Activism

COMMENTARY: War Against Palestine — Show Caution

Israel has taken over lands that were not part of Israel, has allowed Jewish settlers to take over Palestinian homes in the West Bank, and has put 2 million Palestinians behind a fence in Gaza that they are not allowed to exit. When Palestinians mounted large peaceful marches in 2018, they were attacked by the Israeli military.

Published

2 years ago

October 14, 2023

Oakland Post

Photo: iStock photo

Race, Israel, and the U.S.

By Kitty Kelly Epstein | Special to The Post

The world watches while Palestinians and Israelis struggle, and now Israel prevents food, water and electricity from reaching the entire population of 2 million residents of Gaza, most of them children.

Yet most of the information about why all this is happening is not reported in the U.S. press. In this article, I lay out some of that information and then propose the simplest of solutions.

The killing of millions of Jews by the Nazis during the 1940s caused some to feel that Jewish people needed a separate country. Since German Nazis were responsible for the Holocaust, it would have been logical for such a Jewish state to be created from a chunk of Germany.

Ignoring the fact that Palestine was a sovereign nation, European leaders with a white supremacist mindset, decided to give the Zionist Jews a chunk of Palestine although Palestinians had nothing to do with World War II or with the Holocaust.

The new leaders were allowed to expel Palestinian people who had lived there for centuries and establish the Israeli state which has laws that are openly and unapologetically racist.

For example, the “Admissions Committee Law” says small towns in Israel can decide whether a particular person can live there. They can and do reject Palestinians, LGBTQ people and others when the town decides that they are not a good “fit.” https://www.adalah.org/en/law/view/494)

The “Jewish Nation State Law” says that the right to self-determination belongs only to Jewish people in Israel and in the occupied territories. The “law enshrines Jewish supremacy over Palestinian citizens. The law has distinct apartheid characteristics.” (https://www.adalah.org/en/content/view/9569)

The Law of Return says that Jewish people from anywhere in the world can immigrate to Israel and to the occupied Palestinian territories and receive Israeli citizenship automatically but Palestinians who were expelled from their homes during the establishment of Israel do not have the right to return.

So … much as we all would prefer peaceful solutions, Palestinians seem to have no choice but to fight back or to die in the outdoor prison that is Israeli-controlled Gaza.

Many Jewish people do not agree with what Israel is doing. Jewish Voices for Peace has condemned Israel’s actions. (https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org)

Many non-Jews are afraid of being labeled “anti-Semitic” if they criticize Israel, but this is not a good enough reason to be silent. We and our elected officials need to have the courage to demand an answer that ensures Palestinians have their homes and their rights.

Consider this scenario: If President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he has one month to rectify Israeli laws so that they apply equally to all residents of Israel and the territories — Jewish, Palestinian, Muslim, Christian, and everyone else — and if that did not happen, the U.S. would stop providing aid.

With that, the “war” would be over.

“Equal protection under the law” is the most basic principle of democracy, according to the U.S. Our government should insist that this principle be applied by the country that receives by far the most aid from our tax dollars.

This week, a Palestinian doctor with children living in Gaza wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter:

“Belal Aldabbour@Belalmd12

Soon, the last sliver of electricity and connection will be exhausted. If I die, remember that I, we, were individuals, humans, we had names, dreams, and achievements, and our only fault was that we were just classified as inferior.”

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

2 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

1 week ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.