This is every Philosophical Rebellion Substack post on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I began writing in February 2023 hoping to prevent this war and kept writing to advocate for a lasting peace.
When I started Philosophical Rebellion I said I would write about stories subjected to intense misinformation and censorship in the mainstream media; when I see that we are being lied to by the media, I focus on telling the true story. I started with the history of the US labor movement and how the working-class is being taken advantage of today. Next I told the story of the conspiracy to prevent an investigation into the Origin of Covid-19, the science of the lab leak hypothesis, and how the Director of National Intelligence violated the Covid Origins Act to illegally withhold evidence, which continues to this day. I’ve written on numerous other topics plagued by fake news including; what Trump did on January 6th, Trump and Biden’s foreign corruption allegations, David Grusch and what he told Congress about aliens, the science of consciousness from a physicalist perspective, and the border crisis. The topic which currently fits my focus best is coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There is a highly prevalent caricature of Palestinians as irrational bloodthirsty Arabs hellbent on harming Jewish people in Israel for no reason at all. Alternatively, there is a deceptive glorification of Israelis as peace-seeking innocent victims only fighting for their own self-defense. If you believe either of those misrepresentations, you’ve fallen for fake news. To tell the real story, I’ve created 20 Substack posts beginning in February 2023. Below I’ve linked every post I’ve made with quotes to summarize each of them. I have no doubt that if Biden had implemented the approach I recommended in early 2023, then October 7th and the subsequent war in the Middle East would have been prevented altogether. We are being lied into an unnecessary, immoral war; Americans need to tell our government we do not want war!
“For multiple years, Katie Halper was a regular contributor to a mainstream political commentary show called The Hill where she decided to create a segment discussing a comment Representative Rashida Tlaib made about Israel. Tlaib stated that it is wrong for the left to be progressive except for Palestine; referring to the Democratic Party championing Human Rights while simultaneously ignoring the human rights violations committed by our ally Israel under its apartheid system. Katie Halper was then fired specifically because of her decision to cover that story; “This is a monologue I recorded for The Hill which then they censored and I was fired over" (Halper).
Also, Harvard University rescinded a job offer in late 2022 to Ken Roth specifically for his criticism of apartheid in Israel (Roth). Roth was the former Director of Human Rights Watch, one of the world’s most trusted human rights organizations. Under Roth’s leadership, HRW released a report called ‘A Threshold Crossed; Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution’. Although Roth explained that his position as a human rights activist made him an enemy of the state of China, Saudi Arabia, and Rwanda, those enemies didn’t matter to Harvard. Instead, Roth explained that “Dean Elmendorf had vetoed my fellowship because of my and Human Rights Watch’s criticism of Israel” (Roth).
And most recently, Representative Ilhan Omar was ousted from her House of Representatives committee assignment on the Foreign Affairs Committee by the GOP specifically citing her anti-Israel comments…the Republican resolution to remove Rep. Omar, they cited the evidence that “Representative Omar referred to Israel as ‘an apartheid state,’ and went on to say that those who refused such a characterization needed to, ‘get on the right side of history.’” The GOP also cited her statement that “We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity. We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban.” Those are the real reasons Ilhan Omar was removed from her committee assignments…
Members of Congress should not be removed from their committee assignments because of their opposition to Israeli apartheid. Journalists in the mainstream media and academics in leading universities should not be censored for challenging US support for Israel. The censorship of dissent is wrong and should not continue.
However, the mere act of engaging in these discussions, regardless of how factual and non-biased, are met with malicious accusations of antisemitism and anti-Jewish racism. That is what happened to Amnesty International for releasing their report titled ‘Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians: a cruel system of domination and a crime against humanity’ as well as to Katie Halper, who is Jewish. But Katie Halper responded tactfully to those accusations in her response to Johnathon Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League; “you trivialize actual antisemitism by equating deadly anti-Semitic violence with criticism of a political project” (Halper). At this point, accusations of anti-Semitism from the ADL, AIPAC, and other pro-Israel lobbying groups have lost most of their legitimacy. Those organization lost their credibility through their own deliberate misuse of claims of antisemitism, persecution, and victimhood as a tool to censor debate.”
In April 2021, Human Rights Watch released an investigative report which described a system of discrimination conducted by the Israeli government against the Palestinian people severe enough to warrant the accusation of Apartheid. Their report was titled ‘A Threshold Crossed; Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution’ (HRW). In that report, HRW encouraged the United Nations Office of Human Rights to conduct its own investigation into their accusations; a process which the UN initiated. Then in February 2022, Amnesty International released a separate comprehensive report titled ‘Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians: Cruel system of domination and crime against humanity’ (Amnesty) which corroborated the findings of HRW. In that report, Amnesty International called for drastic change in the way that the international community has responded to the Crimes against humanity committed by the Israeli government. Next in March 2022, the United Nations Office of Human Rights released its report explaining the results of its investigation into accusations of Israeli apartheid. According to a UN appointed human rights expert, “apartheid is being practiced by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory” (UN).
