswered.
Indeed, the voice of Pax Christi International proclaiming solidarity with those who suffer the Gaza nightmare is both laudable and morally required. As of midnight Eastern Standard Time yesterday (29 Nov. 2023) anyone who criticizes the Zionist government of Israel according to the U.S. Congress is an anti-Semite. Ironically, the thousands of Jewish American students who both name and condemn the genocide inflicted upon the Palestinians by Israel are now de facto and de jure anti-Semites. Under our Biden administration that enables the genocide of Palestine we have a censorship that rivals that of the McCarthy era Red Scare years of the 50s. We are witnessing a complete breakdown of international law as well as a total surrender of our moral code. In a word, as a nation, we have lost our soul, not to mention our sense of decency. Perhaps more nations should follow the example of Ireland and Spain and speak out before a new Mappa Mundi without The Gaza appears.
David-Ross Gerling, PhD