A Request for Moral Consistency: Owen Sound Must Speak Out on Gaza
A reader asks the City of Owen Sound to speak out for Palestinians, after Mayor Ian Boddy made a statement denouncing Hamas and expressing condolences for Israelis in October 2023.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dear Mayor Boddy and Members of Council,
In October 2023, Owen Sound Council opened its meeting by reading out a statement publicly denouncing the violence carried out by Hamas and expressing condolences to Israeli victims of the attacks on October 7, which killed 1,195 people, including 815 civilians.
The Mayor's statement was unequivocal in its condemnation of terrorism and the deliberate targeting of civilians.
In the months since, the IDF has killed at least 53,475 Palestinian civilians, including at least 17,400 children.
The destruction of homes, hospitals, schools, and refugee camps has left much of Gaza uninhabitable. The use of starvation as a weapon of war, the blocking of humanitarian aid, and the deliberate targeting of civilians and journalists have been condemned by nearly every major humanitarian body in the world.
This week, Canada—alongside France and the United Kingdom—issued a joint statement declaring that Israel’s denial of humanitarian assistance “risks breaching international humanitarian law,” and called the recent military escalation “wholly disproportionate.”
I respectfully ask: Will Owen Sound Council speak up now for Palestinian civilians, as you did for Israeli civilians?
This is not a partisan request, nor a political attack. It is a request for moral consistency.
If the deliberate targeting of civilians by Hamas warranted public condemnation by our council, then surely the ongoing bombardment, mass displacement, and starvation of civilians by the Israeli government merit the same.
Remaining silent now risks sending the message that Palestinian lives are less worthy of our empathy and protection. That cannot be the message Owen Sound chooses to send.
Like you did after the Oct 7 attacks, I urge you to issue to open your next meeting with a statement saying:
Israel’s tactics, including (but not limited to) dropping hundreds of 2000-pound bombs into populated areas, demonstrate a callous disregard for life.
We condemn the abhorrent language used recently by members of the Israeli Government, threatening that, in their despair at the destruction of Gaza, civilians will start to relocate. Permanent forced displacement is a breach of international humanitarian law.
We unequivocally denounce the terrorist actions carried out by Israel in Gaza, and we oppose any attempt to expand settlements in the West Bank.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Tamara Sargent
Owen Sound
Editor’s Note: This letter was also submitted to Owen Sound City Council.
Letters to the Editor do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of The Owen Sound Current and its editor or publisher.
A perfectly reasonable request. I hope they respond.
What a well written letter, Tamara. I hope that the City of Owen Sound will show their support for Palestine. In recent days, Canada, France and the U.K. have shown support. However, each day I read and watch the news, and cannot believe the inhumane way Palestinians are being treated, while the rest of the world stands by. How can this be?