The United States enables Israel’s continued occupation of the Palestinian territories and its ongoing aggressive military assault on the Gaza Strip. We bear responsibility for the slaughter. We are not detached bystanders. The U.S. government supplies the weapons that Israel uses and defends its aggression both publicly and at the United Nations.

A new analysis of the intelligence and military relationship between the U.S. and Israeli governments — bolstered by new top secret NSA documents leaked by Edward Snowden — show how the United States “has significantly increased the surveillance assistance it provides to Israel” (reported by The Intercept’s Glenn Greenwald). “The new Snowden documents illustrate a crucial fact: Israeli aggression would be impossible without the constant, lavish support and protection of the U.S. government, which is anything but a neutral, peace-brokering party in these attacks.”

From 2009 to 2018, the United States is scheduled to give Israel — the largest recipient of U.S. assistance — $30 billion in military aid.

“According to the Ministry of Health, the Israeli offensive on Gaza has left over 1,822 Palestinians dead, including 398 children. Some 9,370 Palestinians have been injured, 2,744 of them children. Approximately 373,000 children are in need of psychological support as a result of the trauma of the war, according to UN figures. Over a quarter of Palestinians in Gaza have been forced to leave their homes throughout the assault.” (Ma’an News Agency, Aug. 4)

The United States was the only country to vote against a measure by the UN Human Rights Council that called for a formal investigation of “war crimes” over the repeated attacks on Gaza civilians at hospitals, UN shelters and highly populated residential areas.

Natasha Mayers

Whitefield

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