So what actions has Israel done to the Palestinian people that constituted the crime of apartheid? Family separation, home demolitions, illegal settlement construction, unlawful detainments, forced relocation and displacement, illegal blockades, and institutionalized discrimination; all combined with an intent to dominate the Palestinian people. The fragmentation of the Palestinian population is one of the most important aspects of the apartheid system within Israel…Depending on where a Palestinian is located, they receive different rights and are subjected to different treatment…
Israel carries out institutionalized discriminatory practices to the detriment of the Palestinian people while benefitting Jewish Israelis. Israel enacts strict blockades and military law over the Palestinians within Gaza and the West Bank; populations subjected to intense restrictions on movement including the frequent use of unlawful detainment…Each of those reports documented a myriad of crimes against humanity ranging from “draconian movement restrictions in the OPT…and the denial of refugees’ right to return...” to the more severe crimes of “forcible transfer, administrative detention, torture, and unlawful killings, in both Israel and the OPT” (Amnesty). In the effort to maintain their domination, Israeli “authorities have dispossessed, confined, forcibly separated, and subjugated Palestinians by virtue of their identity” (HRW)…The UN investigator noted that many UN resolution have failed which enables Israel to avoid accountability. Recommendations were made previously which would have bettered the situation but those solutions have been ignored enabling the situation to worsen. Until the entire international community, especially the United States, comes together to clearly denounce apartheid and hold those who engage in such acts accountable, nothing will change.
“As an American, I don’t want my country supporting apartheid. The first step is determining the truth of the matter. The Biden Administration needs to direct the State Department to investigate the claims made by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the UN. Secretary of State Blinken should travel to the West Bank and Gaza to personally determine if conditions there truly equate to an “open-air prison” with “deprivations…so severe that they amount to the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution.” In addition to that investigation, the United States needs to end unconditional backing for Israel. In response to South African apartheid, Congress passed the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 which applied temporary sanctions on the apartheid government that would be lifted once the apartheid system was ended. Biden and Congress should create the equivalent of that bill concerning Israeli apartheid. America should at least put stipulations on the funding and military aid we provide which would pause support if Israel is found to be committing human rights violations. That pause in support should remain until those violations are stopped. America also needs to stop shielding Israel from international condemnation at the United Nations; just abstain and let the world speak freely. Lastly America should invest more in peace and less in war. America needs to divest from the military conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians to instead invest in the mutual respect, cooperation, friendly competition, and eventual interdependence between both populations. Both groups want the destruction of their counterpart, but “Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?” (Lincoln). New solutions need to be created that haven’t yet been thought of…The Israeli-Palestinian conflict isn’t going away anytime soon, but America needs to reassess our role in it. I’d rather America support peace than continue to support apartheid.”
There is a long history of war in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and even in times of relative peace, thousands of people still die. Both Israelis and Palestinians have legitimate reasons to despise each other. The annihilation of the other side is a mainstream sentiment in both populations; ideologies of evil have taken over. It is not uncommon to hear truly vile language insinuating that the other side are somehow less-than-human or that they should be eradicated. If that is acceptable language in your culture, your culture needs to change. Israeli suffering is suffering, Palestinian suffering is suffering; both sides are made up of human beings deserving of human rights and fair treatment. There needs to be a cultural renaissance in the region; mutual respect for human life, empathy, compassion, tolerance, interdependence, and personal connections are the bedrock of peaceful coexistence. One way or another, this war will end diplomatically; the question is whether that happens before or after widespread atrocities and loss of life. I’m not saying this will be easy or quick; wounds are fresh and severe so they will take time to heal. I am saying now is the time for de-escalation so that these wounds may heal and no more are created…
The Israeli apartheid occupation of Palestine cannot continue; settlement expansion must end, the blockade of Gaza must end, family separations must end, collective punishment must end, detainments without due process must end, and all other laws & norms which contribute to apartheid must end. Political reforms to enable equal citizenship in a single state or a truly independent Palestinian state must be made a reality. The security of the Israeli people must also be protected while they decolonize Palestine and indefinitely afterwards. How will all that happen? I don’t know. But it will require our best minds to be devoted to peaceful negotiations. People within the conflict itself as well as those foreign leaders closely involved must choose diplomacy instead of death and destruction. I want people to stop dying and suffering. I want the pro-peace factions of both populations to unite against the pro-war factions. War is the ultimate enemy of humankind; if you’re going to fight against anything fight against war itself…
Biden vs Bernie on Conditions for US aid to Israel
Bernie has advocated for enforcing the Leahy Laws on US support for Israel; Biden is advocating for bypassing all US human rights conditions on weapons going to Israel.
