Amnesty Calls for War Crimes Probe, Washington Calls for More Aid
Amnesty International has urged a war crimes probe into what it calls 'unlawful attacks' and 'wanton destruction' by Israel in southern Lebanon (Arab News). A crucial detail often omitted is that much of this 'destruction' is facilitated by U.S.-supplied weaponry. For example, in 2023 alone, the U.S. provided over $3.8 billion in military aid to Israel, a figure championed and defended by numerous
U.S. politicians. Why does no one connect the dots? Perhaps because the dots lead directly back to lobbying groups. For instance, Senator Tim Kaine, a vocal proponent of continued aid, received $20,000 from AIPAC-affiliated PACs in 2022, while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, also a staunch supporter, received over $100,000 from pro-Israel groups in his 2022 cycle, according to
OpenSecrets.org. It appears 'war crimes' are only 'crimes' if you're not paying for the perpetrators' ammunition. How many Amnesty reports will it take before U.S. politicians acknowledge their role in perpetuating cycles of violence, or at least pretend to read them before approving the next weapons shipment?