Maine writer calls out FLAME ad over Gaza conflict
A Waldo resident argues that a new paid advertisement in the Maine Sunday Telegram misrepresents the war in Gaza.
By Bianca Herrera ·
A paid advertisement in the Oct. 25 issue of the Maine Sunday Telegram has prompted a sharp response from a Maine writer who calls the campaign a denial of the ongoing conflict. Jamila Levasseur, a resident of Waldo, published a letter criticizing the ad placed by Facts and Logic About the Middle East, known as FLAME.
Levasseur argues that the advertisement, titled “Facts Shatter Gaza Genocide Lies,” serves as a vehicle for Israeli propaganda. The Maine version of the national campaign specifically targets what she describes as unscrupulous politicians. She suggests the group is reacting to the political pressure applied by Troy Jackson.
In her letter, Levasseur labels the ad a form of genocide denial. She notes that she has spent more than three years submitting op-eds that cite the Genocide Convention to provide evidence for her position. She contends that the ad attempts to frame the conflict as a humane and reasonable response to Palestinian demands for self-determination and freedom.
The writer connects the campaign to her personal history, stating that most of her Jewish family members were exterminated during the Nazi genocide. She asserts that one does not need such a background to be horrified by the current situation. She cites specific images of obliterated neighborhoods, mass graves in hospital courtyards, and children dying in bombed tents as evidence of the human cost.
Levasseur says Israel is making Gaza uninhabitable for all life while accelerating ethnic cleansing in the West Bank. She urges the public to boycott, divest from, and sanction Israel. She calls on elected officials to demand a complete arms embargo and to support Palestinian liberation through action rather than words.