I would rather America be unconditionally opposed to war crimes even when Israel commits them than continue to be unconditionally pro-Israel knowing that Israel is committing war crimes!
Now after more than 20 days of war, the brutality committed by the Israeli Defense Force is the more important evil that the world needs to collectively condemn. Israel has now killed over 7,000 Palestinians in retaliation; also mostly civilians including nearly 3,000 children (NPR)…Israel has also attacked numerous mosques, churches, at least 136 health care facilities, designated safe zones, evacuation routes, and Palestinian civilian convoys fleeing for their lives. At least 53 UN officials have been killed by Israeli airstrikes and at least 2 dozen journalists have been killed in Gaza as well. Millions of people are living in a situation with not enough food, not enough water, no electricity, no fuel, and constant bombardment…Israel has now committed some of the most egregious war crimes of the 21st century; all backed by the unconditional support of the United States. America has had decades of unconditional support for Israel and with that support Israel has committed countless war crimes and the crime against humanity of apartheid. I would rather my country be unconditionally opposed to apartheid and war crimes than continue to be unconditionally pro-Israel….
The American foreign policy consensus has long been unconditional support for Israel. In my view, the US government could stop this war with 2 small but significant changes; condition US aid to Israel and stop ignoring the wrongs Israel commits. Unfortunately that is unlikely to happen without significant political pressure, but it is important for America to condition the money we send to any other country. Congress should start with “no war crimes” and “no crimes against humanity” conditions on all foreign aid with very strict enforcement of those laws. If America enforced those 2 conditions on the funding we send internationally, Israel would be disqualified from receiving US aid until they stopped doing those things. Instead of collective punishment and indiscriminate bombing, Israel would only be able to carry out highly targeted military attacks against well-established military targets. Instead of conducting an apartheid system against the Palestinians, Israel would be forced to recognize the human rights of those Palestinians. Instead of continuing the violence, America could truly stand up for peace, diplomacy, and Western democratic values. I want people to stop suffering and dying. My ultimate enemy is the war itself. This war is a policy choice of the US government; unconditional aid to Israel is the wrong policy. Every day, every hour, every minute, every second we have the power to make different choices. Our choices could lead to mutual respect and a lasting peace, or they will continue down a path of mutual disdain and an endless cycle of war. American foreign policy enables the endless violence; we need to choose peace instead.
Biden Backs Genocide; the White House versus the World
The genocide in Gaza is one of the worst man-made humanitarian disasters in modern history. Since the war began, Israel forced the displacement of “1.9 million people”; 85% of the population of Gaza. At the same time Israel has been enacting a siege of the city and is indiscriminately bombing all over including where they told civilians to flee. More than 18,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting with the vast majority, at least 70%, being women and children. By November 6th Gaza was already described as a “children’s graveyard” by the UN Secretary-General and now things are even worse. Israel’s bombing of civilians is only part of this preventable crisis; the siege of Gaza is the other giant issue. By restricting all food and water to the entire Gaza Strip, Israel is slowing starving the entire population; “the U.N. World Food Program found that half the population of Gaza is starving and 9 out of 10 people cannot eat every day.” That’s not by accident; Israel is intentionally using dehydration and starvation as weapons of war against Palestinian civilians including children. Instead of trying to stop Israeli war crimes, Biden is doing everything he can to enable them. Biden blocked a UN resolution condemning attacks on civilians, increased Israeli access to US weapons, told Israel that the US will not draw red lines on our funding, then blocked another UN resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire which was backed by about 100 other nations. Biden’s unconditional backing for Israel risks legal complicity in Israeli war crimes...The pro-war factions on both sides of this conflict are in control. The worst is yet to come unless we make choices today to facilitate a better outcome. Both Israeli and Palestinian populations needs to become legitimate partners for peace. A new path of mutual respect for human life and human rights must be created to move forward, and that process begins with an end to the violence today. “We still have a choice today: nonviolent coexistence or violent co annihilation.” -MLK Jr.
