In a letter addressed to the leader of the U.S. Senate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, a former presidential candidate, suggested that if America funds Israel’s Iron Dome “defense” system to the tune of $1 billion, the same amount of money should be transferred in the form of aid to Gaza.
What kind of aid
Do you think Gaza needs?
Do you think a child
who walks in the street,
while a drone carrying rockets
hovers over her head,
wants or even needs
handouts of food and clothing,
what you call humanitarian aid?
What she wants,
what she needs
is safety and security.
Do you think an old man leaning on his cane
at a check point,
struggling to seek treatment
for his swollen feet and screaming knees,
his dignity in tatters,
wants a box of sugar and flour?
What he wants,
what he needs,
is expert Palestinian heath care
close to home.
Do you think a mother who lost her son to war,
waking up every day to only the memory of his voice
before she remembers he is gone,
before the ashes of what was once her heart
stir with the fatigue of loss,
needs humanitarian aid?
What she wants,
what she needs
is the knowledge that
his home, her home
is theirs,
free from the threat of invasion
and strangulation.
Do you think Palestinian youths
looking longingly over the border
gazing at the photos of other lands
on Instagram and Facebook
need humanitarian aid?
What they want,
what they need,
what I long for
is the freedom to fly,
to travel,
just because I want to,
to see the world.
What they want
what they need
is true for us all:
Dignity
Independence
Freedom.
Posted: October 13, 2021
