Letter: How Much More Tragedy Do You Need To See?

by John and Lissa Bonifaz

The following letter was sent to the Amherst Town Council on March 1, 2024.

We are among the more than 700 community sponsors of the ceasefire resolution pending before the Amherst Town Council.  The resolution calls “for an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza, an end to the Israeli military siege of the Gaza Strip, the release of the hostages and detainees on both sides, the removal of obstacles to urgently needed humanitarian aid entering Gaza, and an end to unconditional U.S. military aid to the Israeli government.”

On October 16, 2023, the Amherst Town Council unanimously passed a resolution condemning the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.  The day before the Amherst Town Council passed that resolution, nearly 800 scholars from around the world issued a public statement warning of potential genocide in Gaza.    

Since October, Israeli military strikes on Gaza have killed more than 30,000 Palestinians, including more than 12,000 children.  On January 26, 2024, the International Court of Justice at The Hague issued a ruling finding that there is a “real and imminent risk” that Israel is committing genocide is Gaza.  As The Guardian reported on February 25, 2024, the Israeli government is now preparing “for an assault on Rafah, the southern border town where an estimated 1.5 million displaced Palestinians have sought shelter.” 

For any Amherst town councilors who are considering voting no on this ceasefire resolution or abstaining to vote on it, we pose the following questions:

How many more children in Gaza would need to be killed in order for you to vote yes on this ceasefire resolution?  How many more schools, refugee camps, and places of worship would need to be bombed?  How many more reports of starvation and infectious disease in Gaza would you need to hear?  How many more scholars would need to warn us of potential genocide in Gaza?

After having voted for the October 16 resolution, a vote to abstain or a no vote on this ceasefire resolution would send a clear message that you value some lives over others.  Such a message would be extremely harmful to your constituents and to the Amherst community as a whole.

We urge all Amherst town councilors to vote yes on this ceasefire resolution.

John Bonifaz and Lissa Pierce-Bonifaz

John Bonifaz and Lissa Pierce-Bonifaz are residents of Amherst.