As I said, you’ve lost my vote through the unconditional support for Israel knowing that Israel is engaged in the bombing, collective punishment, and planned starvation of civilians in Gaza. As a former Biden voter, you have lost my vote through immoral policy. My vote for you is on the table, but you must change your policy towards Israel if you want to earn it back. Gaslighting your base by claiming to work “Steadfastly…to pursue peace and a two-state solution” while simultaneously vetoing Palestinian membership at the United Nations is repugnant. If you want to earn back support from your base, here is how;
Direct the State Department to determine if Israel bombing any schools, hospitals, UN facilities, refugee camps, evacuation convoys, designated safe zones, apartments, teenagers walking through rubble, or 6 year old kids like Hind Rajab plus the paramedics trying to save her ever constituted a war crime or gross violation of human rights.
Direct the State Department to determine if a siege on Gaza by cutting off food, water, electricity, and medicine to the entire civilian population of Gaza violated any US or international laws like the Foreign Assistance Act.
Since it was the global consensus of the world’s leading human rights organization that Israel was committing the crime against humanity of apartheid before the war, direct the State Department to determine if the reports from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch were accurate.
Direct the State Department to determine if the Genocide case from South Africa to the ICJ has merit; that case includes an 84 page document detailing war crimes as well as the expressed intent from Israel leaders.
I wrote to the Biden White House asking for enforcement of the Leahy laws. The Biden administration responded that they are already doing everything possible to facilitate humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The response to my first letter was disappointing; I hope you truly consider these recommendations. War crimes and crimes against humanity are always wrong regardless of who commits them, even when its Israel.
Israel Policy from "The Stories They Don't Want you to Know" (Podcast)
America should only support Israel conditionally while maintaining unconditional opposition to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
My main point is to encourage human rights conditions to be enforced on US aid to Israel. The United States of America already has the Leahy laws meant to prohibit the US from funding war crimes, but Israel is exempted from those laws. If the United States enforced the Leahy laws rather than exempting Israel, then the Israeli government would be forced to stop the war crimes of collective punishment and indiscriminate bombing. Israel cannot continue down this plausibly genocidal path without the unconditional financial and military support of the American government. By just enforcing current US law, Biden could singlehandedly stop the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Gaza.
If you agree with my view that American aid to Israel should be conditional instead of unconditional, consider sending this statement to your Congressional representatives or to the White House directly;
Dear Joe Biden,
Please enforce the Leahy Laws. The failure to enforce human rights conditions on US aid to Israel makes the United States complicit in Israel’s war crimes. Please end US complicity in Israel’s ongoing collective punishment and indiscriminate bombing of Gaza.
I agree with Senator Bernie Sanders; the U.S. State Department’s determination that Israel is not violating international law makes a mockery of U.S. law. “Thirty-two thousand Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and almost 75,000 injured, two-thirds of whom are women and children…Some 60% of the housing units have been damaged or destroyed, and almost all medical facilities have been made inoperable. Today, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children are facing starvation because Netanyahu won’t let in sufficient humanitarian aid, while thousands of trucks are waiting to get into Gaza.”
I also agree with AOC; “As we speak, 1.1 million innocents in Gaza are at famine’s door…A famine that is being intentionally precipitated through the blocking of food and global humanitarian assistance by leaders in the Israeli government…If you want to know what an unfolding genocide looks like, open your eyes….There is no targeting of Hamas in precipitating a mass famine of a million people, half of whom are children…The actions of Hamas should not be tied to whether a 3-year-old can eat. The actions of Hamas do not justify forcing thousands, hundreds of thousands of people to eat grass as their bodies consume themselves. We and the Israeli government have the right to go after Hamas. But we are talking about population of millions of innocent Palestinians. We’re talking about collective punishment, which is in unjustifiable,”
Unless Joe Biden chooses to acknowledge the reality of the situation and enforce human rights conditions on all aid the US sends Israel, he is complicit. I hope Biden chooses to end his complicity in the starvation of children by enforcing the Leahy laws.
Campus Protests, the Uncommitted Vote, & the Leahy Laws (Podcast)
It is time for Biden to end Israel's exemption from the Leahy law vetting process at the State Department. All aid the United States sends to any country should have human rights conditions enforced.
President Biden committed to stopping offensive weapons shipments to Israel if the Israeli Defense Force invades further into Rafah. But the IDF should have been disqualified under US law from receiving US aid since October because of their siege on Gaza. That siege, in violation of the Leahy laws, has resulted in 100% of Gaza’s population facing severe acute food insecurity with reports of mass famine. Children have already died as a result of Israel using starvation as a weapon of war against civilians. Unfortunately the Biden administration exempts Israel from Leahy vetting in the State Department so that we continue to fund those war crimes. I think Biden should instead strictly enforce the Leahy laws on all foreign aid including on Israel.
