The recklessness and violence that we are seeing currently in Israel-Palestine will only lead to countless deaths and untold damage to those directly and indirectly affected by the violence. Thousands are now dead, and countless more are being forced out of their homeland by forces that see them as subhuman.

It need not be this way. There was positive momentum building toward a permanent ceasefire, and current boycotts show that the public at large has a strong desire to see the violence and brutality of this unnecessary violence end. The ceasefire negotiations, aid deliveries, and release of hostages shows the power of dialogue and public outcry against these heinous acts against our own kind.

More war is not the answer, and there is no military solution to the crisis. The only way to see an end to conflict is to call for a permanent ceasefire and to call for Israel to permanently retreat its forces from all Palestinian territories.

It’s critical that Rep. John Joyce and Sens. Robert Casey and John Fetterman publicly call for a ceasefire to finally bring an end to the violence. Only once the shooting stops for good can we address the root causes of the conflict. Without that, there is only more war and death in the future.

Gianina Galli
Ebensburg

First Published: December 17, 2023, 10:30 a.m.