In a shameful moment for U.S. history, an accused war criminal addressed Congress on July 24.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came topleadfor more arms for his war on Gaza, where the International Court of Justice has found it “plausible” that Israel is committing genocide. “Give us the tools faster and we’ll finish the job faster,” Netanyahu said.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is seeking awarrantfor Netanyahu’s arrest for war crimes and crimes against humanity. But instead of arresting him, Congress gave him multiple standing ovations.
Beyond applause, the U.S. government is also Israel’s chief supplier of arms. Every year, Congress sends billions in military aid — includingthousands of high powered explosives and other weaponssince October.
To avoid complicity in war crimes and genocide, these shipments must end.
There isoverwhelming evidencethat Israeli forces under Netanyahu’s leadership have committed massive human rights atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza.And that’s against the backdrop ofan illegal military occupationof Palestinian territory and apartheid, as another ICJ rulingconfirmedrecently.
Nonetheless, Congress invited Netanyahu to speak. He used this platform to deny any responsibility for theslaughter,famine, and catastrophicdestructionin Gaza — and to denigrate Americans who are rightly horrified by their government’s support for his genocidal campaign.
As Netanyahu spoke,thousands of people took to the streets near the Capitol. Braving tear gas and arrest, they gave voice to the majority of Americans whodemand an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gazaand anembargo on arms to Israel.
Most Americans are disgusted that U.S-made bombs keep turning up at massacre after massacre. Over the past few weeks alone, Israel has repeatedly bombed so-called “safe zones” andat least eight schoolsin Gaza where thousands of forcibly displaced Palestinians were sheltering.
On July 9, the Israeli military murdered at least 30 Palestinians who were playing soccerat the Al-Awda schoolusingGBU-39 bombsmade by Boeing. Israel also dropped GBU-39s on another UN school-turned-shelter in theNuseirat refugee camp on July 6, killing at least 40, and before that on Palestinian families sheltering in plastic tents during theMay 26 Rafah massacre.
On July 13, Israeli forces killed 90 people and injured hundreds more at theAl-Mawasi refugee campthat Israel had designated a “safe zone.” Children were reportedly found “in pieces.” Eight 2,000-pound bombs turned the civilian area into a“smoldering crater.” At least one of the munitions was aBoeing-made JDAM.
Despite these atrocities, the weapons continue to flow.
In May, President Biden announced that he wouldpausethe delivery of 2,000-pound bombs ahead of Israel’s invasion of Rafah, which Biden had called “a red line.” However, Israel has stillreceiveddestructive 500-pound bomb shipments despite invading Rafah, and the killing in Gaza continues.
These weapons shipments violate bothinternationalandU.S. law. The United States is legally obligated to withhold military assistance when U.S. weapons are used to violate human rights.
TheUN Human Rights Counciland various expertshave called on all countriesto end the sale and transfer of military equipment to Israel — or else risk complicity in crimes, including genocide. They called on arms manufacturers supplying Israel to do the same, including Boeing, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman.
Polls show that amajority of Americans support closing the arms pipelineto Israel. In advance of Netanyahu’s speech, seven major labor unions representing nearly 6 million workerscalledon President Biden to “immediately halt all military aid to Israel.”
The voices of the American people deserve more respect in Congress than Netanyahu’s lies and demands. An immediate end to all U.S. weapons transfers to Israel is long overdue, alongside a permanent ceasefire and larger pursuit of freedom and justice for the Palestinian people.
We must not allow ourselves to become a nation that applauds mass murder.
- This op-ed was distributed by OtherWords.org.