John Buttrick writes from his Vermont Folk Rocker in his Concord home, Minds Crossing. He can be reached at johndbuttrick@gmail.com

President Biden recently spoke from the White House on the occasion of Israel’s 75th anniversary: “Today, we are still proud to be counted among the first of Israel’s friends and allies. And the United States recognizes the resilience of Israel’s democracy — the bedrock for our robust and special relationship… Together, we have achieved remarkable advances in science, medicine, and technology that will benefit our people for generations to come. We’ve continued to work together to create a more prosperous, peaceful, and integrated Middle East.”

These are words describing the United States bond with the same Israel who has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians, destroyed 80% of Gazan homes, created a condition of starvation, and decimated Gaza’s infrastructure in the war against Hamas on territory one half the size of New York City. This unexamined bond between the United States and Israel involves the United States as a participant in the atrocities of the war.

The war has its roots in the history of the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians. While Israelis celebrate 75 years as a state, the Palestinians lament living 75 years under settler colonialism in the Israeli occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank. The Palestinians in Gaza lament 18 years of the land, sea, and air blockades by Israel.

Our president and senators from New Hampshire acknowledge the suffering of civilians in Gaza and support delivering aid to them. However, they omit any discussion of the past 75 years of Palestinians suffering oppression, apartheid, restricted movement, no voting rights, and the injustice of military law.

The special bond the United States has with Israel includes sending billions of dollars and large quantities of military equipment and ordinance to aid and abet Israel’s violation of humanitarian law. It is argued that it is necessary to assure Israel’s security. However, providing security does not give a free pass to copy the criminal war methods of the enemy.

On a webinar, Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, Lutheran pastor of the Christmas Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem and Dean of Bethlehem Bible College, challenges U.S. citizens and the Christian community to be silent no more. Silence is complicity. He urges us to tell the story by speaking out against the horrendous dehumanization, destruction of dignity, and the contemptible injustices experienced by the Palestinians under Israeli occupation. Our country’s moral integrity is on the line.

I witnessed the oppression against the villagers by the Israeli Defense Forces while living in the Palestinian village of Jayyous for three months. We saw the stumps of olive trees in the grove owned by a 60-year-old Palestinian farmer, cut to make room for Israeli settlers’ survey stakes. The stakes were the first step in taking the farmer’s land to expand the settlement perched on the hill overlooking the farm. The farmer and his wife live each day fearing the time when they will have their olive grove stolen to make room for the expansion of the Israeli settlement.

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Also, we listened to college students tell of the Israeli checkpoint that prevented them from crossing to take their final examinations. We watched IDF forces break into a Palestinian home at 2 a.m. and take away a teenage boy with no explanation and no information about where they were taking him. Today we have reports, from people living in Palestine, that Israel now allows Israeli settlers to carry firearms. They are used against unarmed Palestinians for intimidation and to take over their harvests or their land. There are now incidents when a Palestinian is shot by a settler, with no consequences. In addition, I’ve received a report that a church in Nablus has been vandalized at night by the IDF with no explanation.

President Biden and the members of Congress must become knowledgeable about the Palestinian struggle to resist displacement from their land. They must discover that it is absolutely necessary for the United States to withhold all of its military aid to Israel as a responsible step toward separating the U.S. from complicity with Israel’s unacceptable behavior in its war with Hamas in Gaza. The U.S. must demand no less than an end to using its military aid to continue the 75 years of oppression against Palestinians in Israel and the Palestine West Bank.

Also, U.S. citizens must speak out for justice for Palestinians. Exposing injustice may be the way toward a peaceful solution to the occupation. Facing the facts could motivate the U.S., Israel and Palestine to work together to end apartheid, the destruction of Palestinian dignity, and the unjust military rule over Palestine. It would free the U.S. and Israel to benefit from Palestinian skills in science, medicine, technology and the arts. For example, they are particularly knowledgeable about water conservation.

The pride of friendship could then include all three peoples.