We are past the
one year anniversary of
the Hamas attack on
Israel. To mark the
deadly occasion, Vice-President Kamala Harris
planted a pomegranate tree at her home and
President Joe Biden lit a candle at the White
House. The initial calls for a ceasefire now
seem woefully inadequate and definitely
ineffective. It’s time to light some fire
under Congress.
Repeated
warnings to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu by world leaders have been blatantly
ignored. Instead of scaling back on its
military aggression, Israel is now involved in
military assaults on three fronts—Gaza,
Lebanon and Yemen. The threat of Israeli
military engagement with Iran, Turkey and
Syria is real, and concerns of growing
regional conflict is a reality. How can
Israel, the approximate size of New Jersey, be
mighty enough to sustain this level of
military actions? Quite simply—because of U.S.
unconditional support.
In spite of a
UN Security Council resolution calling
for a ceasefire, the unrelenting airstrikes on
Gaza have resulted in more than 42,000
Palestinian deaths and nearly 100,000 injured.
Almost 2 million people have been violently
displaced, creating a humanitarian crisis.
That’s about 90 per cent of the Palestinian
population. Israeli forces have bulldozed 80
percent of Palestinian agricultural lands and
nearly 70 percent of its infrastructure has
been decimated. Since October 7, Israeli
forces have bombarded Gaza with thousands of
explosive attacks including drone strikes,
missile attacks, and remote explosions.
Palestine has been reduced to rubble in an
attempt to erase its political, cultural and
social existence.
Israel’s recent
strike on Beirut represented a significant
military escalation for the first time in two
decades. The mission was to take out Hezbollah
leaders like Hassan Nasrallah. The attack also
killed three key leaders of the Popular Front
for the Liberation of Palestine. Over 1000
people were killed and as is the case of most
military conflicts, humanitarian catastrophes
kicked in. Israel attacked the Iranian-backed
Houthis, freedom fighters in Yemen who are in
solidarity with Palestine’s demand for
self-determination.
The expanding
military strategy of Israel is proof that the
Zionist-agenda is impervious to the complex
realities of the Middle East. Its military
aggression has been a “shock and awe” tactic
that has produced more enemies for Israel and
no peaceful solution. The determination of
Muslim countries in the region to fight
against Israeli domination individually and
collectively only dooms the Israeli to
perpetual war. This is causing increasing
division among the Jewish people—both inside
and outside the country--who are weary of the
uncompromising conflicts that put them in the
crosshairs.
Israel is like
a little bully who relies on its big, bullying
brother to intervene when it gets in a
situation over its head. That big brother is
the United States. The US continues to prop up
the bullying with verbal support and weapons
of mass destruction. The international
community has not been able to convince Israel
of a ceasefire but those of us in the US have
an obligation and a realistic pathway to stop
the billions of dollars going to Israel. It is
the US’s unwavering support of Israel that has
it beating its chest in the Middle East.
The fact that
this conflict is the machinations of men, and
that women and children suffer the most,
should not be lost on anyone one with a
conscience. Every military escalation by
Israel should be met with the same energy to
neutralize its unbridled power. Let’s not
forget that nuclear weapons are part of the
Israeli arsenal.
The US Congress
is moving in the interests of the Zionist
lobbyists. It’s time to remind them that we
refuse to be complicit in the Palestinian
genocide. If the ultimate goals are peace and
sovereign respect, new thinking is mandatory
to re-imagine how we get there. The
presidential election cycle is an opportunity
to reframe and amplify the demands.
We who believe
in Palestinian liberation must lead the way.
Demands must be actualized by organized and
coordinated action. There must be calls for
sanctions against Israel and an end to the
endless flow of U.S. tax dollars to fund its
military wars. The most vocal supporters of
Israel in Congress must be targeted for
individualized exposure and pressure.
As abolitionist
Frederick Douglass reminded us, “Power
concedes nothing without a demand. It never
did and it never will.”
