To the Government of Israel and the IDF:

In my Jewish education I was repeatedly taught that the crimes of genocide against the Jewish people, and other peoples, were the responsibility not only of those who committed mass murder, but also of the much larger numbers who looked away or were silent.

This is why I am proud to be a supporter of Gush Shalom, which refuses to be silent in the face of today's crisis in Israel and Palestine. By sending warning letters to officers who have openly boasted about acts that violate the Geneva Convention--acts that are an early warning sign of the possibility of Balkan-style ethnic cleansing--Gush Shalom is exercizing its democratic rights and safeguarding legal and moral principles.

Evidently these.letters have struck a raw nerve, which in itself suggests their validity. Further, your government's threat to open legal proceedings against a peace organization for alerting officers of their international vulnerability to war crimes trials creates the suspicion that there is, indeed, much to hide.

I urge you to immediately halt the harassment of Gush Shalom and instead turn your attention to ending the crimes your armed forces are committing--crimes which are an absolutely inevitable product of a brutal, illegal and unsustainable occupation.

Sincerely Yours,

David Finkel, managing editor, AGAINST THE CURRENT (Detroit MI)