Biden ordered the National Security Memorandum/NSM-20 to assess Israel’s compliance with US & international law. During that assessment period, organizations like Amnesty International sent the State Department detailed reports of US-made weapons used in violation of international laws of war. Oxfam and Human Rights Watch submitted a joint report to the State Department detailing numerous instances of Israel violating international law with US-provided weapons. Then finally after numerous delays, the United States State Department issued an assessment of whether or not the Israeli government has been acting in accordance with US and international law in their prosecution of the war in Gaza;
The report said that given Israel’s “significant reliance” on U.S.-made weapons, it was “reasonable to assess” that they had been used by Israel’s security forces in instances “inconsistent” with its obligations under international humanitarian law “or with best practices for mitigating civilian harm…
The report cited “deep concerns” that Israel played a significant role in preventing adequate aid from reaching starving Palestinians. However, it said Israel had recently taken some positive steps, although still inadequate, and the U.S. government did not currently find Israel restricting aid deliveries in a way that violated U.S. law governing foreign militaries that receive U.S. military aid (AP)
This NSM-20 was really a question of if the State Department would admit reality if that Israel Lobby opposes acknowledging that reality. The answer was all over the place;
Yes they will acknowledge some non-specific violations of international law in Israel’s bombing campaign,
No they will not admit the Israeli government is enacting a siege on Gaza because that would trigger enforcement of the Foreign Assistance Act,
And regardless of any acknowledged bombing violations they will continue arming and supporting Israel
This NSM-20 report is really just the latest proof that the Israeli government is treated as above US and international law. It has been illegal to provide military and financial assistance to the Israeli government since they enacted the siege.
It is clear beyond any reasonable doubt that Israeli leaders including Netanyahu & Gallant have directed military attacks against civilians. The ICC arrest warrants are totally justified. It would actually be morally outrageous for Israeli leaders to not be arrested for war crimes they’ve clearly committed. Israel’s use of starvation as weapon of war against civilians is clear beyond any reasonable doubt, so America should endorse the ICC arrest warrants for Israeli leaders. In a truly just world, all war criminals would be held accountable for war crimes; even world leaders.
The United States of America is still the world’s most powerful country, and we are at an inflection point in world history. Will we allow our international rules-based order to fully devolve into illegitimacy, or will we lead by example and truly live up to the ideals we’ve espoused for so long?
Instead of abiding by international laws of war, the United States exposed our hypocrisy in the war on terror through The Hauge Invasion Act which promised US military force to liberate any American charged by the ICC with war crimes. George Bush and Dick Cheney are war criminals responsible for nearly 5 million deaths including millions of civilians on top of their use of torture. America and Israel should end our double standards for military conduct. I for one would absolutely love for the United States to become a signatory of the International Criminal Court and allow for the prosecution of American War criminals. Maybe if we practiced what we preach as a nation, then we would have actual standing in the world when we criticize and call for the prosecution of foreign war criminals. Maybe what it will take to actually usher in an international system of law and order where even world leaders are held accountable for war crimes is to start living by that ideal ourselves.
The American and Israeli governments need some serious self-reflection to understand how we arrived at this situation; significant concessions and substantial alterations are needed in all post-war ambitions to achieve peace. I’ve written a lot about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict over the past 2 years. My ultimate goal has been and still is to advocate for the peaceful coexistence of both the Israeli and Palestinian people. The last 8 months of war have not been leading towards that, and this is the same endless cycle of violence they’ve been trapped in for years. Pro-war fundamentalists have been in control and unforgivable atrocities are continuing to happen.
In addition to a ceasefire, it is essential that there is some sort of accountability for the evils perpetrated over the last few months. The Palestinian population has been under constant bombardment and dealing with prolonged hunger for months; the subsequent animosity is justified and will never subside, but after accountability at the ICC the desire for revenge may. On the other side, Israelis have also been under threat for 8 months from rocket fire after a truly gruesome and devastating Hamas attack which included rape, torture, and hostage-taking. All the people in the region have good reasons to despise the other side and continue this war. Both populations have valid reasons to support continued armed conflict and without some sort of accountability, those motivations will not go away. The real question is not whether you are pro-Israel or pro-Hamas; it is whether you are pro-peace or pro-war. If you’re pro-war, continue cheering on one side while ignoring the plight of the other. But if you’re pro-peace, that means realizing both sides have to make changes to their own cultures, ideologies, and even political systems as well as take responsibility for their war crimes to facilitate peaceful coexistence. The current situation and the pre-war status quo are unacceptable; a new reality must be created which does not yet exist.
