These are crazy and fast-moving political times. Joe Biden has withdrawn from the presidential race, Kamala Harris is the Democratic candidate, there was an awful assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, and a weird Republican Convention.
But with all of that going on, it would be irresponsible for us to ignore one of the worst humanitarian disasters in modern history, especially when that disaster has been aided and abetted by U.S. taxpayer dollars and weapons.
I am talking about what is going on in Gaza.
Now, I will start with the obvious: Israel had the right to defend itself against the horrific Hamas attack on October 7th which killed 1,200 innocent Israelis and took over 200 captives.
But since that attack, Netanyahu’s extreme right-wing government has waged what amounts to total war against the entire Palestinian people, making life unlivable in Gaza and killing tens of thousands. These actions have trampled on international law, on American law, and on basic human values.
Since this war began, among a population of 2.2 million people, at least 39,000 Palestinians have been killed and 89,000 injured — sixty percent of whom are women, children, or elderly people. Most observers believe that death toll is much higher, because thousands of people remain buried under the mountains of rubble.
But it is not just death and injury.
As American media has been focused on presidential politics, children, women, innocent people in Gaza are wondering where their next meal will come from and many are starving. Some to death.
According to an organization called the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification — a partnership of the United Nations and major relief agencies — almost half a million people in Gaza face “catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity” and even more at high risk of famine.
Famine.
In 2024.
Starving to death is not quick. It is not painless. There is hunger. There is weakness. Then there is weight loss. And then the body cannot provide the nutrients vital organs need to survive. There are hallucinations and convulsions. Their loved ones watch on — scared, helpless, heartbroken. Until the heart stops... and the person dies.
Imagine that.
But it is not just the death, the hunger, and the starvation.
Some 1.9 million people have been driven from their homes, 90 percent of the population. Take a deep breath. 90 percent of the population driven from their homes — and forced to find new shelter time and time again as they continue to be displaced.
Gaza’s civilian infrastructure has also been devastated. Water and sewage systems have been made inoperable. And the result: raw sewage is running through the streets, spreading disease, and there is very little clean water. Cases of hepatitis, dysentery, and other infections are on the rise. And cases of polio have now been detected.
But there is more. Oh yes, there is much more.
Gaza had twelve universities, schools of higher learning. Every single one of them has been bombed, and 88 percent of all school buildings have been damaged.
21 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are completely out of service, and the remainder can only partially function. The World Health Organization has recorded more than 1,000 attacks on healthcare facilities since October 7th.
Can you imagine what it means to be 5 years old, seeing buildings collapsing, people dying, being shuffled from camp to camp, no education to speak of, all while suffering from hunger and thirst?
That’s what these kids are going through today.
It is hard to believe.
When people ask what keeps me up at night — this keeps me up at night.
So yes, as I have said many times, Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas terrorism.
But no, it does not have the right to go to war against the entire Palestinian people and create one of the worst humanitarian disasters in modern history.
And they certainly do not have a right to use starvation of women and children as a means of war.
Last month, the International Criminal Court (ICC) accused Netanyahu, his defense minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders — Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh — of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel. And the Court is right.
As you know, the United States has offered Israel unconditional financial support for many years. That relationship must now change. Instead of begging Netanyahu’s extremist and racist government to protect innocent lives and obey U.S. and international law, our new position must be simple and straightforward: Not another nickel for the Netanyahu government until there is a fundamental change in their policies.
History will judge what we do right now. History will judge whether we stand with starving children, whether we uphold America’s professed values, or whether we continue to blindly finance Netanyahu’s war machine.
This is an issue we must keep our attention on, no matter what else is happening in the news and in politics in the weeks and months ahead.
In solidarity,
Bernie Sanders