Stop the Israel and US War on Palestine

By Peter Bohmer / January 18, 2024

I mourn the deaths of 26,000 people murdered in southern Israel and Gaza over the last three weeks (as of January 17, 2024), over 24,000 Palestinians in Gaza and 360 Palestinians in the West Bank by the Israeli military and settlers, and 1200 in Israel, mainly by Hamas. Israel has killed over 10,000 Palestinian children. More than 20 Palestinians have been killed for every Israeli.

I am anti-Zionist which is fundamentally different from being ani-Jewish. The Netanyahu led Israeli government, many leaders of the Republican and Democratic Party and some Jewish groups in the U.S. try to undermine criticisms of Israel and support for Palestinian self-determination and justice by calling criticism of Israel, antisemitic.

Some criticisms of Israel are motivated by hatred of Jews, e.g., white supremacist groups in the US, and we should never ally with them in opposing the Israeli occupation. Oppose antisemitism, which is real, but anti-Zionism does not equal antisemitism.

Zionism means a Jewish State where the laws, educational system and major institutions favor Jewish people, and that Palestinians are second class citizens or non-citizens.  I am Jewish, the son of holocaust survivors, and anti-Zionist. Don’t allow Zionists to define you as antisemitic because you are Anti-Zionist.

Apologists for Israel claim that the focus on Israel’s human rights violations of Palestinians is antisemitic because there are other countries that commit as bad or worse violations than Israel, e.g., Saudi Arabia. My response is that this is not antisemitic; it is important that Israel be strongly criticized. Rather than lessening our condemnation of Israel, let us increase our denunciations of other violators.

In addition, no country today is a worse violator than Israel. “The number of people facing possible starvation in the Gaza Strip in the coming weeks is the largest share of a population at risk of famine identified anywhere since a United Nations-affiliated panel created the current global food-insecurity assessment 20 years ago (Stephanie Nolen, New York Times, January 12, 2024). According to Robert Mape, a military historian, “Gaza is one of the most intense civilian punishment campaigns in history” (Julia Frankel, Associated Press, January 11, 2024).

It is urgent that we in the U.S. oppose the ongoing and growing Islamophobia and racism towards Palestinians and the repression of pro-Palestinian voices in our government, universities, and mass media. Let us support all those whose jobs are being threatened because they are speaking up.

Whether it’s one state or a real independent two state solution, it must center economic and political justice and equality for all, especially but not limited to Palestinians. This includes the right of Palestinians to return to inside the 1948 borders that Israel imposed. I believe most Palestinian groups, including Hamas would accept this (see, Hamas Contained by Tareq Baconi).

Since 1967, the U.S. has unconditionally supported the illegal, immoral occupation of the West Bank, the annexation of East Jerusalem, and made more than a dozen vetoes in the UN security council of resolutions critical of Israel. The U.S. has since October 7th, vetoed UN resolutions calling for a cease fire and negotiations. The U.S. provides $3.8 billion dollars of military aid annually and has committed to continue this through 2029. Biden has proposed an additional $14 billion of military aid to Israel, and there is little opposition in Congress. His administration is also sending additional weapons without even getting congressional approval.

Rather than supporting a cease fire now and negotiations, the Biden administration is also sending Israel military advisers, and given Israel carte blanche to continue its invasion of Gaza and commit the murders of tens of thousands and further ethnic cleansing.  The Biden administration is carrying out the bombing in Yemen of Ansar Allah (the Houthis) since January 11th of this year. The Houthis have been attacking cargo ships in the Red Sea going to and from Israel and will stop attacking them when Israel stops their killing in Gaza.  The Houthis  are raising  the economic costs of this war to Israel and its allies.  As a response to U.S and British bombing in Yemen, Ansar Allah is now also attacking U.S. cargo ships in the Red Sea. This has become an Israel and U.S. war against Palestine and its allies.

The more we actively support the end of the Israeli occupation and U.S. support for Israel, the more we have the right to criticize the Hamas killings and taking of more than 200 hostages. The hostages should be freed but so should the ten thousand Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

I am critical of those who ignore or even worse, support the mass killing by Israel in Gaza, directly by massive bombing and the ongoing military invasion. But also, indirectly by blocking most food, water, electricity, fuel and medical supplies from getting in. To defend Israel’s  genocidal policies by calling it self-defense is horrendous. The Israeli starvation of the population in Gaza, the forced displacement of 90% of its population and the resulting spread of contagious diseases, people not being treated adequately for their wounds and the destruction of hospitals will cause far more deaths this year of Palestinians than even the bombing and shootings. It is an Israeli war on the people of Gaza, not only  a war on  Hamas.

On Thursday, January 12th, South Africa presented its strong case charging Israeli with genocide against Gaza to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).  South Africa documented in great detail the various elements needed to make the legal case that Israel’s policy was genocidal, i.e., 1) Israel’s intent to destroy a group of people; and 2) Physical acts that carried out this intention. South Africa provided ample evidence based on statements from Israeli leaders on Israeli’s intent to commit mass murder and/or force Palestinians out of Gaza. The ICJ is likely to make a finding soon that there is a real possibility of genocide and therefore, Israel must end its war against Gaza until the full case is heard. This ruling won’t get Israel to begin a cease fire but can help to strengthen our movements to work towards this end. For the full text, see Jewish Voice for Peace.  Also see the Center for Constitutional Rights, a major U.S. law organization,  providing legal analysis of Israel’s genocidal policies in Gaza and U.S. complicity.

A global movement in support of a permanent cease fire now and ending the Israeli siege of Gaza is growing rapidly.  There were coordinated protests all over the world on January 13th, 2024. In the United States 400,000 protested in Washington DC on this date and also calling for the end of U.S. military aid to Israel. In Olympia, Washington, where I live, several hundred rallied and marched in spite of the cold weather. There are protests here weekly, one as large as 3000, and also more militant actions demanding a cease fire now, the end of U.S. military aid and ending U.S. corporate complicity.

Very hopeful is the growing social movement against the Israel war on Gaza and U.S. complicity and in support of Palestine self-determination. Get Involved! Let us do what we can in the streets, in letters to newspapers, by pressuring politicians to oppose U.S. military aid to Israel including proposed increases, and for ending U.S. support for Israeli aggression. Israel could not continue its war on Palestinians without U.S. government military support. Expose and challenge US corporations like Boeing, Raytheon, and Lockheed-Martin that have profited from the sale of billions of dollars of weapons to Israel, paid by our taxes. Support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Movement against Israel. We can have an impact if we grow and deepen our movements for justice for Palestine.

Educate yourselves, friends, family, workplace and community about the colonization and ethnic cleansing of Palestine. Speak up! It’s our responsibility to do what we can to change U.S. policy so that it is more in line with popular sentiment all over the world including majority U.S. support for a cease fire now.  A minimal demand is for an immediate cease fire, an end to the Israeli siege of Gaza and no increase in U.S. military aid to Israel.