If you had been paying attention to the conflict before the war, you’d know that the Hamas terrorist attacks were highly anticipated and highly provoked. The current war was predicted and preventable, but steps were purposefully not taken to facilitate peace.
It is absolutely vital to solve the underlying root problems of this conflict to enable true peaceful coexistence…It is absolute insanity to expect the Palestinians to sit back and accept their death or exile, yet many people are today proving themselves to be insane…It is time to bring about a true Palestinian state with real self-determination for the Palestinian people. Acknowledging the Palestinian right to independence is not a reward for terrorism, but is a long overdue step towards peace. As a Palestinian diplomat put it; “self-determination and statehood…should have happened long ago. This is not a gift or a favor or a reward, this is a right that should have been granted long ago” (Zeteo). And not only is the Israeli state policy of apartheid immoral, so is the culture which developed to defend and facilitate that crime against humanity. The United States was also an apartheid state between the Civil War and Civil Rights Movement. Just as America had a cultural reckoning and now looks back at Jim Crow/Bull Connor era with regret and disgust, Israel now needs to go through that same process. We can’t change history but we can change our current actions. Today the Palestinians have a right to armed resistance while the Israelis have a right to self-defense. Without some sort of drastic changes, there will not be any shot at creating a lasting peace.
I hope our leaders hear me now; the best thing the United States could do for peace in the middle east today is arrest Netanyahu ourselves and deliver him for trial in the Hauge for war crimes. Similarly to Netanyahu, Hamas leaders charged by the ICC should also submit themselves for trial at the ICC or be forced to show up. If they were engaged in a legitimate armed struggle for independence, make that defense; the world is listening. The best forum to resolve conflicts like these is not through war, death, and destruction, but through careful deliberation in a world court. The United Nations is an absolutely vital tool for world peace which has, through this conflict, exposed its total impotence. There is a clear need to reform the UN Security Council to prevent misuse and abuse of the Veto power. I believe in an international system of law and order where even world leaders are held accountable for war crimes; that is not the current reality but it is one we could create. The United States should support the ICC arrest warrants for Israeli and Palestinian leaders and reaffirm our commitment to a genuine rules-based order.
Never Again is happening right now and Benjamin Netanyahu is criminally responsible for it.
Sadly, the American government has been complicit in Israel’s use of starvation as a method of warfare against civilians…Even Joe Biden knowingly lied about Israel’s use of starvation as a method of warfare in order to facilitate that war crime. The NSM-20 report issued by his administration assessed Israel’s compliance with the laws of war throughout this war. That report falsely stated that Israel is not blocking humanitarian assistance, but according to Stacy Gilbert a former State Department official with 20 years of experience who resigned in protest of the NSM-20;
“That is not the view of subject matter experts at the State Department, at USAID, nor among the humanitarian community, and that was…absolutely known to the administration for a very long time.” (Democracy Now)
Joe Biden’s lie is incredibly significant because the truth disqualifies Israel from receiving US military and financial assistance, as Bernie Sanders pointed out;
“The Foreign Assistance Act makes clear; no US assistance may be provided to any country that “prohibits or otherwise restricts, directly or indirectly, the transport or delivery of United States humanitarian aid.”
So the fact of the matter is that Joe Biden was caught in a lie. Biden intentionally lied about Israel’s use of starvation as a method of warfare in order to exempt Israel from enforcement of the Foreign Assistance Act.
As a result of George Bush lying America into both of those unnecessary War on Terror conflicts in the Middle East, thousands of American servicemembers died in combat and thousands of our military contractors did too. Over 4 million innocent civilians in the Middle East were killed by our illegal war efforts and almost 40 million people were displaced (WSJ). So its no wonder why suicide has actually been far more deadly for American servicemembers than combat. Tens of thousands of American soldiers committed suicide after returning from those post-9/11 wars, leaving many others with lifelong psychological trauma. Bush’s wars cost America $8 trillion dollars which was spent on needless death and destruction instead of on useful things here at home like affordable housing, free college education, universal healthcare, world-renowned infrastructure, or any other societal good $8 trillion dollars could’ve bought. The legacy of George Bush is untold suffering on a truly massive scale..,
In rhetoric, the US is a staunch supporter of the ICC when it suits a President’s political narrative then they become fierce opponents of the ICC when international law conflicts with their narrative. Our national flip-flopping on a rules-based international system of law and order is immensely hypocritical as pointed out by both Russia and Palestine. It is about time the United States ratify the Rome Statute and become a signatory of the International Criminal Court. One common argument against that happening is that it would mean Americans could be convicted and imprisoned by the ICC for war crimes. That is exactly what I want. George Bush and Dick Cheney should be in prison for life for what they did. Not only do I want them held accountable for the millions of civilians in foreign countries killed, I want them held accountable for the tens of thousands of Americans killed who were ordered into illegal and offensive wars. I want American officials guilty of torture to be imprisoned for that heinous and immoral war crime. If American officials including Presidents were held accountable for war crimes, then they would stop committing so many and it would be a good thing for the entire world.
