In a historic vote, 75% of Senate Democrats backed an effort to block weapons to Israel. The resolutions failed, but the vote was the latest sign of Democrats’ growing consensus against aid to Israel, as support for the country hits an all-time low.
On Wednesday, the Senate can act to block weapons to Israel by halting the delivery of the bombs and militarized bulldozers Israel has used to displace and ethnically cleanse more than three million Palestinians and Lebanese from their homes.
The decimation of Gaza’s judicial system has left hundreds of thousands of women unable to claim inheritance, get a divorce, or retain custody of their children. “That is the reality of women in Gaza. We are abandoned,” says Maysoun, a mother of two.
“After 35 years of defending Palestinian children’s rights, we are not able to overcome operational challenges resulting from Israel’s targeted criminalization of Palestinian human rights organizations,” said DCI-P General Director Khaled Quzmar.
As the shaky ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran holds, only Israel has an incentive to continue fighting, as Netanyahu is widely seen as having lost the war. If there is to be a durable end to this war, the U.S. will be forced to rein in Israel.
Last week, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she would vote against any military aid to Israel, even weapons deemed “defensive.” As support for Israel craters across the U.S., the issue of military aid has become the latest litmus test for Democrats.
Hours after Iran and the U.S. reached a two-week ceasefire agreement, Israel launched a massive bombing campaign across Lebanon, killing hundreds of people and threatening to derail the U.S.-Iranian ceasefire before it even begins.
Israel has stated it does not plan to leave Lebanon even if the current ‘war’ ends. If the Gaza model is any guide, Israel appears to be moving toward expanding its border into Lebanon.
Benjamin Anthony’s speech at New York’s influential Park Avenue Synagogue, where he argued that U.S. Jews need to support ethnic cleansing in Gaza, illustrates how the American Jewish community has embraced Israeli racism and brutality.