At the coming elections, many of us will vote on the basis of a party’s or a candidate’s stance on the issue of Palestine. It will be a vote to reject the occupation, apartheid, the use of starvation as a weapon of war, and a myriad of other unspeakable horrors. And it will be an appeal to our common humanity to stop the genocide in Gaza and to help Palestinians get peace with justice. I sincerely hope it will not be a religion-based vote.
Religion, like the colour of skin, is a mere accident of birth, and should not be used as a basis for casting one’s vote. Let’s ‘Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.’ and keep politics and religion separate.
The reason people around the world are distressed by the plight of Palestinians is not a shared religion but a shared humanity. We are horrified by the savagery inflicted on Palestinians and tormented by their suffering. And we would have been equally horrified and tormented if they had a different religion or if they did not believe in God.
I watched Senator Fatima Payman’s Insiders interview and her pronouncements since........