George Bush is a war criminal who deserves to spend the rest of his days in a prison cell. Everyday he is free is a miscarriage of justice and its about time he stands trial in a world court; the ICC. Maybe then when we criticize Putin for his offensive and illegal war in Ukraine it would have some legitimacy behind it. Maybe when we criticize China for their treatment of Uyghur Muslims we would have some real credibility. If we actually want an international system of law and order where even world leaders are held accountable for war crimes, then it is time for the United States to sign onto the ICC and submit our war criminals for prosecution. That is just one of many necessary steps to bring about true and lasting world peace.
America was lied into needless war in the Middle East under George Bush and that is happening again right now under Joe Biden.
We are now standing on the precipice of largescale warfare in the Middle East and Netanyahu is trying to draw the United States into it. Israel has struggled militarily to fight against the meek Hamas terrorist group in Gaza but now is provoking the much stronger IRGC in Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon in a direct attempt to entrap full-scale US participation in the war on Israel’s behalf. Biden, by moving US troops into harm’s way, is enabling Netanyahu to sacrifice American lives for his war ambitions. Biden has already led US servicemembers to their deaths through his “ironclad” support for Israel with absolutely no red lines whatsoever. Now by redeploying even more US troops directly into harms way, that number might shoot up very quickly. And just like George Bush, Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal lying America into what would be a devastating war that does not serve our interests. It’s unclear whether Biden is knowingly leading America to war and doesn’t care, or if Biden is playing checkers while Netanyahu is playing chess. Either way, it is absolutely imperative that the American people question whether we want to go to war for Israel.
Kamala Harris the prosecutor should instead campaign on enforcing the Leahy Laws regarding US aid to Israel. She could confirm that she would bring Israel into compliance with current US laws or make them face consequences in accordance with those laws. She could argue to the American people that we should leverage our money, weapons, and diplomatic support for Israel on Israel ending their war crimes and crimes against humanity. Kamala should clarify a new approach different from Biden's by vowing to cut off offensive military weapons to Israel until they;
Commit to a legitimate 2 state solution
End their use of starvation as a method of war
End their indiscriminate in bombing of Gaza
End their aggression against other nations in the region
Turn over Israeli war criminals to the ICC
And end their apartheid occupation of illegally annexed Palestinian territory
Democrats simultaneously need to make a political case against foreign election interference from the Israel Lobby manipulating our elections…
So basically;
Kamala Harris should campaign on upholding the Leahy laws and bringing American foreign policy towards Israel into compliance with decisions from international organizations like the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, and the United Nations General Assembly.
Democrats should embrace the Leahy laws and advocate for a new law called “Ending the Israel Exemption” which makes clear that all US human rights conditions on foreign aid must be enforced on all foreign aid to every nation.
Democrats should advocate to end the political manipulation of groups like the Israel Lobby by regulating campaign finance,
And Democrats should offer the clear political choice between themselves supporting human rights & opposing genocide versus Republicans who oppose Palestinian human rights while supporting Israel's ongoing genocide.
The Netanyahu Legacy
Sep 30, 2024
October 7th was the inevitable outcome of Netanyahu's leadership. More than anyone else, Benjamin Netanyahu is personally responsible for the attack and subsequent war.
Significant attention has gone into the October 7th attacks, but only in the form of repeating the Netanyahu narrative unquestioningly. Everybody needs to start asking the question; how did the Israeli Defense Force allow October 7th to happen in the first place? Hamas is a meek military organization numbering in the tens of thousands with only a fraction of that being armed fighters. The IDF is one of the most powerful, well-funded militaries on Earth with a robust intelligence apparatus. The facts of the situation actually paint a vastly different picture than what we’ve been told. The most likely explanation is that the IDF facilitated the October 7th attacks against Israeli civilians then became active participants in it. Facts which I will lay out below actually paint a gruesome picture; one where the Israeli Defense Force knowingly allowed their own citizens to be attacked then joined in the attack before eventually coming to the rescue.
We know;
Based on New York Times reporting, the Israeli military possessed detailed Hamas battle plans a year before the October 7th attack yet did not plan to stop it.
