BREAKING: Biden Sent Netanyahu $3.5B in Arms—Today He Killed 100 More Palestinians

Legacy media and the American people must hold Biden accountable to his words—and VP Kamala Harris can lead the way

Less than 24 hours after declaring he’s working hard for a permanent ceasefire, Biden released another $3.5B in arms to Netanyahu. Hours later, Netanyahu bombed 1000 Palestinian civilians taking refuge in the Tabeen School—a designated safe zone—killing at least 100 more innocent people. NBC News reports:

An airstrike by the Israel Defense Forces on a school-turned-shelter killed more than 93 people and injured dozens more on Saturday morning, according to Gaza's civil defense, in one of the deadliest attacks in the 10-month war. The strikes hit the Tabeen school in Gaza City, including the mosque inside it, as congregants were performing dawn prayers. The IDF said it was targeting a Hamas command center embedded in the school, and that “numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians,” including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance and intelligence information.

In short. The US Government arms Israel. The Israeli government bombs and kills civilians. The Israeli military claims they were targeting Hamas. Rinse. Cycle. Repeat. This strategy has to date killed at least 40,000 people directly, and per The Lancet, at least 186,000 people overall. Throughout, the Israeli military refuses to allow independent media to report and has killed at least 165 journalists in Gaza—but expects the world to trust them on their word alone. This is not how a free press works, and this is certainly not how a democracy works.

A man mourns a child murdered by Israeli bombing at Tabeen school. Credit: AP

I am at a loss of words to describe my outrage at the loss of innocent life. Imagine a Uvalde massacre funded by US tax dollars occurring multiple times a day. And additionally, instead of cowardly standing by and watching the mass murderer murder innocent children, police keep arming him to murder more and more children. That is what Palestinians are suffering through every single day.

Aftermath of Israel’s bombing on the Tabeen school, which housed more than 1000 refugees, women, and children.

But what about the hostages? While this point was never a valid excuse to mass murder innocent civilians—in part because Israel also holds thousands of Palestinian hostages and also because the response to war crimes cannot be more war crimes—Hamas is not the blockade on hostage release, Israel is. As I’ve written before and as is well documented, Hamas agreed to Israel's ceasefire and hostage deal more than three months ago. Back on May 6 Hamas said it accepted a ceasefire proposal that included release of all hostages. Israel rejected it. Again on June 11, Hamas accepted the binding UN Security Council resolution on ceasefire and release of all hostages—one proposed by Israel itself—and Israel rejected it. As the AP reports:

Hamas accepts a UN Security Council ceasefire resolution and is ready to negotiate over the details, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters on Tuesday, adding that it was up to Washington to ensure that Israel abides by it. Hamas accepts the UN security council resolution in regard to the ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli troops and swap of hostages for detainees held by Israel, he said.

And despite the United States insisting that Israel had accepted this resolution (that Israel itself proposed), Israel has to date loudly rejected the binding UN Security Council resolution. The Times of Israel reports:

Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan informed his US counterpart Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Thursday that Jerusalem opposes the Security Council resolution being advanced by Washington that expresses support for the hostage-ceasefire proposal Israel made last week.

It is no wonder that the families of the hostages continue to put the blame squarely on Benjamin Netanyahu’s shoulders for failing to secure hostage release, stating:

In a press statement, the families accused Netanyahu of obstructing potential deals by rejecting offers for hostage releases and adopting a hardened stance in talks with Hamas. They criticized the prime minister for making unilateral decisions without consulting the cabinet and accused him of prioritizing his personal interests over the welfare of the hostages.

Why is the outrage from “release the hostages” crowd exclusively aimed at Hamas who has agreed to the UNSC resolution to release the hostages, but not at Netanyahu’s incessant refusal to accept his own proposed deal that releases all hostages? And still worse, Biden has since admitted Netanyahu lied to him about wanting to see the hostages released. This makes Biden’s decision to continue to arm Netanyahu with billions in missiles that much more indefensible. We are way past the point of words—we need meaningful action to end the siege on Gaza and bring about a lasting peace. Here’s what that looks like.

We must hold Biden accountable to his words. And in my view, there is no better person to lead that charge than VP Kamala Harris herself. She launched her campaign for President while affirming regarding Palestinians:

The images of dead children and desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety — sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time — we cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering, and I will not be silent.

It is well past time to speak up with actions, not mere words. So what is VP Harris to do? Clearly put—listen to the will of the American people and uphold justice. VP Harris can take this opportunity to exemplify she does not align with the Biden doctrine on Israel. By upholding justice and ending offensive arms transfers to Netanyahu, she will receive a warm welcome from Democrats, and from disenfranchised voters regardless of party. The facts back this up. For several months, polling shows that the vast majority of Americans want this siege to end:

• 83% of Democrats demand a permanent and lasting ceasefire, as well as 70% of all Americans.

• 54% of all Americans support suspending all US arms to Israel as long as Israel blocks US humanitarian aid going into Gaza. (Which Israel continues to block).

• 56% of Democrats believe Israel is committing genocide of Palestinians.

• 55% of all Americans under 45 believe Israel is committing genocide of Palestinians.

The data is absolutely clear. On every front, Kamala Harris will increase her chances of becoming President if she moves to uphold justice, demand a permanent ceasefire, and call for an end to arms to Israel. Doing so will necessarily require a departure from the Biden doctrine on Israel. But that’s the point. She cannot be seen as a carbon copy of Biden on this issue. Only 34% of Americans approved Biden’s policy on Israel, and a majority of Americans, 55%, disapprove of Israel’s actions in Gaza. The American people are loudly rejecting this horrific genocide. VP Harris can respond to the American people, take that mandate, and run forward to victory on the tenets of justice and humanity. Doing so will go far beyond not being silent, but will ensure her voice and actions are heard worldwide.

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