Through most of its history the young State of Israel was singled out, scapegoated, and threatened. But its current military policies are reckless and ruthless. In continuing its senseless war in Gaza, human rights violations in the West Bank, and now spreading terror in Lebanon, it is clear that the current leadership of Israel does not want peace, it wants perpetual war.

The attacks upon Hezbollah in Lebanon the past two days by means of remote-controlled explosives planted in pagers and walkie-talkies were nothing short of barbaric. Indescriminately killing and maiming civilians along with its Hezbollah targets, I believe the operation was a War Crime and a Crime Against Humanity, under international law.

As an American Jew, I demand that the U.S. stop all military aid to Israel and double its diplomatic effort to end these conflicts and establish a permanent peace in the region. These wars solve nothing, and every day that they wage on is a day of death, terror, and deepening despair. They’ve shoved Peace into a body bag and the zipper is closing fast.