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COMMENTARY: War Against Palestine — Show Caution

Israel has taken over lands that were not part of Israel, has allowed Jewish settlers to take over Palestinian homes in the West Bank, and has put 2 million Palestinians behind a fence in Gaza that they are not allowed to exit. When Palestinians mounted large peaceful marches in 2018, they were attacked by the Israeli military.

Published

2 years ago

October 14, 2023

Oakland Post

Photo: iStock photo

Race, Israel, and the U.S.

By Kitty Kelly Epstein | Special to The Post

The world watches while Palestinians and Israelis struggle, and now Israel prevents food, water and electricity from reaching the entire population of 2 million residents of Gaza, most of them children.

Yet most of the information about why all this is happening is not reported in the U.S. press. In this article, I lay out some of that information and then propose the simplest of solutions.

The killing of millions of Jews by the Nazis during the 1940s caused some to feel that Jewish people needed a separate country. Since German Nazis were responsible for the Holocaust, it would have been logical for such a Jewish state to be created from a chunk of Germany.

Ignoring the fact that Palestine was a sovereign nation, European leaders with a white supremacist mindset, decided to give the Zionist Jews a chunk of Palestine although Palestinians had nothing to do with World War II or with the Holocaust.

The new leaders were allowed to expel Palestinian people who had lived there for centuries and establish the Israeli state which has laws that are openly and unapologetically racist.

For example, the “Admissions Committee Law” says small towns in Israel can decide whether a particular person can live there. They can and do reject Palestinians, LGBTQ people and others when the town decides that they are not a good “fit.” https://www.adalah.org/en/law/view/494)

The “Jewish Nation State Law” says that the right to self-determination belongs only to Jewish people in Israel and in the occupied territories. The “law enshrines Jewish supremacy over Palestinian citizens. The law has distinct apartheid characteristics.” (https://www.adalah.org/en/content/view/9569)

The Law of Return says that Jewish people from anywhere in the world can immigrate to Israel and to the occupied Palestinian territories and receive Israeli citizenship automatically but Palestinians who were expelled from their homes during the establishment of Israel do not have the right to return.

So … much as we all would prefer peaceful solutions, Palestinians seem to have no choice but to fight back or to die in the outdoor prison that is Israeli-controlled Gaza.

Many Jewish people do not agree with what Israel is doing. Jewish Voices for Peace has condemned Israel’s actions. (https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org)

Many non-Jews are afraid of being labeled “anti-Semitic” if they criticize Israel, but this is not a good enough reason to be silent. We and our elected officials need to have the courage to demand an answer that ensures Palestinians have their homes and their rights.

Consider this scenario: If President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he has one month to rectify Israeli laws so that they apply equally to all residents of Israel and the territories — Jewish, Palestinian, Muslim, Christian, and everyone else — and if that did not happen, the U.S. would stop providing aid.

With that, the “war” would be over.

“Equal protection under the law” is the most basic principle of democracy, according to the U.S. Our government should insist that this principle be applied by the country that receives by far the most aid from our tax dollars.

This week, a Palestinian doctor with children living in Gaza wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter:

“Belal Aldabbour@Belalmd12

Soon, the last sliver of electricity and connection will be exhausted. If I die, remember that I, we, were individuals, humans, we had names, dreams, and achievements, and our only fault was that we were just classified as inferior.”

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Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025

Published

4 days ago

June 20, 2025

Oakland Post

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Juneteenth: Celebrating Our History, Honoring Our Shared Spaces

It’s been empowering to watch Juneteenth blossom into a widely celebrated holiday, filled with vibrant outdoor events like cookouts, festivals, parades, and more. It’s inspiring to see the community embrace our history—showing up in droves to celebrate freedom, a freedom delayed for some enslaved Americans more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

Published

6 days ago

June 18, 2025

Oakland Post

Wayne Wilson, Public Affairs Campaign Manager, Caltrans

By Wayne Wilson, Public Affairs Campaign Manager, Caltrans

Juneteenth marks an important moment in our shared history—a time to reflect on the legacy of our ancestors who, even in the face of injustice, chose freedom, unity, and community over fear, anger, and hopelessness. We honor their resilience and the paths they paved so future generations can continue to walk with pride.

