LUSBY, Md. – The following letter was sent to The BayNet from Patuxent Friends calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza war:
Quakers at Patuxent Friends Meeting in Lusby, Maryland, support an immediate, permanent ceasefire, safe release of all hostages, ending of arms shipments to Israel, and restoration of all humanitarian aid in Gaza in the wake of the October 7th attacks and the ensuing war that has taken the lives of more than 36,000 people, the overwhelming majority of them Palestinian civilians.
Quakers have a long history of promoting peace in the region, with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) originally commissioned by the United Nations in 1948 to meet the needs of Palestinian refugees displaced from their homes when Israel was created. Over the years, the AFSC has helped facilitate peacebuilding dialogues, operated youth programs, and offered aid as needed. In the current conflict, AFSC has succeeded in supplying almost 200,000 people with life-saving food, drinking water, mattresses, winter clothing, and hygiene kits.
Though we as Patuxent Friends don’t pretend to fully understand the complicated traumatic history of this region, we know that the present war is inflicting irreparable damage on all sides. Our peace testimony is based on the belief that there is that of God in everyone, and that we all deserve the opportunity to meet our basic human needs for food, shelter, and safety. We condemn the killing of more than 1,200 Israelis and the taking of hostages during the October 7 Hamas attacks. We denounce the disproportionate military response by Israel in the killing of at least 35,500 Palestinians and the displacement of over 1.7 million people from their homes.
As citizens of the United States, we oppose the use of our tax dollars to support arms shipments to Israel for a war in which places like hospitals and schools are being targeted and so many noncombatants are dying. We cannot allow US weaponry and technology to kill innocent people in the name of a longstanding political alliance. Though we realize that peace does not always equate with success, war always means failure in policy, in communication, and in shared human values.
No easy answers will solve this conflict, but we must start with a laying down of arms, the release of the hostages, and the full restoration of humanitarian aid. Every day the fighting continues, the cost rises exponentially in terms of lives lost and traumatized, hatreds deepened, and resources squandered. The losses spread far beyond the region as communities around the world dig into positions on opposing sides, unable to offer compassion, understanding, or – in many cases – basic civility for those who don’t share their viewpoints. People become exhausted and demoralized by the helpless witnessing of endless violence and destruction.
No lasting peace will be achieved without equal rights for both Israelis and Palestinians in the region, including safe and humanitarian living conditions with freedom of travel and expression for all. We call on our local community to join us in taking the first step on this difficult path to reconciliation: an immediate and permanent ceasefire, release of all hostages, end to U.S. arms shipments to Israel, and restoration of all humanitarian aid efforts.
