Letter from John Webb

Nelson Op-ed Was Courageous

I believe that Emile Zola would applaud not only Wriley Nelson’s op-ed piece, “J’accuse: Every American Has Palestinian Blood on Their Hands” that appeared in your October 3, 2024 issue, but also “The Freeman’s Journal” for having the courage to print it.

On January 13, 1898, the French newspaper, “L’Aurore,” published, on its front page, Zola’s letter, “J’accuse,” in which he accused the French government of blatant anti-Semitism in the Dreyfus Affair and laid out all the incontrovertible evidence upon which he based his sweeping accusation.

That letter tore France apart, politically and socially, because it revealed information that cast dark shadows on many prevailing opinions, beliefs, and resulting actions, and it brought into the light troubling events, facts, dates, and names that many preferred to overlook or deny altogether because they did not suit their particular perspectives. Zola, like others who dared to criticize what was happening, was quickly condemned, and he paid heavily for his courage by being found guilty of libel, forcing him to flee France in order to avoid a prison sentence. Even his cause of death remains suspect.

In a fashion similar to Zola’s, Wriley Nelson presented a panorama of troubling facts and realities that have resulted in deadly and seriously excessive injustice toward Palestinians. Tragically, all too many people, seemingly in the interest of being somehow “correct” and “empathic,” choose to overlook and/or deny those injustices, and they condemn those who might want to recognize and respond to them. Simply put, the Israeli slaughter in Palestine must end, and the equilibrium on which true justice is supposed to be apportioned must be reestablished. That is not happening! In fact, the imbalance of justice here, as Nelson points out, is deeply bipartisan politically, motivated on both sides by forces that are, in many cases, monetary or motivated by the desire to secure votes. That should make everyone worry about our country’s, or even humanity’s, future. I personally commend Wriley Nelson for his thorough treatment of this complex issue and “The Freeman’s Journal” for printing it. Time will tell whether this situation will end up tearing our country apart more than it already is. In the meantime, however, our only hope may lie in the open and sincere expression of perspectives, as was the case in Nelson’s op-ed, that challenge us to come to terms with the injustice that is happening in Gaza.

Zola concluded his famous letter by stating: “As for the people I am accusing,… I bear them neither ill will nor hatred. To me they are mere entities, agents of harm to society. The action I am taking [in writing this letter] is not more than a radical measure to hasten the explosion of truth and justice. I have but one passion, the search for light, in the name of humanity which has suffered so much and is entitled to happiness. My fiery protest is the cry of my very soul.” (Translation by Jean-Max Guieu, Georgetown University, 2001.)

Thank you, Wriley Nelson and “The Freeman’s Journal.”

John Webb
Cooperstown