To our County Council:
I should not be surprised that three leftist women have aligned themselves with the Jew hating, terrorist supporting contingent in our community to write such an irresponsible proclamation, yet I am, as I foolishly expected better of you.
You felt compelled due to hundreds of emails demanding you speak out against Israel but how about the other 10,000 plus county residents that did not ask for it. Is this what they expect from their leadership?
How dare you think that you speak for me. Please feel free to express your personal opinions, despicable or not, as individuals but your arrogance in making a blanket statement representing our community was wrong and self-important.
Intelligent women should know better than to weigh in on matters far beyond your understanding. This is a conflict thousands of years in the making with hundreds of statesmen and mediators, far more informed than you, over the decades trying to reconcile the differences to no avail.
While you may foolishly believe your statement simply asks for peace for both countries, in fact it is a call for the demise of Israel as you want them left unable to defend against the Palestinian terrorists re-arming and initiating yet another invasion. It is certainly interesting that nowhere in your statement do you mention the broken ceasefire of October 7, the savagery of that attack nor the hostages brutally kidnapped and still held by Palestinians yet you are happy to quote United Nations propaganda and accept it as fact regarding casualties in this war of self-defense. The absence of condemnation of rape, murder, torture and even more evil, unspeakable acts perpetrated against the Israeli people sends a very clear message from our San Juan County officials that you do not ask for peace for Israel and Palestine, you ask for peace at the expense of Israel.
I also wonder why, just as our local Hamas cheerleaders are selective about their concern for the deaths of innocents in conflict, you three have not put out statements regarding ethnic attacks and attempted genocides such as: the Kurdish people by Turkey, the Uyghurs of Xinjiang by the Chinese Communists, 300,000 Yemini citizens by the Saudis or how about the enormous violence perpetrated on civilians by North Korea, Russia, or Sudan? The death and destruction in all of these hostilities is far more severe and the perpetrators far more nefarious. The difference is glaringly clear. The Jewish state is held to a different standard.
The indecency and insult of this misguided public statement will not be forgotten. For now, my wish is that you three get back to governing our County as there is no shortage of problems to be solved right here within the confines of the San Juan Islands.
An apology is owed or you may has well just hang a sign at the ferry landing from the leaders of San Juan County saying, “Jews Not Welcome.”
Lauren Cohen
San Juan Island
Lauren Cohen
San Juan Island
