Israeli soldiers stand guard Tuesday as Palestinian youths wait to cross into Israel at the Azun checkpoint near the West Bank Jewish settlement of Elkana, near Nablus. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu sketched his vision of Israeli-Palestinian peace before a sympathetic U.S. Congress on Tuesday, after reopening a dispute with President Barack Obama over the contours of a future Palestinian state.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- May Memorial Unitarian Universalist Society and the Syracuse Peace Council will host a benefit dinner featuring Palestinian food to raise funds for children in war-ravaged Gaza.

The benefit will provide humanitarian aid for those Gaza families left living among the ruins of this past summer's Israeli-Gaza Conflict. For many Palestinians in Gaza, heat, clean water and electricity are intermittent at best. This winter, young children and infants have died from freezing conditions and lack of basic medical care.

Saturday's dinner will be followed by a speaker, Ariel Gold of Friends of Sabeel North America. Gold recently returned from the West Bank after visiting with her 13-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter.

"This is the most important issue in Judaism today," said Gold, who lives in Ithaca. "I want my children to understand, as Jews, when the country of Israel is committing crime in our name, it's our responsibility to act against that."

Gold, who is Jewish, brought her family to stay with both Israeli and Palestinian families in the West Bank. She wanted to see the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories with her own eyes.

A Palestinian man pauses next to Israel's separation barrier Tuesday as another tends to animal cages in the foreground in the West Bank town of Aram, near Ramallah.

"It's brutal to live under occupation," she said. "It really impacts every aspect of daily life. One of the most difficult things for me, as a mom, is to see how it impacts children."

Gold described watching families shove towels under doors to prevent tear gas from entering homes.

"Older children are used to inhaling tear gas regularly, but nothing can protect the babies," she said.

They also participated in nonviolent, peaceful protests in Palestinian villages, in which Gold realized a striking comparison between the Israeli-Gaza conflicts and violence in the U.S.

"We [Americans] are dealing with systematic violence against young men of color," Gold said. "It's very similar to the targeting of Palestinian boys in the West Bank."

Her family met with one 16-year old male who was shot intentionally by an Israeli soldier while participating in a nonviolent protest.

"He still can't walk correctly," Gold said. "I think that's quite similar to what we see here in terms of issues with valuing the lives of white individuals over the lives of people with color. They're valuing Jewish lives over the lives of indigenous people."

The Gaza war -- the third major conflict in just over five years -- left more than 2,100 Palestinians dead, the majority of them civilians, including hundreds of children, according to Palestinian and U.N. officials.

Israel says the number of militants killed was much higher and accuses Hamas of using civilians as human shields. On the Israeli side, 66 soldiers and six civilians were killed.

"We can't ignore the proportionality of power and taking of life," Gold said. "The needs in Gaza are too great to imagine. It's unacceptable. I can't imagine how this can go on."

Gold said rebuilding Gaza should matter to Central New Yorkers because "humanity is an issue."

Middle East Children's Alliance

Proceeds from Saturday's dinner will be sent to Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA), a relief organization. MECA's current programs in Gaza include direct aid of warm clothes and blankets, a project to provide clean water and psychological support to help children deal with trauma.

The main course for the dinner is makluba, made of layered rice, carrots, eggplant, and potatoes, with pine nuts and parsley on top.

Traditionally, makluba is made with meat, but this version will be meatless, with vegetarian and vegan options. It will be served with Palestinian salad and sour cream as sides. The meal will also feature lentil soup, pita bread, hummus, olives and a dessert.

Three handmade children's quilts will also be raffled off at the event.

The event is sponsored by "CNY Working for a Just Peace in Palestine and Israel," a

committee of the Syracuse Peace Council, and co-sponsored by the Green Sanctuary/Social Action Committee of May Memorial Unitarian Universalist Society.

Gaza benefit dinner

Where:

May Memorial Unitarian-Universalist Society at 3800 E. Genesee St.

When:

Saturday, Feb. 21 from 5-7 p.m.

How much:

Admission is $15-20 on a sliding scale. RSVP at

cnybenefit@gmail.com

or call Michael at 315-472-5478.

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