New Castle Officials Must Show Greater Empathy After March for Peace

I was pleased to see The Examiner article reporting on the important Feb. 3 March for Peace, organized by Horace Greeley High School students. (“Chappaqua March Sparks Debate Over Israel-Gaza Conflict”)

The student leaders showed great courage and judgment, inviting support from like-minded neighbors, and adjusting their plan repeatedly to ensure a peaceful, respectful event. Their success was inspiring and an important step toward true inclusion in Chappaqua’s public spaces.

A few points in the article may be misleading. The sweeping charge of antisemitism has been repeatedly used against those who oppose the ongoing destruction in Gaza, and only creates barriers between neighbors. If the few counter-protestors who sought to disrupt, with honking and obscenities, had instead chosen to listen, they would’ve heard moving testimonials, not only about families suffering in Gaza, but also in the Holocaust. Many Americans share the conviction that Israel and the U.S. are committing genocide, and that there can be no justification for such massive assaults on Palestinian civilians.

The New Castle police showed exemplary professionalism at this event. What remains to be seen is whether the Town Board and other officials will be willing to correct course, abandon divisiveness and show equal respect for ALL residents. In particular, the insistence on flying the Israeli flag above Town Hall may have started as a gesture of empathy for victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, but now, after months of Israeli assault on Gaza, it shows a complete lack of empathy for the many thousands of Palestinians killed, injured and driven from their homes. And it dismisses the many Chappaqua residents who share that pain.

Our community can and must do better.

Maryam Fatouh

Chappaqua

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