Letter from Parent #2
Dear [Headteacher's Name],
I am writing to you as a concerned parent [or child] at your school. While the grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza unfolds, the school has not only remained largely silent, but has done nothing to encourage its students from expressing their concerns. This stands in contrast to the school’s vocal responses to past humanitarian crises. Clearly, the school has decided that defending the human rights of Palestinians is too politically controversial. I ask you to consider how this must feel to your pupils, some of whom may come from a Palestinian background, and others who will now question the school’s supposed moral values.
While we condemn the inhuman and illegal attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilians, Israel has retaliated by escalating its medieval blockade of a population of 2 million people. In the words of UN Secretary General Antonio Guiterez, the October 7 attack did not occur in a vacuum. It can only be understood in the context of “56 years of suffocating occupation” perpetrated by Israel against an innocent Palestinian population in Gaza and the West Bank.
Since October 7, Israel has indiscriminately bombed residential neighbourhoods, schools, refugee camps, hospitals, and evacuation routes. To date, 1.93 million Gazans have been displaced and over 17,000 killed [1]. The majority of those killed were innocent men, women and children, showcasing Israel’s complete disregard for civilian life.
Israeli officials have referred to the Palestinian people as “human animals.” The country’s military spokesman, Daniel Hagari, publicly stated that “the emphasis is on damage and not on accuracy.” In fact, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu likened the current situation to the ancient Israelites’ conflict with the rival nation of Amalek. This is what is said of the Amalekites in the Hebrew Bible; “Now go, attack Amalek, and proscribe all that belongs to him. Spare no one, but kill alike men and women, infants and sucklings.”
Due to this rhetoric, several leading academics now argue that Israeli actions have satisfied the legal requirement of intent in the context of genocide. In other words, the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza are conducted with an intent to “destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.” [2]
Considering the above, I believe that the school should immediately and publicly advocate for
From,
[Your Name]
References
Link to download as a doc
I am writing to you as a concerned parent [or child] at your school. While the grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza unfolds, the school has not only remained largely silent, but has done nothing to encourage its students from expressing their concerns. This stands in contrast to the school’s vocal responses to past humanitarian crises. Clearly, the school has decided that defending the human rights of Palestinians is too politically controversial. I ask you to consider how this must feel to your pupils, some of whom may come from a Palestinian background, and others who will now question the school’s supposed moral values.
While we condemn the inhuman and illegal attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilians, Israel has retaliated by escalating its medieval blockade of a population of 2 million people. In the words of UN Secretary General Antonio Guiterez, the October 7 attack did not occur in a vacuum. It can only be understood in the context of “56 years of suffocating occupation” perpetrated by Israel against an innocent Palestinian population in Gaza and the West Bank.
Since October 7, Israel has indiscriminately bombed residential neighbourhoods, schools, refugee camps, hospitals, and evacuation routes. To date, 1.93 million Gazans have been displaced and over 17,000 killed [1]. The majority of those killed were innocent men, women and children, showcasing Israel’s complete disregard for civilian life.
Israeli officials have referred to the Palestinian people as “human animals.” The country’s military spokesman, Daniel Hagari, publicly stated that “the emphasis is on damage and not on accuracy.” In fact, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu likened the current situation to the ancient Israelites’ conflict with the rival nation of Amalek. This is what is said of the Amalekites in the Hebrew Bible; “Now go, attack Amalek, and proscribe all that belongs to him. Spare no one, but kill alike men and women, infants and sucklings.”
Due to this rhetoric, several leading academics now argue that Israeli actions have satisfied the legal requirement of intent in the context of genocide. In other words, the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza are conducted with an intent to “destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.” [2]
Considering the above, I believe that the school should immediately and publicly advocate for
- A ceasefire in Gaza, and
- The condemnation of the State of Israel for its illegal blockade of Gaza and military occupation of the Palestinian people, including the apartheid regime it enforces in the West Bank.
From,
[Your Name]
References
- https://www.ochaopt.org/
- https://opiniojuris.org/2023/10/18/public-statement-scholars-warn-of-potential-genocide-in-gaza/
Link to download as a doc
