Kristen Salvatore lives in Penobscot.
As Americans around Maine and the country enjoyed Thanksgiving feasts, many American families are struggling to put food on their tables. In Gaza, meanwhile, most families can only dream about the meat, eggs and fresh vegetables they haven’t seen for well over a year due to the Israeli blockade.
Hungry Americans and Palestinians can thank our complicit Congress and president for their plight.
For over two years Americans’ hard earned dollars have been sent to Israel in the form of
bombs, missiles, bullets and other lethal weapons to aid and abet Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Neither five American laws, nor international law, prohibiting aid to states violating human rights, have slowed the flow of aid. Nor has public opinion — now turned against supporting Israel — been able to sway congressional votes.
What is affecting Congress is the $45.2 million that the American Israeli Political Action Committee (AIPAC) spent in the last election cycle electing pro-Israel candidates, which AIPAC bragged resulted in a 96% win rate in the general election.
Our government has spent tens of billions since October 2023 to kill Palestinians, destroy their homes, cripple and starve their children and blow up their schools and hospitals. Imagine if that money had been used to feed American families and provide affordable housing and health care.
While politicians have touted the ceasefire agreement, mainstream media stories downplayed Israel’s violations. In fact, only Hamas has complied with the ceasefire. Israel violated it nearly 500 times, killing nearly 350 Palestinians in the first five weeks alone. It continues daily bombing, drone attacks, sniping and home demolitions. It continues blocking food, medical aid and shelter materials to Palestinians heading into their third winter of the genocide.
In the face of daily reports/evidence of torture, sexual abuse and the withholding of food and medical care for Palestinians kidnapped and held in Israeli prisons, of rampant settler and IDF violence in the West Bank and increasing theft of land, and of the hate-filled rhetoric of Israeli leaders, not one of Maine’s members of Congress has had the courage, integrity or decency to speak out and strongly condemn Israel’s action and U.S. complicity.
The failure of Congress to criticize Israel’s illegal actions, and condition decades of aid, has enabled Israeli arrogance and impunity as it continues to inflict its brutality and lawlessness on Palestinians. Ignoring international law on Israel’s behalf only encourages further wanton human rights violations.
The verdict in international law and public opinion has been decisive. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has declared Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip unlawful, and the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for the arrest of Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Amnesty International, B’Tselem , Physicians for Human Rights Israel, the International
Association of Genocide Scholars and Doctors Without Borders, are among dozens of
organizations to declare that Israel is committing genocide.
The U.N. Independent International Committee of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory issued a report saying Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, and recently the International Peoples Tribunal found Israel guilty of genocide, ecocide and the forced starvation of Palestinians.
How is it that all these respected organizations have recognized the genocide in Gaza, yet the vast majority of Congress has remained silent?
Rep. Pingree and Sen. King have at last taken steps to rein in Israel, but it is not nearly enough. Meanwhile, Sen. Collins and Rep. Golden continue to back unconditional aid to Israel. It’s time for Maine’s congressional delegation to demonstrate the conscience and courage of Maine’s legendary Sen. Margaret Chase Smith.
Genocide, anywhere and everywhere, should always be condemned. It is incumbent on them to speak out now in opposition to Israel’s horrific and ongoing genocide, and ensure an end to all U.S. aid to Israel. That money should instead be spent meeting the needs of people here in Maine and around the country.