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In Wilmore, I came across a rare sighting for Jessamine County, a sign donning the Palestinian Flag, and an Israeli Flag, with the text: “Pray for Palestine.” 

Another Palestinian Flag took up the bottom left corner of the sign, with text within it stating: “There is no way to peace, peace is the way.” A QR code beside it allows passersby to donate to World Central Kitchen (WCK), with a caption beside the code reading “Help WCK Feed The Hungry.”

When asked about why he included both flags on the sign, David Whelchel said with assuredness, “both people need our prayers. There’s injustice on both sides.” 

“We’re sympathetic to all injustice, but right now that’s one of the big… one of the many things happening. And we’re a muslim household so we have links to this.”

He said his family’s religious beliefs are tied to his dedication to justice. 

“As I believe Christians and jews should also be. I can’t speak for Jews, but I see a huge difference between Judaism and Zionism.”

Although often mistakenly tied together, Judaism is not Zionism. Judaism is a religion, and Zionism is an ethnocultural nationalist movement to colonize Palestine. 

The family isn’t affiliated with any group that led them to putting the sign up, it’s a self-driven act of raising awareness. 

Whelchel has lived in Wilmore with his wife for the last six years. He is a retired welding engineer, and made the sign himself to put in his yard on a busy Wilmore road. The couple has two daughters who they raised to care deeply about justice for disenfranchised people everywhere. 

“Our [daughters were] brought up in an environment where we cared about justice. However, with how [one daughter] has developed, it’s a very important part of her life,” he said. One of his daughters started her support of Palestinian causes as a student at Asbury. She’s even taught in Palestine, Loas, Afghanistan, Dubai and Vietnam. 

Since he is not on TikTok or Instagram, both of his daughters keep him informed on the marches and events held by Lex4Palestine, a group fighting for the total liberation of Palestinians. 

The family has been to multiple marches held by the activist group, and even went to its most recent event at Lexington’s Bluegrass Airport to welcome a refugee from Gaza, a young boy who escaped the occupation to be able to access medical care– which isn’t available to him at home. 

Whelchel said at one of the Lex4Palestine meetings, a woman attending asked him when he became an activist. “It caught me off guard because I didn’t consider myself an activist and she said ‘well you’re here so you’re an activist.’”

He said he has heard that some don’t appreciate it, although all of his neighbors are supportive of the sign. 

“Our intent is not to aggravate or provoke anybody. It’s just that we feel in all of the United States, the media doesn’t cover what’s actually happening. It’s very one-sided. I think the whole U.S. and a lot of churches bring a religious element into this war that’s being leveraged. We just wanted to get it out there and get people thinking about the actual facts. There’s no interest in this story so it’s not gonna get the attention or coverage,” Whelchel said.

Even before October 7, 2023, David and his family were aware of the injustices happening in Occupied Palestine (Gaza and the West Bank) and Israel.  

CONTEXT

October 7 was a horrific day, with condemnable acts committed by Hamas that led to the death of civilians at a music festival. 

But October 7 was not the start nor the end of the genocide in Gaza or Palestine. According to the United Nations, the conflict in Palestine started in 1948, which Palestinians call the Nakba, which means catastrophe in Arabic. May 15, 1948 marked the start of Zionists marching into British Mandated Palestine at the time to commit ethnic cleansing on Palestinians. Between 1947 and 1949, half of the 1.9 million Palestinian population were made refugees beyond the borders of the state. These Nakbas are not separate events, but are part of a 76-year-long effort to permanently displace Palestinians from their home country. Before 1948, Palestine was a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic society.

Since October 7, according to Al Jazeera news, The latest death toll stands at 45,418 Palestinians and 1,139 people killed in Israel since October 7, 2023. 105,834 Gazans have been wounded, with 11,000 still missing. 6,250 Israelis have been injured. Entire Palestinian families have been wiped out, and Gaza has been destroyed along with its schools, hospitals, and infrastructure. 

Over the past year, according to reports from multiple international news organizations, aid has been restricted from Gazans, resulting in deaths from disease, starvation, and malnutrition. Psychological disorders have taken hold for all Palestinians, resulting from the prolonged trauma of war. 

According to Reuters news, on December 5, Amnesty International accused the state of Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza war. 

The international Court of Justice made a landmark ruling on July 19, 2024 declaring that 

Israel’s occupation of the Gaza strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is unlawful, along with the associated settlement regime, annexation and use of natural resources.

Although the Biden administration has mentioned vaguely that it is working on a ceasefire from Israel, according to the U.S. Embassy of Israel, The U.S.-Israel bilateral relationship is strong, anchored by over $3 billion in Foreign Military Financing annually. In addition to financial support, the U.S. participates in a high level of exchanges with Israel, to include joint military exercises, military research, and weapons development.