Merriam Ansara: For the sake of our neighbors at home and abroad

I have been thinking a lot about this election. I am Arab American. My father was Lebanese and spent much of his life going back and forth not just to Lebanon but to all of the Middle East, and I was brought up with great love and respect for the countries, histories — for my cousins.

So I have been appalled by the role of Joe Biden and now Kamala Harris in perpetuating Israel’s war on Gaza, Palestine and Lebanon. I have thought long and hard as to how and why I should or even could vote for Harris. How could I vote for a lesser evil, when that evil was perpetuating what most of the world acknowledges as genocide, or if some prefer, “ethnic cleansing.”

Finally I found the answer: self-preservation. And not just self-preservation, but preservation of all of the people targeted obviously and outright by a President Donald Trump. Targeted by the man whose former staff and generals have labeled “fascist.” Who is reported to have said he thought George Floyd protesters should be shot. Who would deport millions of people. Who would go after my cousins in the U.S., and maybe me.

We need to cast the only meaningful vote that can ensure that we protect ourselves and our vulnerable neighbors, so we can continue to fight for our dreamed-of democracy. I hate to say it, but it’s true: I have to vote for Harris so that I can be sure that my neighbors and I are safe while I continue to fight for my cousins in Lebanon and Palestine.

Merriam Ansara

Easthampton