I am horrified at the collective punishment now being meted out to the civilians of Gaza. This is not the right response to the atrocities committed by Hamas on Israeli civilians. It will only compound the horrible situation by victimizing even more civilians, and indeed victimizing an entire population. Denying water, food and electricity, not to mention constant bombing, even of “safe” structures such as U.N. schools, are also war crimes. There is no safe place in Gaza; even when civilians flee south, they are being bombed there.

These actions will not ensure Israeli security. To the contrary, they will make Israel less secure. They also threaten to cause an escalation into a wider regional war which could embroil our own country. Certainly the tremendous misery and suffering they are causing will only create a new generation of Palestinians seeking retribution.

We need to speak out for an immediate ceasefire, de-escalation, and the protection of civilians. Otherwise, the United States is complicit in these ongoing war crimes, a dangerous position for our country to be in from both a strategic and moral angle.

If these violations of international law continue, we should send no further financial aid to Israel. Every country has a right to defend itself, but we cannot be complicit by financing violations of international law and war crimes. That will not bring peace, but further destabilize the region.

Ellen Oxfeld

Middlebury