Two dead boys

 

Ahmed Shehada, 16, was killed by Israeli forces in Nablus

    Two boys were killed
    Within less than 12 hours.

    Ahmed Shahada,
    Sixteen years old,
    Was killed by the bullets
    Of Israeli soldiers who
    Invaded  Nablus.
     
    Aryeh Schupak,
    Fifteen years old,
    Was killed by a bomb,
    Planted by a Palestinian,
    In West Jerusalem.  
   
    Knesset Member Ofer Kasif
    Said on the Knesset floor
    That both boys are victims of
    The ongoing occupation
    Which claims the lives
    Of Israelis and Palestinians alike.

    But  MK Kasif remains
    An isolated voice.
    The current Knesset abounds
    With extreme nationalists and racists,
    Some of whom are slated
    For senior ministerial positions
    In the new cabinet.

    In their eyes,
    Only Arye Shechupek
    Was a victim,
    And they called upon God
    To avenge his blood.

    Ahmed Shahada is
    In their eyes a "terrorist"
    Who deserved to die
    And the soldiers who shot him
    Should be commended.

    When this is
    The dominant mindset
    In the Knesset and the government,
    The cycle of bloodshed
    Is bound to spin
    Faster and faster, and claim
    Ever more victims.

~ Gush Shalom statement, Dec. 1, 2022