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Hernando Today

Middle East Delicate Topic, Even In Peace Group

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By TONY MARRERO

Hernando Today

Published: January 9, 2009

BROOKSVILLE - The Middle East crisis is so divisive that even members of the local peace group can come down on opposite sides.

Several members of the Nature Coast Coalition for Peace and Justice declined to participate in a demonstration Wednesday at the corner of U.S. 19 and Cortez Boulevard to oppose Israel's campaign against Palestinians in Gaza and forcing the U.S. government to condemn the action.
Judy Lee of Spring Hill was among them.

"It's pointless," said Judy Lee, a member of the group since for the last seven years. "I feel having an anti-Israeli (demonstration) is the same as supporting Hamas."

Lee told coalition Chairman Brian Moore she wouldn't be attending for that reason. The group should have had a meeting first to determine whether there was a consensus to hold the demonstration, Lee said.

"It's a group action," she said. "If it's going to represent the group, then the group as a whole should be consulted."

There simply wasn't time, Moore said.

"People are dying," he said. "Sometimes you have to take actions like this. You don't have the luxury of having meetings."

The coalition has about 160 members on its rolls, and 30 of those could be considered active members, Moore said.

He called about a dozen members and found there was enough of a consensus to hold the event without having a formal meeting. By then, more than 500 Palestinians had been killed, Moore said.

Moore said he also is sensing some hesitation among loyal Democrats in the coalition to be critical of President-elect Barack Obama. One member said the group should "let the dust settle" and give Obama a chance to take office and see what kind of action he takes, Moore said.

"Now that Obama's about to be in power they don't want to do anything to jeopardize him," he said.

Fourteen people showed up Wednesday, waving signs with slogans such as "Stop the siege in Gaza" and "Obama: People are dying ... say something."

The group, which has frequently demonstrated against the Iraq war, got the typical mix of supportive and negative reaction from passing motorists. But Moore said there seemed to be a higher number of negative responses - mostly the middle finger - this time around.

He wasn't sure why, but his hunch is that the United States has supported Israel, and people see any challenge of American policy as unpatriotic.

The history of the Middle East crisis is long and complex, but in the end it comes down to self defense, Lee said.

"How long do people lob grenades in your back yard before you try to stop it," she said.

President Bush has taken that stance, saying Israel has a right to defend itself against the indiscriminate firing of rockets by Hamas into its neighbor.

Doris Taylor also declined to participate Wednesday. Taylor fully supports the peace agenda, but on the Middle East conflict, she said she simply isn't ready to take sides.

"I have mixed feelings," Taylor said. "I've been hearing about those rockets being fired into Israel for quite some time."

Moore's response: "It's a humanitarian crisis and we have to recognize that there's an inordinate amount of deaths and injuries on one side than the other, and it just seems like there's a better way to solve this problem."

Both Lee and Taylor said they won't let the disagreement cause there support for the coalition to waver, though.

"I do have my heart in the peace group," Lee said.

Reporter Tony Marrero can be reached at 352-544-5286 or lmarrero@hernandotoday.com.

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