Cracks are emerging in the wall that has historically separated any criticism of Israel from American politics – but Joe Biden is still not listening
On Saturday, an Israeli air strike killed 10 people from the same extended family after missiles hit the family’s house in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza. A five-month-old baby, the sole survivor, was pulled out alive from the rubble, having been trapped next to his deceased mother. As I write this, at least 180 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including 52 children. Ten Israelis have also been killed, including two children.
All the innocents slain, whether Palestinian or Israeli, must be mourned, and it’s beyond distressing to know that the number of deaths will only rise as the days go on. What will remain steady, however, is this morbidly lop-sided ratio of death. Many more innocent Palestinians will be killed than Israelis. That fact, along with over 70 years of continued Palestinian dispossession (of which the Sheikh Jarrah evictions are a part), has galvanized global opposition to Israel’s latest actions. Popular demonstrations have broken out around the world in support of Palestinian rights. Since the United States provides the key financial, military, and diplomatic backing to Israel, one wonders where Joe Biden and his administration are during this crucial moment.
This administration’s reaction has not only been relatively quiet; it has also been callous, predictable, and nothing short of a disgrace
Moustafa Bayoumi is the author of How Does It Feel to Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America