Can Money Absolve Us of Our Sins?

Are we no longer complicit if we throw money at the problem?

This post is going out a day later because of the Global Call to Action for a Ceasefire in Gaza.

I recently saw a video by Bisan, a journalist in Gaza, Palestine talking about the aid and donations that have been sent to Palestinians.

In the video, she talks about the aid trucks — 15,000 of them — that are in the Sinai Desert. Israel has blockaded Gaza and these trucks are being prevented from delivering their cargo to Palestinians. Truckloads of resources and supplies, including food, water, and life-saving medical equipment, lie just outside the reach of people who desperately need it.

Yet, donation drives for people in Palestine continue. Thousands, if not millions of dollars continue to be collected to be sent there, without real thought being given to whether these donations have any impact on the people they’re try…