Originally published in the Tompkins Weekly, May 21, 2025
It’s been great to see people becoming more politically active nowadays, with crowds out on the Commons and marching through the streets. A series of “Hands-off” activities were instigated by an organization called Indivisible. This group inspired people to hit the streets with the message “Hands Off __ {fill in the blank}!” It is in this spirit that I demand that Senators Gillibrand and Schumer, Representative Riley, and President Trump impose a cut-off of the bombs and other weaponry that our “ally” uses to devastate and besiege Palestine.
Israel’s intentions are abundantly clear: genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people. Government minister Smotrich has said ““Within a few months, we will be able to declare that we have won. Gaza will be totally destroyed.” He added: “They will be totally despairing, understanding that there is no hope and nothing to look for in Gaza, and will be looking for relocation to begin a new life in other places.” As of April 25, the World Food Program reported the complete exhaustion of its food stocks in Gaza as a result of the total siege that has been in place since March 2. Amnesty International has written: “By blocking the entry of supplies critical for the survival of the population, Israel continues its policy of deliberately imposing conditions of life on Palestinians in Gaza calculated to bring about their physical destruction; this constitutes an act of genocide.”
Our Senators, former President Biden, and current President Trump have actively armed and encouraged these appalling crimes. Our new Representative in Congress, Josh Riley, has revealed his contempt for international law by voting to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court in response to its arrest warrants against Israeli officials.
Instead of facing his constituents in a real town hall meeting, Josh Riley recently opted for a cowardly, heavily managed telephone town hall. In the one question that was allowed about Palestine, Josh replied with mealy-mouthed platitudes about a two-state solution. Does he not know that Israel has rejected the very idea of a Palestinian state? In 2024 the Knesset voted 68-9 in favor of a resolution rejecting the establishment of such. Not only Netanyahu’s party, but also his chief rival’s party, the “centrist” National Unity party both supported this resolution. It is the core stance of Israel, not limited to Netanyahu and his partners in government. Josh did not indicate the slightest willingness to use the leverage of cutting our military aid to change Israel’s behavior.
Hilariously, in March the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued a press release that contained this gem: “Read more below on how House Republicans’ cowardly decision to stop holding town halls is playing across the country”!
Here is partial list of the uses that Israel has put our weapons towards: Killing doctors and other health professionals. Destroying medical centers. Indiscriminate bombing of civilians. Direct executions. Deliberate lethal shootings of children and other civilians. Wanton destruction of vital infrastructure. Gang rapes, torture and murder of prisoners. Blockade of food and medicine. In an apparent attempt to conceal its crimes, Israel has carried out the killing of more than 200 journalists in Gaza. The CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists, Jodie Ginsberg, said “The war in Gaza is unprecedented in its impact on journalists”.
The words of Reuven Rivlin, President of Israel (2014-2021), “Israel is a sick society”, have never rung more true than right now. A Jewish People Policy Institute poll published on 03/02/2025 asked Israelis about their attitude towards Trump’s notion of emptying Gaza of Palestinians. “Among [Israeli] Jews, only 3% consider the plan ‘immoral.’” Yet our representatives continue to lavish this sick society with billions upon billions upon billions of dollars worth of weapons. Weapons used to commit daily war crimes. Weapons used to conquer land in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria. Weapons used in genocide and ethnic cleansing.
It escapes me how someone can become so twisted in their value system to not only turn a blind eye to these acts, but to actively enable and encourage them. But here we are, with our shameful leadership. There is something deeply, fundamentally rotten about political parties that would not cut off weapons to the perpetrators of such atrocities. Those parties, of course, are the Democrats and the Republicans. By stark contrast, the Green Party has this view: “We call on the U.S. President and Congress to suspend all military and foreign aid, including loans and grants, to Israel until Israel withdraws from the Occupied Territories, dismantles the separation wall in the Occupied West Bank including East Jerusalem, ends its siege of Gaza and dismantles settler colonies and systemic apartheid toward its non-Jewish citizens.” If you would like to get involved with a political party with a conscience, please send me an email.
Bill Carini is a manual laborer and a member of the Green Party. He can be reached at billcari@proton.me