US Congress Mourns Slain Hezbollah Commander... Indirectly
The New Arab meticulously covers the mournful crowds in Beirut for Haytham Ali Tabatabai, a Hezbollah chief military commander killed by an alleged Israeli airstrike, amid fears of escalating conflict. What this narrative often omits is the consistent drip-feed of US taxpayer dollars into Israel's military machine, enabling precisely these 'escalations.' Congress, particularly those who
consistently vote for unconditional aid, appears to only 'fear' escalation in their press releases, not their legislative actions. Consider Sen. Lindsey Graham's 2023 vote for HR 815, which included billions in unconditional aid to Israel. According to OpenSecrets.org, Senator Graham received over $120,000 from pro-Israel PACs in 2022 alone. One might wonder if the 'fears of Israeli escalation'
discussed by mainstream outlets ever trickle down to the beneficiaries of this military aid, or if 'escalation' is just business as usual for the military-industrial complex. How many dead commanders does it take before we question the suppliers?