Israeli Bombs Kill Another American
Biden's refusal to hold Netanyahu accountable sets a devastating example now, and a horrifying precedent for the future, and we need to talk about it
On September 3, the Department of Justice charged Hamas leadership with terrorism. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco declared at the press conference announcing the charges that, “We will not rest until all those who kidnapped or murdered Americans are brought to justice.” At that time I wrote a lengthy piece stating and asking:
I am glad the Department of Justice is pursuing those who commit acts of violence and terrorism against the United States and its citizens—an obligation upon any sovereign nation. The question is, when it comes to Palestine and Israel, why is the DOJ stopping with Hamas?
I cited the Israeli killing of American citizens Shireen Abu Akleh, Jacob Flickinger, and several more—all killed without accountability. The Israeli military has since killed AyesaNur Ezgi Eygi, and now Israeli bombing kills yet another American citizen, Hajj Kamel Ahmad Jawad, again without accountability. The precedent this sets for any potential future MAGA administration is horrifying, and we need to talk about.
Let’s Address This.
Where is the accountability?
Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed 56-year-old Hajj Kamel Ahmad Jawad, a Lebanese American father of four. Jawad’s daughter Nadine Kamel Jawad stated:
We are honored by my father’s sacrifice. In his last days, he chose to stay near the main hospital in Nabatieh to help the elderly, disabled, injured, and those who simply couldn’t financially afford to flee.
Jawad’s killing at the hands of Israeli bombing comes after the U.S. State Department declined to issue evacuation orders to American citizens in Lebanon. Even now the State Department has asked citizens to procure their own flights if they want to leave, offering no meaningful assistance despite the devastating circumstances in Lebanon. Meanwhile, the Independent reports:
Israeli airstrikes and military actions in Lebanon have killed more than 1,000 people, including dozens of children, and displaced a fifth of the population and wounded several thousand others, within the last two weeks.
Lebanon has a population of 5.5 million, meaning that Israeli bombing has already displaced at least 1.1 million innocent people. Worse, these circumstances were not a surprise. Politico cites six Israeli and American officials to report that while Biden publicly urged Netanyahu to exercise restraint, the White House privately encouraged him to invade Lebanon—and to be quiet about that encouragement for PR purposes. Just as duplicative is a report from journalist Christine Amanpour, who uncovered that:
Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib tells CNN that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had agreed to a 21-day ceasefire just before he was assassinated by Israel. The temporary ceasefire was called for by President Biden, President Macron and other allies during last week’s UNGA. “He [Nasrallah] agreed, he agreed,” Habib told [Amanpour] in an interview on Tuesday.
And as the final infuriating point to this discourage, Biden knows Netanyahu wants war, not peace—yet arms him anyway. Politico reports:
Biden told confidants that he did not believe his Israeli counterpart wanted a cease-fire deal, arguing that Netanyahu was trying to perpetuate the conflict to save his political future and assist Trump in November’s election, the officials said.
All the while, Americans killed by the Israeli government receive no justice, and Netanyahu and the Israeli government face no accountability.
Biden’s inaction must end
The American people are facing a reality in which the President promises to hold accountable anyone who kills an American citizen, yet repeatedly refuses to act when the culprit is Netanyahu. A President whose White House secretly urged Netanyahu to invade Lebanon, while refusing to call upon its own citizens to evacuate—which enabled the killing of yet another American citizen. A President who reportedly agreed to ceasefire from Hezbollah leadership, yet stood by as Netanyahu assassinated Nasrullah anyway. And a President whose State Department admits Netanyahu is committing war crimes, and who himself admits Netanyahu is not looking for peace because it will help Trump win in November, and yet continues to arm Netanyahu.
We know that Americans are tired of war, that 77% of Democrats, 63% of moderates, and 61% of Republicans want to stop arming Netanyahu. And yet, despite the Leahy Laws and despite overwhelming support from the American people to do the right thing, Biden continues to arm Netanyahu. I cannot understand why the President is risking sacrificing American democracy at the alter of Benjamin Netanyahu—a man credibly accused of war crimes and genocide, and a man the President knows is only looking to save his own political future.
President Biden promised that “if you harm or kill an American, we will respond.” But so far the only response to Netanyahu harming and killing American citizens is to allow him to continue harming and killing American citizens. And given the 80,000 Lebanese American voters in the must win state of Michigan, I fear the impact this dereliction will have not just on the November election, but as dangerous precedent for a potential future President dictating under absolute Supreme Court immunity.
Dangerous precedents for American Presidents
And that’s perhaps most frightening of all. Imagine a future MAGA presidency in which Donald Trump calls dictators and credibly accused war criminals to secretly take out those American citizens causing him trouble? Meanwhile, he hides behind both SCOTUS immunity and the fact that President Biden faced no accountability for failing to act when foreign governments like Israel repeatedly killed American citizens.
If you think this is far fetched, remember that Donald Trump was ready to let insurrectionists hang Mike Pence, his own VP, if it meant keeping himself in the White House. Also remember the fascist Project 2025 is clear that it intends to give Trump dictatorial authority. Any nuance in who was killed and why won’t be enough to hold Trump accountable. And the voices of those speaking up to condemn Trump’s actions then, while they currently remain silent at Biden’s inaction now, will not be enough.
Our Leahy Laws exist for a reason. International human rights laws exist for a reason. American sovereignty exists for a reason. We know MAGA Republicans will try to push the boundaries of abuse of power via Project 2025 and other avenues. They are telling us they will. We’ve seen it before. After President Obama unwisely expanded Bush’s drone strike program, Donald Trump exponentially expanded it during his presidency and increased civilians killed by drones by a shocking 330%. To prevent that from happening on an even greater scale in a potential future Trump (or any MAGA) presidency, we need to ensure our Democratic President emphatically enforces the laws and principles he was elected to uphold, not ignore them. This must be a non-negotiable. We must act for justice now.
Otherwise, I fear that a loss this November election, or a future MAGA presidency in general, will be the end of American democracy as we know it, and it will then be too late to act for justice.
Why Your Support Matters: Every dollar we spend is a vote for the kind of future we want. Help me create a future more committed to justice and universal human rights. Subscribe, and I welcome your thoughts, feedback, and insights. Thank you.
This is terrifying. But it needed to be said. Thank you for your courage and fearlessness. We must all acquire these traits during this very dangerous times. I pray we do.
Biden has an opportunity to do the right thing, to demand a permanent cease fire in this region but why does he delay? What motivates a man who presents himself as fair and ethical, to stand by and support a tyrrant such as bee bee who like some out of control tornado, sweeps thru one refugee camp after another killing and destroying anyone and anything in site. And how is it that a nation, unwilling to provide housing assistance, to the homeless medical care, education assistance, etc., find the funds to support the Israel colony with a blank check, and military weapons? As an American I am disappointed , concerned that international voices calling for peace is falling on deaf ears. If the Israelies are not stopped, imagine the damage and lives loss are a result of inaction.