Gaza Twins: Born into 'Conflict,' Not War, Please
Palestinian twins Uday and Hamza Abu Odah, born into Gaza since October 7th, have, according to Al-Monitor, known nothing but "war." The article, via Reuters, describes their lives as "defined and encompassed by Israel's devastating military offensive." This phrasing, while technically true, performs a familiar media disappearing act, minimizing the pervasive violence that preceded these specific
events. It erases the 17-year blockade, the 2008-09, 2012, 2014, and 2021 offensives that ensured previous generations of Palestinian children also knew only 'war' or its quieter, equally devastating cousin, occupation. Perhaps it's impolite to mention that US Senator Mitch McConnell, for instance, received $764,743 from AIPAC-affiliated PACs over his career, consistently voting for unqualified
aid packages. Or how H.R. 815 , passed recently with overwhelming bipartisan support, ensures over $14 billion more in US taxpayer money flows to the very military conducting the stated 'devastating' offensive. When a nation's 'diplomacy' is funded by the same donors as its 'defense,' one might wonder if 'war' is less an unfortunate happening and more a meticulously maintained economic segment.