10/23/2023
Israel-Hamas conflict creating culture wars among Americans
Calls for peace are growing louder amid intensifying demands for further action from the White House. Inside the U.S. Capitol building this week, rabbis were among those arrested as a group took over the rotunda, demanding the U.S. broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. In New York, there was a massive gathering calling for Hamas’ release of all hostages. In Illinois, Palestinian Americans grew angry at a vigil for a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy killed in what police say was a hate crime.
■Class discussion: Have you seen or read any reports of clashes between Americans over the violence in Israel and Gaza? Do you know anyone who is worried about relatives involved in the Mideast conflict? Have reports about civilian war victims stirred up passions? Did past overseas conflicts pit groups of Americans against each other? How were American Muslims treated after the 9/11 attacks? Why were many Japanese-Americans in World War II forced from their homes and placed in internment camps under armed guard?