In September just weeks before the Hamas attack of October 7th, Israel sent the detailed Hamas battle plans to top military leadership to prepare for the attack according to the Times of Israel.
“An Egyptian intelligence official told the Associated Press…that Cairo had repeatedly warned the Israelis ‘something big’ was being planned from Gaza” (BBC). US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee head Michael McCaul confirmed that Israel was warned three days before the attack by Egypt.
According to CNN, US intelligence also knew a Hamas attack was imminent and warned Israeli leaders;
“One update from September 28 warned, based on multiple streams of intelligence, that the terror group Hamas was poised to escalate rocket-attacks across the border. An October 5 wire from the CIA warned generally of the increasing possibility of violence by Hamas. Then, on October 6, the day before the attack, US officials circulated reporting from Israel indicating unusual activity by Hamas”
Then Israel, with detailed Hamas battle plans in hand as well as multiple warnings of an imminent attack, moved over 100 troops away from the Southern border;
“Two companies of troops from the IDF’s Commando Brigade, which were deployed to the Gaza border during the Jewish holiday season in September and October, were sent to the West Bank just two days before Hamas’s October 7 massacre,” (Times of Israel).
Haaretz reported that the Israeli Shin-bet even had knowledge of abnormal Hamas activity the day before the attack and warned Israeli leadership of an imminent attack. Israeli leadership decided not to raise the alert level at the border despite the warnings.
Then Israeli leaders chose to extend the Nova Music Festival at the last minute even after they knew an attack was imminent, they removed troops from the area, and IDF officers warned against it;
“A key Israel Defense Forces officer raised concerns and opposition to approving the Supernova music festival, which he saw as a “needless security risk,” but was told to authorize it.., Despite his objections, Fogel was told to approve the Nova festival” (Times of Israel).
Then when the Hamas attack began the Israeli military took hours to respond, as detailed in this New York Times timeline;
When the IDF did finally respond, they targeted their own citizens and soldiers with orders to enact the infamous Hannibal Directive according to Haaretz;
Twenty-eight Israeli helicopters indiscriminately emptied their entire weapons payload onto Hamas militants and Israeli civilians at the Nova Music Festival;
"Twenty-eight fighter helicopters shot over the course of the day all of the ammunition in their bellies, in renewed runs to rearm. We are talking about hundreds of 30-millimetre cannon mortars and Hellfire missiles," reporter Yoav Zeitoun said” (Australian Broadcasting Corp).
Remember, Hamas did not enter Israel with the weaponry capable of destroying rows of cars at the Nova Music Festival
According to the Hamas statement;
“many Israeli civilians were killed by an Israeli military helicopter especially those who were in the Nova music festival…the Israeli helicopter opened fire on both the Hamas fighters and the participants in the festival…only the Israeli army possesses military planes that killed, burned and destroyed Israeli areas on Oct. 7.”
So the question is, why did the Netanyahu government facilitate the October 7th attacks? Why would Mr. Security who spent his whole life opposing peaceful coexistence, opposing Palestinian statehood, enacting a brutal apartheid occupation, illegally annexing Palestinian territory, vilifying all Palestinians as evil terrorists, and trying to redraw Israel’s borders, why would he leave Israelis so vulnerable to attack? The world should start taking Netanyahu at his word; in September 2023 he presented his map to the United Nations showing Israel in total control of the Occupied Palestinian Territory from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. October 7th, the war in Gaza, and the wider war in the Middle East are all part of Netanyahu’s long-term plan and he is playing the world like a fiddle.
Netanyahu and Israeli religious fundamentalists have spent the last twenty years working towards this war and their vision of Greater Israel. The Netanyahu government very likely intentionally facilitated October 7th in order to justify their long-term war ambitions. Netanyahu is a war criminal who spent his entire career making Israelis less safe while exacerbating tensions in the Middle East. Netanyahu is the biggest obstacle to peace right now and the sooner he is removed from power the sooner peace becomes a legitimate possibility. For peace to prevail, we need to start listening to leaders in the region who actually seek peace as a resolution to the conflict. Netanyahu clearly does not desire peace.
My priority has been telling the truth of the situation while the mainstream media is overwhelmed by fake news. I’ve written over 40,000 words in 20 posts on the conflict. I’m organizing all of these posts into a book. My collective work on this one topic is well over 300 pages when organized into a 6x9 book. If you appreciate my writing, please become a paid subscriber or buy one of my books to support my work!
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I have NO hope that American people will understand.
Take a look at James Roguski's post.
These people in the USA could give a 'f--k about the Palestinians.