Washington, D.C. | www.adc.org | September 28, 2024 – Moments after Benjamin Netyanyahu stood at the United Nations yesterday, in front of an empty room, and claimed that Israel “yearns for peace,” he carried out the unlawful assassination of Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, and the massacre of hundreds of people in the capital city of Beirut. What has been clear time and time again, particularly after the start of the genocide almost one year ago, the only “peace” Israel wants is a peace that comes with its total occupation of the region.
The Biden administration’s cowardly claim that it had no knowledge of the assassination and bombings is yet another example of U.S. hypocrisy. The U.S. provided Israel with the 2,000 pound bombs used to assassinate Sayed Nasrallah, flatten entire neighborhoods, and massacre hundreds. These are the same bombs used by Israel to massacre thousands in Gaza. When Netanyahu visits the UN, the international community firmly walks away. When he visits Washington, US leaders fall at his feet.
The devastation wrought upon the people of Lebanon is not just an Israeli crime; it is a crime by the United States government. The U.S. has provided Israel with the weapons, used our tax dollars to fund their genocide in Palestine, provided intelligence and surveillance, and provided political cover to carry out these atrocities. The blood of Lebanese people of all faiths, including women and children, is on the hands of President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who have chosen to prioritize geopolitical interests and electoral politics over US and international law as well as human life.
As of this email message, millions of Palestinians and Lebanese, many of them our direct family and friends, have been forced from their homes, and are in danger of being slaughtered by Israel at any moment.
Over the past year, Americans have demanded the semblance of leadership from the Biden-Harris administration. The call for a ceasefire in Gaza was a bare minimum demand from the community. After a year of protests, campaigning, engaging, and organizing, the White House, Democratic Party, and Republican Party continue to ignore our voices – sending a clear message that our voice and lives do not matter, and we do not have a seat at their table. It is time to acknowledge what many of us have known all along – the intended U.S. policy in the Arab world is exactly what we are seeing play out in Lebanon. It’s what has played out in Gaza over the last year, and what has been playing out in Palestine since 1948.
Again, this is not a failure of U.S. foreign policy, this is the intended result of U.S. foreign policy. It is the U.S. foreign policy of Democrats and Republicans alike. A foreign policy predicated on the destabilization and colonization of Arab land.
In the coming weeks, the same politicians who allowed Israel to slaughter our people will come knocking and ask for our votes. The message we have to every politician is clear — you have not earned our vote, nor will you scare us into voting for you. Our community’s red line has always been genocide. Anyone serious about earning our vote will publicly commit to an arms embargo to Israel, bringing an immediate end to the genocide, and ending the Israeli occupation in Palestine, Lebanon, and the Golan Heights.
At ADC, we will never cross our red lines. We will continue to put principles over party and politics.