The Biden/Harris Team Ignores the Outcry of the People and Its Own Government Findings to Continue the War in Israel

 

     Recently I read an article stating that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has been found to have lied to the American public and Congress when he falsely testified that Israel had NOT breached humanitarian aid or related International  laws by blocking aid by not accounting for 2 reports he had received at the time supporting the opposite was true, days before. One report was from USAID and the other was from the State Department , both concluded in detail how Israel was blocking aid from reaching the citizens of Gaza which, if our government where to follow its own laws or International Law, would have at a minimum halted the US from continuing to provide weapons until such time as aid were allowed to enter Gaza by Israel. 

    

     Conditioning aid or following humanitarian law or in any way limiting the ability for Israel to wage its disproportionally war on Gaza in as it sees fit is NOT a goal of the Biden/ Harris administration. On the contrary, Israel is to be: 1) armed with taxpayer paid weapons, 2)supported with taxpayer paid troops, ships, nuclear submarines and if necessary the US arsenal, 3) diplomatically backed on the world stage in support of its cruel apartheid occupation and revenge war, 4) it’s clear clear right wing government’s  statements that It doesn’t want a 2 State solution and wants to eliminate the Palestinians from their land are ignored by our government, 5) Israel  is to be backed by the US unconditionaly regardless of ANY horrific actions to its neighbors (the Israeli terrorist attack of pagers in Lebanon comes to mind), 6) the killing of US citizens or ANY atrocities conducted by Israel (such as sodomizing detainees) shall be left up to Israel “investigate,” and 7) Israel shall be entitled to exclude ALL Western press which might actually see the atrocities it is committing, and kill or freely silence ALL Eastern press.

     Never have I seen in my lifetime such an overwhelming amount of objection & protest by the public, be marginalized and ignored by our government. It’s actually being suppressed at the expense of our first amendment at every turn. I have never seen such an outcry from people protesting in the millions in almost every country in the world and most cities in America on any other issue before- with no apparent effect on Western governments’ blind determination to help slaughter  Palestinian children by providing Israel with the weapons to do so. Our complicity is absolute and ironclad.

   Countless groups, individuals and organizations have implored their President for almost a year to cease this “ironclad” support for Israel in light of the Genocide it was conducting- to no avail. 

     For example: recently, in a joint letter to President Biden, signed by various organizations including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International USA, urged the suspension of U.S. arms transfers to Israel. The letter expressed concern over the use of U.S. weapons in attacks on civilians in Gaza, citing violations of international and U.S. law. The signatories called for a public review of Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law and urged the U.S. to reconsider its military support in light of these concerns. To no avail.

     Several U.S. State Department officials have resigned in protest of the Biden administration's policy on the Gaza conflict. Notable resignations include Andrew Miller, the deputy assistant secretary for Israeli-Palestinian affairs, who cited personal reasons but was known to be critical of U.S. support for Israel. Other officials, such as Stacy Gilbert and Josh Paul, also resigned, expressing concerns over the administration's handling of humanitarian aid and arms transfers to Israel. These resignations highlight internal dissent regarding U.S. policy towards the ongoing conflict in Gaza. I believe a total of twelve U.S. officials have publicly resigned in protest over President Biden's Gaza policy since October 7, 2023. 

       Moreover, a collective of artists known as Artists4Ceasefire sent a letter to President Biden urging for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Israel. The letter, signed by hundreds of entertainment industry figures, including Drake, Jennifer Lopez, Mark Ruffalo, Macklemore, and Michael Moore calls for the de-escalation of violence, the delivery of humanitarian aid, and the release of hostages. It emphasizes the sanctity of all lives and condemns the killing of civilians on both sides. With no meaningful response to this letter.

   

      Additionally, Several major U.S. labor unions have supported limiting or stopping weapons transfers to Israel. These include:

- United Auto Workers (UAW),

- American Postal Workers Union (APWU),

- National Education Association (NEA),

- Service Employees International Union (SEIU),

- Association of Flight Attendants (AFA),

- United Electrical Workers (UE), and

- International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT).

         

      These unions, representing millions of workers, have urged President Biden to cease military aid to Israel, citing humanitarian concerns and violations of international law. This plea is falling on deaf ears.

  Internationally there has been overwhelming pressure put on the Biden/Harris administration to change its disastrous foreign policy on blindly supporting Israel. In response to the Gaza conflict, various countries and organizations have taken actions: 1. ) Many countries, including Sweden and over 30 others, have called for increased humanitarian access to Gaza and a ceasefire.  2) The UN Security Council has passed resolutions demanding a ceasefire and humanitarian aid access.

3.) Over 250 humanitarian and human rights organizations have urged UN Member States to halt arms transfers to Israel and Palestinian armed groups due to risks of human rights violation.

    An overwhelming amount of US citizens have reached out to the Whitehouse and their Congress members, myself included, writing to implore them to change course on the US’s abysmal policies towards unconditional support of Israel. These letters received boilerplate nonreponsive answers. A dissent channel was established by congressional aids to vent their frustration on their inability to provide constituents with a response.

   These are but a small sampling of the overwhelming public and institutional outcry over the US complicity enabling Gaza and the Genocide to happen. Which outcry is being ignored. The majority of Americans (61%) and especially the majority of Democrats (70%) support conditioning aid to Israel on its compliance with humanitarian laws . This fact is irrelevant. Biden has made the shortsighted intransigent decision to uphold his outdated unpopular and paid for (Biden was a lifetime AIPAC/ Israel lobby recipient) beliefs to support Israel at any cost in whatever it chooses to do with impunity, disregarding public opinion, sealing his legacy and condemning the world (and the Palestinians) to the will of a, soon to be, 82 year old man who at times appears to suffer from dementia and is stubbornly set in his ways. Supported by his mostly AIPAC bought Congress and surrounded by his mostly Zionist cabinet and billionaire donors of course….We need to keep increasing the pressure by people with a moral compass… which almost no politician has….or if he does, he’s choosing to ignore it.