Brookings resident Carl Kline is an ordained clergyman, part-time teacher and occasional blogger.

I’m glad some are raising their voices and interrupting life as usual. Leave it to the younger generation to tire of body bags, and crying malnourished children looking for their mothers, and constant scenes of rubble and utter devastation. How much more of Israel’s war in Gaza can we stand? Do you get a drink or find some other reason to exit the TV when that part of the news appears?

The uprising on campuses across the country and around the world is trying to tell us something: stop the violence in the Middle East (a ceasefire would be a good start), and move away from a war economy. The latter is critical! Student protesters are correct in targeting investments in war and its relationship to the on-going genocide. They are asking universities to “disclose, divest and demilitarize their stock holdings.” Why would a university want to have stock in Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, General Dynamic; except to make money and in turn fuel the war machine. Likely, members of their Boards of Trustees are tied to the war economy more than most, and may well support the kind of police action we’ve seen at Columbia. Also, people in positions of power generally prefer to direct others rather than listen to them and negotiate, especially as younger people are raising serious ethical concerns. Boards of Trustees would likely prefer to discuss economic issues, not ethical and moral issues.

And Congress? Congress voted, and the president signed, $26 billion in arms for Israel. They made us all complicit, as participants in a democratic society, for bombs raining on Gaza. Then both executive and legislative branches of our government criticized the protesters for unruly behavior, ignoring the issues they raise.The Biden administration speaks out of both sides of the mouth; calling for a cease fire on one hand but supporting the war effort and criticizing protestors on the other. I suppose there is some merit in that Biden is not asking the police to shoot protestors in the legs, as his predecessor suggested.

Also, the House just passed legislation to criminalize anti-Zionist speech. I’m not a supporter of anti-semitism. All of our religious traditions must be respected. But that doesn’t mean we all act in accordance with our tradition. As a Christian, if I rob and kill someone, and I am criticized and held accountable for that, that’s not attacking Christianity. That’s holding me responsible for my behavior. I’m not sure what part of the Torah Netanyahu is reading, but I’d sure like to know!

An estimated 200 colleges in the United States have seen encampments and protests. The number in other countries is growing. As the slaughter continues, the concern won’t go away. Israel has been expanding its borders for almost 80 years, with Palestinians pushed and prodded into smaller and smaller enclaves. As the violence continues, one can only anticipate the trauma of this time escalating future warfare from the remnant left behind.

There is some good news from the college scene. Unlike the violence that unfolded at Columbia and so many other schools; with massive police presence, hundreds of arrests, injuries from rubber bullets, and at least one faculty member in Middle East History with seven broken ribs. Some college and university administrations sat down and talked with students. This was true at Brown University, at Rutgers, at Evergreen State in Olympia, Washington, at the University of Minnesota. Communication and negotiations were the order of the day at Thompson Rivers University in British Colombia, Canada.

Must we always resort to the use of force, especially before trying other alternatives? If communication and negotiation is not working, why not try trained mediators?

And our leaders in government? Somewhere I remember President Jimmy Carter bringing together Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt, and Menachem Begin, Prime Minister of Israel in the signing of a peace treaty in 1979. Why have we become the war supplier instead of the peace provider, and hold the young generation in contempt for their objections?