Letter to Obama
Gaza Rally, Chicago January 2nd, 2009
I am honored to be among you in this very cold day of Chicago speaking out in support of our brothers and sisters in Gaza.
I am honored to speak in support of the voiceless children, the orphans, the widows, the men, the women, and the helpless civilians of Gaza who are living under hell for the past week, in misery under siege for the past two years and in nonstop nightmare under military occupation for the past 60 years, while the civilized free world in the twenty first century is watching.
I want to tell the children of Gaza, that we are with you, our hearts are with you, your cries are penetrating deep in our hearts and minds, your wounds are bleeding inside us, and we will do anything in our power to relieve your suffering.
Your presence today is the least you can do to support the victims in Gaza. I hope that you can convert this energy into action, so the children of Gaza may have one day similar conditions, similar aspirations and similar dreams of your children.
President-elect Obama’s in his visit to Israel said “If somebody is sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night. I'm going to do everything in my power to stop that”
President Obama: I agree.
Mr. President, would you do everything in your power to stop the sending of rockets and bombs on the Palestinian children?
Mr. President, What would you do if 60 Israeli F-16 warplanes bombed your children while going to their schools?
Mr. President What would you do if American made, Israeli operated Apache helicopter dropped cluster bombs on your children while asleep?
Mr. President What would you do if Sasha and Malia tells their mother, “please don’t leave us alone, we don’t want to die alone, we want to die with you”
Mr. President What would you do if five of your daughters: Tahrir, 17 years old; Ikram, 15; Samar, 12; Dina, 8 and Jawaher, 4 years old were killed while asleep when a surgical, Israeli airstrike hit their home with a 2000 pound bomb?
Mr. President, This is what happened to the Balousha sisters in Jabalia refugee camp. Their mother said “They grow up day after day and night after night. Within a second, I have lost them all”
Their sister Iman, who survived them because the Israeil bomb was a smart bomb, said she could hear her sisters' cries. " Mom! Mom! Where is my mother? Pull me out!" until their voices stopped coming.
Mr. President What would you do if Malia can see Sasha under the rubble; can touch her hair, but can’t do anything to save her life?
Mr. President guess who sells the warplanes, the Apaches, the 2000-pound bombs, the GPS guided bombs and the cluster bombs to Israel and provide them with the financial aid to buy them?
Mr. President, guess how many new radicals are created throughout the world watching the image of bombing and killing in Gaza? How many young people will hate our country and our government because of our silence and complicity? The Palestinian Poet Moahmoud Darwish said “All that you have done to our people is registered in our notebooks”
Desmond Tutu said “Our silence and complicity on the situation in Gaza, shames us all”.
Mr. President, “Don’t be silent, don’t be silent, speak up, speak up for justice and peace”
Peace to all
Zaher Sahloul