In a recent interview Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) claimed that, since the Hamas attack of October 7th, the United States has sent Israel no weapons that have been used to carry out atrocities in Gaza.
The former House speaker was asked multiple questions about the Biden administration’s foreign policy by Tim Sebastian at the annual Munich Security Conference.
“If you don’t like what Israel is doing, and the president has made it clear that some of what Israel is doing he doesn’t like, and you go on supplying them with hardware to do these things you own this operation every bit as much as they do, don’t you?” asked Sebastian.
“No, we don’t. We don’t,” replied Pelosi. “We have always supported Israel as our national security friend largely because it was in our interest to do so. We had shared values, [it’s] the only democracy in the region. The behavior of Netanyahu is, in my view, inexcusable in terms of how it has effected the collateral damage of children and families and the rest, but nobody can take away the right of any country to defend itself that has been brutally attacked in that way.”
When Sebastian referenced an EU official’s recent comments suggesting that the U.S. should cut off weapons to Israel, Pelosi said that, “Israel is very well equipped with weaponry.”
“There’s nothing that we have sent since Oct. 7 that has contributed to this brutality. In the longer run, they are in a dangerous neighborhood,” she added.
The United States government sends Israel more than $3.8 billion in military aid every year, and Biden is pushing Congress to approve another $14 billion for the country. A February 17 Wall Street Journal report cites unnamed U.S. officials who say the U.S. is preparing to send Israel more bombs and weapons in the coming days.
The proposed package includes a thousand MK-82 500-pound bombs and a thousand KMU-572 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, which turn unguided munitions into precision-guided bombs. According to the report, the administration has supplied Israel with about 21,000 precision-guided munitions since the Hamas attack. According to the paper, this would be enough to carry out another 19 weeks of bombing unless Israel decides to attack Lebanon.
An Amnesty International investigation from last December found that US-made munitions killed 43 civilians in two Israeli airstrikes days after October 7th.
“The fact that US-made munitions are being used by Israeli military in unlawful attacks with deadly consequences for civilians should be an urgent wake-up call to the Biden administration. The US-made weapons facilitated the mass killings of extended families,” said Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard at the time.
Pelosi was also asked about past presidents who have taken actions to impact Israeli policy, such as Ronald Reagan holding up a delivery of fighter jets over its actions in Lebanon and George H.W. Bush blocking loan guarantees over settlement expansion.
“The president has said something about settlements,” Pelosi offered. When Sebastian pointed out that there’s a big difference between talking about settlements and cutting off weapons, the representative said, “It’s a path.”
Pelosi also criticized Palestine protesters, who have consistently targeted the congresswoman over her support for Israel’s assault on Gaza.
“I don’t hear a lot of the people, and they’re outside my house almost every day…saying ‘Free the hostages’,” said Pelosi. “I don’t hear any of them saying, ‘Hamas is a terrorist organization.’ I hear them praising Hamas, I hear them ignoring the hostages. So there’s a lot, shall we say, behavior we all have to address.”
Hamas is a terrorist organization for Israel and the USA. Mandela and the ANC was a terrorist organization for South Africa and the USA. Sinn Fein was a terrorist organization for England and the USA. The main difference between the three is that Palestinians have another government that is non-violent, has recognized Israel, and gives it security cooperation by attacking other Palestinians. The only one that got Israel to withdraw all troops from its territory is Hamas, the only one that got Palestinian statehood put back on the map is Hamas and the only one whos actions will lead anywhere to change the Apartheid status quo is Hamas. Let me add I’m Gay, Palestinian and come from long line of Pacifists. I personally despise religious fundamentalism and everything Hamas stands for. I will do my best always to work for reconciliation and loving my neighbor. But the cold, hard logic of the Machiavelian world we live in doesn’t escape me. I will choose differently for spiritual reasons but I can’t deny the effectiveness of methods I abhor.
Is she delusional or in denial? Facts and history says, it is because of the US, and the unwavering support shown by people like her, the shameful politicians, leaders, and those working for our Institutions, that have enabled this nation to keep their brutal occupation going. Yesterday at the ICJ hearing on the legality of this occupation, one of the lawyers made a good point – the US never mentions the word “occupation”. Pelosi seems to have no conscience, and is as hypocritical as Biden and the previous administrations. They DID NOT CARE for human rights, or the rights of the Palestinians. All what they said was they were “concerned” (like hell they were), and that this nation that has one of the most UN resolutions against it, had the right to defend itself…what about the UNARMED AND POWERLESS occupied people?
Did Pelosi ever mention the little children that were slaughtered for years? She is a grandmother, but seems to be void of any compassion, when it comes to poor brown skinned Arab kids. Did she ever mention the children starving, terrorized, and killed in large numbers?
WE have funded this brutal occupation,, WE gave them the deadly weapons to kill MORE civilians than militants, and WE used our veto powers 30 times to protect this pariah nation.
WE are complicit in every war crime committed by this despicable nation.
She must have forgotten that it was reported that it is US MADE 2000 pound bombs that are being dropped over Gaza, which is now all rubble, homes destroyed, and hospitals destroyed.
There are dead children still under the rubble.
“Bunker buster bombs
Generously provided to Israel for its war on Gaza by its friend the United States, BLU-109 bombs are designed to penetrate hardened structures before exploding.
The bombs can carry a warhead weighing more than 900kg (1984 pounds) and have previously been used by the US in conflicts including the war in Afghanistan.
“Many people are now questioning in Congress whether continuing to give these “bunker bombs” is a good idea and also calling for more transparency,” Al Jazeera’s Heidi Zhou-Castro said.
This level of weaponry has been used by the US before, but mainly in open areas. To do so in a densely populated area can only lead to one thing – high casualties.
US arms to Israel since the start of the war have also included 15,000 bombs and 57,000 (155mm) artillery shells.
And there’s more: 5,000 unguided MK-82 bombs, more than 5,400 MK-84 bombs, and about 1,000 GBU-39 small-diameter bombs.”
She must think the world is ignorant, uninformed, even stupid.
What about calling for an immediate ceasefire, Nancy? Are you so beholden to the zionist lobbies here, that you put power and money over humanity and compassion?
Nancy Pelosi is a lap-dog for AIPAC and zionist billionaires like Haim Saban and Bill Ackman and Miriam Addison. She has a lot of blood on her hands. Protestors should continue to stand outside her fancy home and shame this evil congresswoman.
Pelosi is not alone in her support for the Zionist regime. In congress, AIPAC has bought and sold so many that they have lost track. Now they are gong to spend millions to unseat those that support Palestine. Money talks and that is why we need reform. Put AIPAC out of business and just maybe we will begin to do the right thing. Never happen though.
So Nancy says “the United States has sent Israel no weapons that have been used to carry out atrocities in Gaza”. First, I sort of doubt that is true. Second, I would say “so what?”, the USA supports Israel in so many ways and our aid is being used to marginalize, drive out, and perhaps even exterminate Palestinians, the people who have lived there since before Abraham came into that country, did not leave in the Second Century, and are still there. Do we really want to be a part of Israeli ethnic cleansing?