Howdy,
I see a lot of chatter on Mastodon about voting 3rd party, primarily because of Gaza.
Like so many, I thought the Israel/Gaza conflict was too complicated to understand. I was for a two state solution, but that was the extent of my knowledge.
Then October 7th happened. I devoted most of my free time to learning about the conflict. Most all I've learned since has come from listening to and reading what Jewish people say about the conflict.
Today I'm far from an expert. But I I've got a good understanding. I believe that starting with the Nakba, it's been the goal of the Israeli government to slowly exterminate the Palestinians and illegally occupy their land. Palestinians in the West Bank live under apartheid rule. I think the United States should stop funding this conflict. I think any and all future military aid should be tied to Palestinians living equally with Israel's citizens.
I'm furious at Democrats for "enabling Israel's destructive and self-destructive expansion onto Palestinian land by funding the Israeli military". For making things worse, and ignoring this unjust war against Palestinians. My wife and I vowed to not vote for Democrats unless they stopped sending military aid to Israel.
But then I remembered that politics is hard and change comes slowly. "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice".
I now believe, as does Middle East expert Dr. Nader Hashemi, that Kamala Harris is the Palestinians best chance. Here's what Nader said to me in an email:
"Paul: totally agree with u on Harris vs. Trump. She's the lesser of 2 evils when it comes to Palestinian human rights."
I believe not voting for Harris all but guarantees that Gaza will be wiped out. A Trump administration will surely increase military aid to the Israeli government, so they can "finish the job". Trump and his son in-law Jared Kushner will turn Gaza into beach front property.
What's happening to the Palestinians makes our heart ache, it makes us angry. I'm still furious at Democrats. But I refuse to let perfect be the enemy of good.
Make no mistake, a Kamala Harris administration won't be a radical left turn from past or current Israeli government policy. But she's promised to advocate for Palestinian rights of "freedom and self-determination". I think she'll hold the Israeli government accountable. It's a start.
Therefore, my family and I will be voting for Kamala Harris on November 5th.
