Trump Promises to Disarm Hamas, Ignores US Arming of Israel
When Donald Trump says Hamas 'will disarm, or we will disarm them,' as reported by The Hill, it sounds decisive. This bold rhetoric, however, conveniently sidesteps the colossal irony: the United States has been—and continues to be—the primary armorer of the Israeli government, which has for decades used US-supplied weaponry in its military campaigns. Last year alone, the US approved $3.3 billion
in security assistance to Israel, according to the Congressional Research Service, enabling actions that have consistently failed to 'disarm' Gaza. The calls for disarming Hamas echo previous empty promises from successive administrations and Israeli governments, none of which acknowledge the obvious: a truly disarmed Gaza would be a defenseless one. Asking one besieged party to unilaterally
disarm while its adversary receives billions in advanced weaponry from the world's superpower (and receives billions in AIPAC lobbying from groups like those on OpenSecrets) isn't a peace plan; it's a blueprint for continued asymmetry and inevitable conflict. One might wonder, how many times will we hear the same ultimatum before the media asks which side benefits from indefinite asymmetry?