Fort Wayne rally for Palestine

Many thanks to Indiana Center for Middle East Peace, Inc. and for the people who showed up to support #Palestine.

Below is the text of my speech

When I was asked to speak today, I was overcome with a sense of “I don’t want to be here”

I don’t want to be here today

I don’t want you to be here today

Let me rephrase,

I wish we didn’t HAVE to be here today.

I wish we gathered for different reasons
but here we are again caught in a seemingly endless cycle of Israeli aggression followed by an outcry from concerned citizens hoping to get some meaningful action

Ladies and gentlemen
Peace seekers everywhere

I.....AM......TIRED

I am tired of reading and hearing in the news mind blowing numbers of “people who died in a conflict”

I am tired of having to correct the word died to killed....mercilessly, indiscriminately, callously

I am tired of having to elaborate on the word “people” to spell out the fact that those killed are Palestinian civilians of whom the majority are women and children

I am tired of having to explain that when a colonialist, expansionist, apartheid regime invades and continually occupies a peaceful nation it is NOT a conflict

I am tired of how the life of a Palestinian has been reduced to the price of the indiscriminate bullet that is fired towards her

I am tired of our government, regardless of make up, annually giving $3.8 billion in foreign military financing to Israel,

I am tired of our government having used its veto power 53 times against draft U.N. Security Council resolutions critical of Israel

I am tired of the current administration, despite the current situation, approving over $750 million in military aid to Israel

I am tired of the complacency and complicity of those who cowardly hide behind the “it’s complicated”

I am tired of saying that my father who passed away last month, was 8 years old when he witnessed the ethnic cleansing of his hometown to establish Israel 73 years ago

I am tired of the absurdity of being blamed for being a victim

I am TIRED of trying to prove my humanity

I AM TIRED

WE ARE TIRED

But we will never be defeated

Because injustice never lasts.
Tyranny never lasts
Apartheid never lasts

Brothers and sisters in justice
Brothers and sisters in Peace
Brothers and sisters in humanity

Make your voices heard

Free, free Palestine

#Palestine #PalestinianLivesMatter #Jerusalem #gaza

​