Making Space for Questions

in the face of the pool of death that is Gaza

There is a photo circulating right now of Nikki Haley, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and Republican candidate for president, signing an artillery shell headed for Gaza with the words “Finish them!” and then her signature in purple pen.  Finish who?  The Palestinians? Hamas?  Both?  Hard to tell.   

As one can imagine, it’s a polarizing photo, depending on where you stand on Israel’s war on Gaza.  Many are sickened by it—the thought of autographing an explosive device that will undoubtedly kill more civilians. Who does that?  How low have we sunk?  We sign yearbooks. Footballs. Casts.  Not explosive devices.  While others cheer her on—others who support Israel at all costs and want the terrorist group Hamas obliterated—are invigorated by photos like this.

Photo credit: Office of Israeli lawmaker Danny Danon/AP

Haley and the GOP claim to be unapologetically pro-life. There is a disconnect here for me.  War is not pro-life. (Nor is the gun culture, racism, poverty, capital punishment, an anti-immigrant/anti-refugee stance, lack of health care, or no action to alleviate climate change, but those are new essays.)  It seems this photo embodies the celebration of the mass murdering of thousands of people, especially children.  Or even a celebration of the killing of one person—terrorist or civilian. Either is an affront in God’s eyes.  Imagine the purple-penned message landing in someone’s village. Someone’s home. A tent camp of those without anywhere to go.

These are human lives.  Human lives dying by the thousands. Each human life is created by God and has dignity, value, worth. And is loved beyond measure.  A Jewish life does not have more value than a Muslim life, near as I can tell. Is that the issue?  Is this about a deep distrust, even hatred, of the Muslim world?

As we continue to Make Space for life, all Christians and people of good will should be wide awake to what is going on in the Middle East. And deeply troubled.  We should be paying attention, trying to follow the news.  I know it’s overwhelming. And confusing. Add to that our own busy, full, stressful lives. I have a friend who once told me her life is short and she wants to spend it being happy, so she doesn’t get involved in issues of injustice.  I know it’s easy to stay oblivious to what feels like yet another war an ocean away.  But I remember reading about Germany’s Holocaust of the Jewish people in history books growing up and wondered why? How? Where was the rest of the world?  I fear this same thing is happening in Gaza. An entire population is being extinguished. 

The death toll in Gaza is incredibly high—more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed so far in Gaza.  This number is mostly women and children. There is a deliberate attempt to destroy hospitals, schools, and an airstrike on the non-profit World Central Kitchen.  The people still living are trapped on a tiny strip of land with no way to escape.  Seven months in, those still alive are facing starvation.  Humanitarian aid is being forcibly stopped, slowed, or destroyed at the border so those in need of food, water, and medical supplies are not getting it.  We’ve seen footage of Israelites destroying entire convoys of food at the border, taking it off trucks and stomping on it.  Our country continues to give unwavering support to Israel in the face of so much loss of innocent human life and many here are opposed to that, especially in the DFL party and on college campuses.

I wonder what I would do if I were a college student right now.  Would I jump into a protest march? A sit in or die in?  Would I set up a tent in an encampment? Would I be willing to be arrested? How brave would I be? (How aware would I even be?)  Would I just keep my head down, walk on by, try my best to finish the semester and get home?  What has been happening on college campuses all over the nation reminds me so much of how our young people led the way in the Vietnam era—led the way toward peace, justice, and shared moral values.

I don’t pretend to understand the complexities of the terrorist groups or all the politics surrounding Israel through the decades.  The surprise terrorist attacks by Hamas in Israel on October 7 were truly awful: 1,200 people killed, hostages taken and still captured, and vicious crimes against the dignity of the human person my sheltered mind does not want to linger on too long.  Yet the question remains—how far is too far as Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, vows to avenge that act of terror and root out the terrorist cells?  Is he dragging this war out to stay in power, knowing he is unpopular? 

And, thinking back to the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the attacks of 9-11, when has my country gone too far?  When have we unleashed unspeakable violence and bloodshed? 

I don’t know what it is to be Jewish, to be a people persecuted, to have endured the holocaust and generations of exile, to have land tied to a covenantal relationship with God, or to feel anti-Semitism surround me in my daily life.  It must be so hard. I have great respect for my Jewish friends and the interfaith relationships I’ve nurtured.

I do know what it’s like to be Catholic and feel moral outrage for the sexual abuse scandal, the coverup by our bishops, and have spoken out in pain against it.  I do know what it’s like to be white and speak out against white supremacy and do what I can to work for racial justice. And I do know what it’s like to be American and speak out against the many atrocities my own country has committed, at home and abroad. So I admire the Jewish voices I hear who are standing up and speaking out against Israel’s war in Gaza.  It’s a courageous stance.

I think there is a way to be pro-Palestinian and pro-Jewish.  I think it is imperative that all people of faith and conscience stand up for life, demand a cease-fire, work for peace, and not turn a blind eye to a genocide in the making—to a deliberate snuffing out of an entire group of people.  Making Space with you for questions, greater awareness, solidarity, and daily prayer for those who have lost so much.

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