I haven’t been blogging much on the middle east lately, but I’ve been following the news threads as solidly as ever. The latest violence in Gaza is worrying. Only a week ago it was a peaceful protest against an economic blockade; now there’s been escalation and invasion, and civilians are dying. This is all the more concerning because it is out of step with what ordinary Israelis want, according to this Haaretz account that says most Israelis support ceasefire talks with Hamas.
If this concerns you as well, here’s something you can do right now: sign the Avaaz petition.
Out of all the organisations I’ve seen trying to turn online presence into real-world influence, Avaaz is easily the strongest and most successful. They essential work through online word-of-mouth, like this, to push very targetted issue-specific petitions. Their first big one was to the 2007 G8 about global warming, and since then they’ve kept an eye on numerous human rights and climate change issues. They do good work and are the best channel I’m aware of for turning your concern at your computer screen into something that key decisionmakers will actually see.
At the petition page you can see how many have signed, as the bar creeps toward their target. The petition will be delivered to the Israeli government and to Hamas to call for an immediate ceasefire. It’s something.