Rock and a Hard Place Press Denounces Actions in Gaza as Genocide and Calls on Other Writers and Publishers to Follow
As writers and editors who believe in the importance of words and their meaning, Rock and a Hard Place Press denounces the actions taken by the Israeli Government in Gaza beginning in late October 2023 by characterizing them as genocide.
Recognizing the weight of the word, we point to the conclusions drawn by human rights organizations including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel stating that these actions qualify as genocide because they create conditions calculated to destroy a particular group, in this case, the Palestinian civilians of Gaza. We are especially horrified by restrictions placed on aid, the targeted killings of civilians when seeking aid, and the rhetoric used by those in power to inspire hatred and further destruction.
As citizens of the United States, we also recognize and denounce the role of the U.S. Government in enabling this genocide by continuing to supply weapons and diplomatic cover for the Israeli Government. We also use the word genocide knowingly as it asserts that those who commit such acts or enable such acts should be held accountable in courts of law.
As writers, we understand that each different culture provides a unique lens through which we can view the human experience and condition. As observers of the world and of humanity who spend considerable time considering human ambitions, faults, relationships, and hardships, we view it as our responsibility to note as clearly and as loudly as we can when a culture is being exterminated.
We therefore call upon other writers and publishers to also denounce these acts as genocide.
We remind them that to remain silent is to be complicit.