To End the Genocide, We Must Hold Weapons Manufacturers Accountable (or Shut Them Down) |
Image courtesy, Demilitarize Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank just passed its 800th day (and 77th year): at least 70,000 have been confirmed dead, including 20,000 children – and Israel shows no sign of stopping. Since a ceasefire was agreed to on October 10, Israel has attacked Gazans with bombs, snipers, and ground mobilizations nearly 500 times. In the West Bank, Israel has killed and detained hundreds of Palestinians and approved 19 new settlements.
None of this carnage is possible without assistance from the United States: we supply two-thirds of Israel’s foreign weapons and sent $12.5 billion in military aid in 2024 alone. While other countries reckoning with Israel’s war crimes have restricted or ended weapons transfers to Israel, the U.S. is contemplating legislation to fill in the “gaps” created by those embargoes.
For those of us living in the U.S., “Solidarity,” in the words of Gandhi Peace Award winner Omar Barghouti, “becomes moral duty.”
The weapons Israel is using to murder innocent Palestinians are manufactured right here in the United States. 2024 was the industry’s most profitable year on record, making $679 billion in revenue. Billions of dollars........