Statement from State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid on 5000 Palestinians killed prior to Oct. 7

Illinois State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid condemns all violence and challenges lie that the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas massacre was a first of its kind unprecedented massacre of civilians, noting more than 5,000 Palestinians were killed prior to the militant assault over Gaza’s northern border controlled by Israel’s military. Rashid urges protection of all Jews and all Arabs

“Today, October 9th marks the start of early voting in suburban Cook County. This means that for the next four weeks, through November 5th, every day is Election Day.

“It’s a crucial time for our democracy and your voice matters more than ever.

“As we exercise our democratic rights, we must reflect on the last year and the ongoing struggle for human rights and justice in Palestine & Israel.

“One year ago, in the wake of October 7th, I joined 17 other state legislators in calling for de-escalation and peace.

State Rep Abdelnasser Rashid, Democrat, Illinois 21st State House District

“I knew that the Palestinian and Israeli lives that were tragically lost, including the more than 5,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza between 2008 and 2023 before October 7, and the more than 300 Palestinians killed by Israel in 2023 alone before October 7, were part of the systemic failure to address apartheid, siege, and a foreign military occupation that created a brutal and suffocating reality for Palestinians,” State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid said in his statement

“That reality has made neither Palestinians nor Israelis safe. Over the last year, our movement for justice has grown.

“If more leaders had recognized the Israeli government’s decades-long abuse of Palestinian rights, we could have charted a new path forward with equality for all. Instead, Israel received carte blanche to commit genocide, funded by our government, and we’re now witnessing regional war.

“We’ve seen our government spend an unprecedented $18 billion in military funding, including providing unguided dumb bombs, to Israel in the last year alone, while people in the U.S. are facing natural disasters like Hurricanes Helene and Milton. This is unconscionable.

“Nearly 400 elected officials across the country, including at least 20 Illinois legislators and dozens more Illinois elected officials, have signed onto a statement organized by Jewish Voice for Peace led by my colleague, Rep. Lilian Jiménez, calling for a ceasefire as part of the growing recognition that our country must move away from support for Israeli apartheid.

“While much more is needed, leaders like Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) have pushed to condition aid to Israel on respect for international law, and even Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) joined dozens of members of Congress calling on the Biden administration to restrict arms to Israel.

“Polls show Americans want a fundamental change in U.S. foreign policy, one that centers human rights rather than supporting Israel’s system of racial superiority over Palestinians, which Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have deemed apartheid.

“The horrific scenes from Gaza, and now Lebanon, were not inevitable. It was a choice to allow Israeli leaders to carry out their widely publicized statements of genocidal intent, thoroughly documented in South Africa’s genocide case before the International Court of Justice. While this moment is deeply traumatic, it has also awakened many to Israel’s brutality, apartheid, and occupation.

“That’s why it’s crucial to have elected officials like me in the halls of power, continuing to push for justice and build the coalitions necessary to end U.S. support for genocide and apartheid. As early voting begins, I’m asking for your support to keep up this vital work.

Will you make a contribution today to fuel our movement for Palestinian rights and a just U.S. foreign policy?

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Ray Hanania

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Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

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