“Certainly, my father was against antisemitism as am I. He also believed militarism (along with racism and poverty) to be among the interconnected Triple Evils. I am certain he would call for Israel’s bombing of Palestinians to cease, for hostages to be released and for us to work for true peace, which includes justice.” He said, “Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love. We have much to correct.”
~Rev. Dr. Bernice King, an excerpt from her post made on X (formerly Twitter) October 31, 2023
This day – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I celebrate the release of some of the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023. I mourn the lost lives of over 46,000 Palestinian human beings. My people! It is important for me as a journalist to point out that incoming Trump Administration played a pivotal role in bringing about this ceasefire deal. We also want to acknowledge that at the center of these negotiations was the Biden White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, Brett McGurk. It is my sincere hope that the ceasefire lasts so that the healing and the rebuilding of Gaza can begin.
The first phase of the hostage release will last 42 days. During this phase, Hamas is to release 33 hostages; 3 hostages every 7 days. Also during this first phase, Israel is to release 1,700 Palestinian prisoners, including 1,167 Gaza residents. Also all Gaza women and children under 19 years of age will be released during this first phase.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-hamas-ceasefire-hostage-release-gaza-war-takes-effect/
The reality is this; There are extremists on both sides of this conflict. My question to those factions, both Palestinian and Israeli, is: “Will you give peace a chance?” The lesson in all of this is that diplomacy works. Perhaps in 2025 President Trump will bolster the ranks of his diplomatic corps in the State Department, which would be a departure from his previous actions in the White House.
I have watched this war closely, and I have chosen my words carefully when I have written anything about the conflict. My friend and mentor, Professor Victor Wallis, Ph.D., reminded me a couple weeks ago that anything I write which raises awareness about the Palestinian struggle is a radical act within the context of this geo-political environment. At the time, Professor Wallis and I were discussing the deaths of Palestinian babies as a result of hypothermia. Temperatures have been really cold in Gaza this season, and living in a tent does not provide much protection from the elements. If not for any other reason, both sides of this conflict should agree to continue the ceasefire in order to preserve and protect the lives of the babies.
I find it fitting to end this piece with a lengthy quote from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This is an excerpt of a speech that he gave on February 4, 1968, entitled: “The Drum Major Instinct.”
“God didn’t call America to do what she’s doing in the world now. God didn’t call America to engage in a senseless, unjust war as the war in Vietnam. And we are criminals in that war. We committed more war crimes almost than any nation in the world, and I’m going to continue to say it. And we won’t stop it because of our pride and our arrogance as a nation, but God has a way of even putting nations in their place. The God that I worship has a way of saying, ‘Don’t play with me.’ He has a way of saying, as the God of the Old Testament used to say to the Hebrews, ‘Don’t play with me, Israel. Don’t play with me, Babylon. Be still and know that I’m God. And if you don’t stop your reckless course, I’ll rise up and break the backbone of your power.’ And that can happen to America. Every now and then I go back and read Gibbons’ Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. And when I come and look at America, I say to myself, the parallels are frightening.”
Malik Washington is a freelance journalist and Director at Destination: Freedom and Destination Freedom Media Group.
“It is important for me as a journalist to point out that incoming Trump Administration played a pivotal role in bringing about this ceasefire deal.”
It’s no coincidence that this deal got done before Trump took office because President-elect Donald Trump issued an ultimatum telling Hamas that if hostages aren’t released before his inauguration in two weeks, “all hell will break out.”
MW, I am curious your thoughts on the speech on January 15th of Hamas Official Khalil Al-Hayya.
”
Jan 15, 2025Share Video:
Senior Hamas Official Khalil Al-Hayya Upon Signing Ceasefire Agreement: October 7 Will Continue To Be A Source Of Pride; Our People Served As An ‘Impenetrable Shield’ For The Resistance; Israel’s Supporters Will Be Punished, Even If It Takes Time
#11752 | 02:47
Source: Al-Jazeera Network (Qatar)
On the backdrop of a deal between Israel and Hamas that will include a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of dozens of Israeli hostages captured and taken to Gaza during the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led invasion and massacres in southern Israel, Hamas Political Bureau member Khalil Al-Hayya said in a January 15, 2025 statement aired on Al-Jazeera Network (Qatar): “We salute our martyred leaders, whose body parts were scattered all over in this war.” He said that Hamas will continue in their footsteps until victory or martyrdom are achieved, and he described October 7 as a “miracle and accomplishment” that will remain a “source of pride” for the Palestinian people and their “resistance” for generations to come.
He said that the attacks had dealt a “deadly blow” to Israel, that the Palestinian people will regain all their rights, that the Israeli occupation will be expelled from Palestine and Jerusalem, that this will happen soon, and that Israel’s “barbaric genocide” in Gaza will forever be ingrained in the memory of the world as the “worst genocide in the modern age,” declaring: “We will never forget and never forgive!” He added that the criminals involved in Israel’s crimes will be punished “even if it takes time,” that Israel has failed to achieve any of its goals in the war, and that Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque will remain the goal of the Jihad and the resistance until their liberation and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Khalil Al-Hayya: “We salute our martyred leaders, whose body parts were scattered all over in this war.
[…]
“We will proceed on the path of the martyred leaders until we achieve victory or martyrdom, Allah willing.
[…]
“The security and military miracle and accomplishment of October 7, carried out by the elite forces of the Al-Qassam [Brigades], will remain a source of pride for our people and our resistance, and it will be passed down from generation to generation. The enemy entity was dealt a deadly blow. Our people will regain all their rights, Allah willing, and this occupation will be expelled from our land, our Jerusalem, and our holy places, and it will happen soon, Allah willing.”
Doesn’t sound to me like Hamas is looking for peace, but rather the destruction of Israel (as in the Hamas charter). Is the ‘military miracle and accomplishment of October 7’ in line with a continued ceasefire? The are calling for the Jews to be ‘expelled’ from the land. That sounds like calling for a war, not a ceasefire.