Seattle Times: Use Most ‘Precious Right’ to seek Change in Gaza
The “Uncommitted WA” campaign is calling for a cease-fire, which includes a negotiated end to the violence, the return of the 134 remaining Israelis held hostage in Gaza and the return of hundreds of Palestinians held prisoner in Israel. Israel launched its war in Gaza following a brutal Hamas attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and took 240 hostage.
…Rami Al-Kabra, who describes himself as a lifelong bridge-builder and advocate for human and civil rights, is the first immigrant Muslim American elected to the Bothell City Council and to serve as deputy mayor, and said he is currently the only Palestinian American to hold elected office in our region.
Al-Kabra is one of the members of the Uncommitted WA campaign and recently spoke at the state Capitol to demand a cease-fire.
In an interview last week, he said it would be a mistake to think opposition to U.S. policy in Gaza is simply a Palestinian American or Muslim American issue — it’s a U.S. and Democratic Party issue.
According to survey results published last week by the progressive think tank and polling firm Data for Progress, nearly 80% of Democrats who are likely to vote support the U.S. calling for a permanent cease-fire and de-escalation of violence in Gaza. Among all likely voters, nearly 70% said the same.
Al-Kabra is haunted by the stories of his close friends and neighbors who have lost 20, 30, 40 members of their families and seen their relatives’ homes destroyed. He said some families are splitting up so that if they are bombed, their entire family won’t be killed.
In U.S. policy toward Israel, Al-Kabra sees a double standard.
When Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago, “We all, including myself, spoke out against that invasion as wrong. A country occupying another country is wrong,” he said.
“We see our president and our congressional leaders always funding the resistance in Ukraine, while calling Palestinians terrorists. We see our elected officials funding the resistance to Ukraine and condemning Russia for doing what they’re doing, yet ever increasing funding to Israel, bombs and weapons … to kill more and more Palestinians. And very little support for Palestinians.”