As we head into the weekend full of festivities and summer celebrations, I want to offer a friendly reminder about who is not invited to the cookout: litter.

At Clean California, we believe the places where we gather—parks, parade routes, street corners, and church lots—should reflect the pride and beauty of the people who fill them. Our mission is to restore and beautify public spaces, transforming areas impacted by trash and neglect into spaces that reflect the strength and spirit of the communities who use them.

Too often, after the music fades and the grills cool, our public spaces are left littered with trash. Just as our ancestors took pride in their communities, we honor their legacy when we clean up after ourselves, teach our children to do the same, and care for our shared spaces.

Small acts can inspire big change. Since 2021, Clean California and its partners have collected and removed over 2.9 million cubic yards of litter. We did this by partnering with local nonprofits and community organizations to organize grassroots cleanup events and beautification projects across California.

Now, we invite all California communities to continue the incredible momentum and take the pledge toward building a cleaner community through our Clean California Community Designation Program. This recognizes cities and neighborhoods committed to long-term cleanliness and civic pride.

This Juneteenth, let’s not only celebrate our history—but also contribute to its legacy. By picking up after ourselves and by leaving no litter behind after celebrations, we have an opportunity to honor our past and shape a cleaner, safer, more vibrant future.

Visit CleanCA.com to learn more about Clean California.

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Activism

OPINION: California’s Legislature Has the Wrong Prescription for the Affordability Crisis — Gov. Newsom’s Plan Hits the Mark

Last month, Gov. Newsom included measures in his budget that would encourage greater transparency, accountability, and affordability across the prescription drug supply chain. His plan would deliver real relief to struggling Californians. It would also help expose the hidden markups and practices by big drug companies that push the prices of prescription drugs higher and higher. The legislature should follow the Governor’s lead and embrace sensible, fair regulations that will not raise the cost of medications.

Published

6 days ago

June 18, 2025

Oakland Post

Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook. Courtesy of Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook.

By Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook

As a pastor and East Bay resident, I see firsthand how my community struggles with the rising cost of everyday living. A fellow pastor in Oakland recently told me he cuts his pills in half to make them last longer because of the crushing costs of drugs.

Meanwhile, community members are contending with skyrocketing grocery prices and a lack of affordable healthcare options, while businesses are being forced to close their doors.

Our community is hurting. Things have to change.

The most pressing issue that demands our leaders’ attention is rising healthcare costs, and particularly the rising cost of medications. Annual prescription drug costs in California have spiked by nearly 50% since 2018, from $9.1 billion to $13.6 billion.

Some lawmakers, however, have advanced legislation that would drive up healthcare costs and set communities like mine back further.

I’m particularly concerned with Senate Bill (SB) 41, sponsored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), a carbon copy of a 2024 bill that I strongly opposed and Gov. Newsom rightly vetoed. This bill would impose significant healthcare costs on patients, small businesses, and working families, while allowing big drug companies to increase their profits.

SB 41 would impose a new $10.05 pharmacy fee for every prescription filled in California. This new fee, which would apply to millions of Californians, is roughly five times higher than the current average of $2.

For example, a Bay Area family with five monthly prescriptions would be forced to shoulder about $500 more in annual health costs. If a small business covers 25 employees, each with four prescription fills per month (the national average), that would add nearly $10,000 per year in health care costs.

This bill would also restrict how health plan sponsors — like employers, unions, state plans, Medicare, and Medicaid — partner with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to negotiate against big drug companies and deliver the lowest possible costs for employees and members. By mandating a flat fee for pharmacy benefit services, this misguided legislation would undercut your health plan’s ability to drive down costs while handing more profits to pharmaceutical manufacturers.

This bill would also endanger patients by eliminating safety requirements for pharmacies that dispense complex and costly specialty medications. Additionally, it would restrict home delivery for prescriptions, a convenient and affordable service that many families rely on.

Instead of repeating the same tired plan laid out in the big pharma-backed playbook, lawmakers should embrace Newsom’s transparency-first approach and prioritize our communities.

Let’s urge our state legislators to reject policies like SB 41 that would make a difficult situation even worse for communities like ours.

About the Author

Rev. Dr. VanHook is the founder and pastor of The Community Church in Oakland and the founder of The Charis House, a re-entry facility for men recovering from alcohol and drug abuse.