clear

Political complicity

In spite of the mass civil action against Israel, world leaders in the West have continued their support for the occupation state, providing it with weapons which it has used to attack civilian infrastructure on Gaza and kill over 15,000 Palestinian children.

On 26 August it was revealed that the US had completed its 500th flight airlifting over 50,000 tonnes of weapons and equipment to the Israeli occupation army for its over ten-month war on Gaza. The military equipment delivered to Israel since the beginning of the war includes ‘armoured vehicles, munitions, ammunition, personal protection gear and medical equipment’, according to the Israeli Ministry of Defence. The deliveries are ‘crucial for sustaining the IDF’s operational capabilities during the ongoing war.’

The US also set up a $320 million pier in Gaza, which it claimed was to be used to deliver aid to the enclave as Israel has closed all land crossings into the Strip. The pier was declared a failure and closed days after Israel carried out a deadly massacre in the Palestinian town of Nuseirat where it killed more than 200 Palestinians to locate 4 Israeli prisoners. The US pier is thought to have been used in the so-called ‘rescue operation’.

American lawmakers have also approved more than $20 billion in fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel.

In Texas, the Republican Party approved a platform that will make it illegal to create a Palestinian State in territories controlled by the apartheid state.

While the House of Representatives passed a bill designating products from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories as being from ‘Israel’.

An explosive report released in September suggest that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken may have deliberately misled Congress to provide cover for Israel to conduct its genocide in Gaza. Blinken received two damning reports from key US government agencies concluding that Israel had deliberately blocked humanitarian aid to Gaza. These reports were delivered just days before Blinken told Congress the exact opposite.

This is particularly significant as US law requires the government to halt weapons shipments to countries that prevent the delivery of US-backed humanitarian aid. Israel has been heavily reliant on American weapons in its ongoing military campaign in Gaza and many believe that the occupation state would not be able to execute its military onslaught without the support of Washington.

With a US presidential election due to be held in November, the leading candidates have been seen to be competing for Israel's approval.

Elsewhere, support for Israel has also been unwavering, not least in the UK, where officials have repeatedly backed Israel’s alleged right to ‘defence itself’ through its killing of civilians in Gaza. Even the media has been seen to be complicit, questioning anti-war activists’ motives and accusing them of supporting terrorism, while allowing Israel to peddle unsubstantiated claims without question.

Anti-war protesters in Germany have faced the heavy hand of the law, with police violently breaking up protests, tackling people to the ground and arresting others. Even children weren’t safe from their abuse.

Under new laws, people applying for naturalisation in Germany will now be required to affirm Israel's right to exist, under changes to the country's citizenship law.

Concept, research and text: Sara Khalil

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