“Ceasefire” means we cease, they fire

January 15, 2023

Dear Mayor Baldwin and members of the Raleigh City Council,

I write again to urge you not to approve this ceasefire resolution, nor any declaration which supports Hamas.

To us in Raleigh, it is the day we honor the legacy of Martin Luther King.  In Israel, it is October 100th and then some.

This horrible war, now in its 4th painful month, was forced upon Israel by Hamas terrorists who slaughtered civilians at a music festival, Hamas sadists who murdered entire families in the most unspeakable ways.

No one wants peace in the region more than the people of Israel.  But a premature ceasefire will not produce that.

Contrary to what they claim, anyone who asks for a ceasefire now is not a humanitarian.

They do not acknowledge the humanity of the victims of the October 7th massacre.

They ignore the human rights of over 100 hostages still in brutal captivity.

Those who are pleading for a ceasefire now do so because the murderers are on the run.

They are playing for time to allow Hamas to emerge victorious ~  to survive now in order to kill another day.

There may be people who think a ceasefire could make the bloodshed stop.

But to such a person we ask: do you honestly think Hamas would ever lay down its arms?

Don’t forget there was a permanent ceasefire already in place on October 6th.

And another ceasefire in November when Israel exchanged hundreds of convicted felons for 80 civilian women & children.

Do you remember how that ceasefire ended?  Hamas started firing rockets, and stopped releasing the Israeli captives.

As the saying goes in Israel, you know what happens in a ceasefire ~ we cease, and they fire.  By now, you understand the dark humor in that comment.

Israel has agreed to 6 “permanent” ceasefire resolutions with Hamas over the last 15 years.

To this day, Hamas is not only unrepentant, but fiercely committed to their genocidal mission.

So that phrase “permanent ceasefire with Hamas” has lost all meaning.  Ceasefire means Israel stops defending itself so that Hamas can reload and plan the next killing spree.

For peace to ever be established, it is these ceaseless ceasefire resolutions which must stop.  Israel must be allowed, once and for all, to remove Hamas from power.

Finally, ceasefire raises another issue closer to home, and through this resolution, you are being asked to take sides.

Pro-Hamas activists share the same goal as Hamas fighters: the destruction of Israel & the Jewish people.

Approving this resolution would bolster not only Hamas terrorists and their Iranian sponsors overseas, but local supporters of Hamas who are doing their best to disrupt daily life here in America.

We see & hear them chanting on the street and in public squares, even in the Crabtree Valley Mall.

Across the country, Hamas apologists are parading across college campuses, blocking city bridges and tunnels, interfering on roads and at airports.

They are testing the limits of how aggressive they can be.  They count on our commitment to free speech to allow them free rein.

The United States has an honored tradition of peaceful protest but these events are not in the spirit of Martin Luther King.

Pro-Hamas agitators do not hide their support for genocide, and make no apology for their anti-Semitic vitriol.

Their marches are always disruptive, often menacing and sometimes dangerous.

There is hardly a Jewish person in America who has not been shaken by this ugliness.

A month ago, we in the Raleigh Jewish community observed Hannukah with candle lightings in our public spaces.

We thank you, Mayor Baldwin for your personal support, for lighting the first candle with us, for keeping those celebrations safe.

We are painfully aware that in other cities, where pro Hamas protesters have intimidated community leaders, celebrations like ours were cancelled.

The United States was established as a haven for religious minorities.

I never thought it would be necessary to ask, but please do your utmost to protect this fundamental right for all of us.

Please consider measures to limit this hate speech, this ongoing disruption of civic life.  This has long ago crossed the line of free speech and freedom of expression.

For today, please vote against this dishonest and cynical resolution.

Thank you for your attention,

Jean Campaiola, MD

Raleigh, NC