We’re here today, like we’ve been here for the last 16 weeks, to keep vigil. We’re here to bear witness.
Just a few minutes ago, while we were gathering here, a man came up to me, telling me he was driving by and saw us standing here with our signs and had to stop and come over. He asked me what we believed, and I told him to look at our signs, “Israel, stop the killing!” “The US government could be feeding our children with the money it sends to Israel!” “Free Palestine!” “Free Gaza!” and the like. I asked him, “Well, what do you believe?” And he said, “I’m Jewish!” I told him, “We honor the Jewish faith, a couple millennia old beautiful faith!” And he said, “Well, if you knew this you wouldn’t be out protesting.” And I responded, “Know what?” And he replied with a straight face, “Did you know that Israel gave Gaza to the Palestinians, and this is what they do?” “Israel gave Gaza to the Palestinians.” That’s what we’re up against.
Day 130 of Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza. More than 35,000 dead, including those still buried under the rubble, and close to 70,000 wounded. On Sunday, Israel killed 164 Gazans, and injured over 200. And in terms of the numbers of dead and wounded, that was a “good day” in Gaza. What would happen if another country killed and injured 100’s of Americans every day? What would we do?
And in the last four months, plans have been advanced for 17 new illegal Israeli settlements, 8400 new housing units about to be built in Palestinian East Jerusalem.
So let’s get this straight –
+ 35,000 dead, almost 12,000 under 18; 70,000 wounded;
+ 24,000 children lost one or both parents;
+ illegal settlements expanding;
+ the Israeli Heritage minister says Israel should use nuclear weapons in Gaza;
+ the deputy mayor of Jerusalem calls for Palestinians citizens to be buried alive;
+ Gaza’s health system overwhelmed, medicine in such short supply that amputations are being done without anesthesia;
+ while we stand here tonight, right now, Israel is amassing its troops outside Rafah, once a beautiful ciety now a concentration camp of 1.9 million souls, to forcibly remove them, ethnically cleanse them from their country;
+ ethnic cleansing increasing, the bombing of civilians in Gaza increasing;
+ genocide, genocide, genocide … in real time, right before our very eyes, and …
And Israel pays $7million for Super Bowl ad wanting us to weep for them.
And Joe Biden cuts off aid for the UN agency providing humanitarian relief for Gaza. No evidence, even Tony Blinken admitted, but just because Israel told him to.
Christopher Hedges, on assignment in Gaza wrote: “Children have been shot in other conflicts I’ve covered. But never before have I watched as soldiers enticed children like mice into a trap and murdered them for sport.”
Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Japan, and others halt their support for Israel because of genocide. Thank God for them.
But what does our government do? Today the US Senate votes another, another $14billion in military aid to Israel. And Joe approves the sale.
Yet now Joe wants us to believe he has seen the light.
He wants us to believe that he is aghast, mind you, aghast at Israel’s indiscriminate killing with US bombs, a war crime approved by him.
And criminal Joe Biden wants us to believe that in private he shakes his finger at his good friend, Bibi Netanyahu, and says, “Naughty, naughty Israel.”
He wants us to believe that he now wants a Palestinian state.
And cynical Joe “you don’t have to be Jewish to be a Zionist” Biden wants us to believe that after smothering Israel with kisses his entire career, providing weapons, providing them cover for war crimes these last four months, he wants us to now believe he cares.
And why? Because he is afraid of losing Arab votes, Muslim votes, the popular tide is turning against him, because he’s afraid of losing your vote.
I’m not falling for Biden’s lies. Are you?
Our humanity is being tested. Our morality is being tested. And Biden fails the test.
Our voices are needed more than ever. We must make them listen.
We’re not going anywhere. We’re here to stay.
We’ll be here next Tuesday, too, 5:00-6:00. We plan to be here for the duration.