Janet Simmon: Violating international law and destroying the environment

To The Daily Sun,

We seem to not notice the disastrous environmental effects of bombing Gaza.

Over 100,000 tons of bombs have been dropped in the last 20 months on Gaza, an area about twice the size of Lake Winnipesaukee.

It is not only the Palestinian people who breathe the constantly moving air.

Israel has dropped white phosphorus on Gaza and Lebanon. That seeps deep into the soil and water, remaining there for many years.

Large bombs pulverize concrete, heavy metals, even human beings. Everything even close to the dropping of a 2,000 pound bomb becomes vaporized. The contaminated air drops these vaporized pollutants over land and water, sometimes for thousands of miles.

What’s happening in Gaza doesn’t stay in Gaza.

The extensive habitat loss from the pollution of air, water and soil creates silent victims. Livestock, pets and wildlife are equally affected.

Gaza is a major flyway for birds and butterflies. More than 1.5 million migratory birds journey between their breeding grounds and their wintering spots in Africa. The route they take is the second-most important air corridor for migratory birds in the world. The center of this route goes directly through Gaza.

Birds play a critical role in ecosystems. Birds prevent crop losses and the spread of disease by controlling rodents, locusts and other pests and by disposing of carrion. They depend on life sustaining food along the way and trees to rest in. Their loss has devastating effects further down the food chain.

The money and bombs the U.S. sends are directly responsible for this loss.

I implore Reps. Chris Pappas and Maggie Goodlander to co-sponsor Block the Bombs Act HR 3565. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Sen. Maggie Hassan should please support a companion bill in the Senate. Cut off the flow of arms that violate international law while destroying the environment.

Janet Simmon

Laconia