Like so many in our southeastern Wisconsin community, I was saddened and angered to read the Aug. 18 Associated Press article, “Gunmen crossing from Egypt attack Israelis, killing 8; retaliatory airstrikes hit Gaza.”
As Milwaukee County Sheriff, I have been steadfast in my advocacy that in our system of justice the message to the lawless must be certain, swift, and convey the message that severe consequences will follow unwanted behavior.
But, as I learned earlier this spring on my trip to the Jewish homeland (accompanying a dozen urban law enforcement officials from around the U.S. in on-site briefings on homeland-security issues in Israel, sponsored by the American Israel Educational Foundation), this issue is so much more complex than most of our fellow Americans can appreciate.
I am only now coming to comprehend the forces at work in the Middle East. No longer do I have to rely on skewed news reports or propaganda perpetrated by anti-Israeli sources. My burgeoning understanding has been greatly enhanced by my developing relationship with Milwaukee’s Jewish community.
Rather than a return to the failure of battling headlines on the international media stage, I hope for the Palestinians to reject and denounce terror, violence, and the groups associated with it and return to the types of direct, bilateral negotiations with Israel as the most promising pathway to concord.
As always, my most heartfelt prayers go out to the Israeli people and their right to exist in peace.
David A. Clarke Jr., Sheriff
Milwaukee County
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