By Rick Longinotti
New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman recounts that his love for Israel began at 9 years old. His loyalty to Israel motivates him to write that “the most dangerous leader threatening Israel today” is Benjamin Netanyahu. “Netanyahu’s policies have not and will not produce a sustainable victory in Gaza, cannot secure Israel against its greatest existential threat — Iran — and are endangering world Jewry and undermining America’s broader Middle East strategic needs and goals.”
Congressional leaders have invited Netanyahu to speak before a joint session of Congress on July 24. Friedman writes about the visit, “No friend of Israel should participate in this circus.” Indeed, a number of prominent members of Congress have decided to boycott the Netanyahu speech, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Chris Van Hollen, and Reps. Nancy Pelosi, Jim Clyburn and Ro Khanna.
Sanders put it clearly, “What we are seeing now is starvation and famine impacting thousands and thousands of children. The architect of that policy is not somebody you honor by bringing to the United States Congress.” What Sanders is seeing is confirmed by the UN, international courts and human rights organizations:
In a joint statement, Oxfam and Human Rights Watch “have observed or documented that the Israeli authorities have carried out indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks in violation of international humanitarian law following the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, imposed collective punishments on the civilian population, deprived the civilian population of objects indispensable to its survival, and used starvation of civilians as a weapon of war.”
In June 2024, the UN Commission of Inquiry report labeled Israeli and Hamas actions as “crimes against humanity”.
In May 2024, the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor requested arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Hamas leaders, presenting evidence of intentional attacks on civilians and “starvation as a method of warfare.”
Sadly, Rep. Jimmy Panetta voted with House Republicans to sanction ICC officials, in a resolution (opposed by the Biden administration) that dismissed the court’s charges as “illegitimate and baseless.”
In May, the International Court of Justice issued a ruling, calling on Israel to “Immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah Governorate.” Sadly, Rep. Panetta signed a letter in January 2024 to “express our disgust” with South Africa’s filing of a “grossly unfounded case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.”
Inviting Netanyahu to the Congress undermines the permanent cease-fire plan that President Biden has put forward. In response, Netanyahu has asserted that the war will not end until Hamas is destroyed.
Members of Congress who attend Netanyahu’s speech will be sending a message that they support or tolerate his actions. We expect our elected representatives to support international humanitarian law, not honor a violator of international law by applauding his speech to Congress.
A large majority of the public has wanted a cease-fire dating from the first weeks of Israeli military response to the horrible attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. According to a Data For Progress poll on Oct. 19, 2023, 80% of Democrats and 56% of Republicans agreed that “The U.S. should call for a cease-fire.” Nine months of Netanyahu’s unresponsiveness to calls to protect non-combatants demonstrates that these calls need to be backed up by withholding offensive military aid. Sadly, Rep. Panetta voted to approve an additional $17 billion in military aid to Israel in April 2024. The violence in Gaza is funded by our tax dollars.
Please join with other concerned residents in petitioning Panetta to boycott Netanyahu’s visit. We will gather at a vigil for peace, Sunday, July 21, 2-4 p.m. at San Lorenzo Park in Santa Cruz. The vigil will continue at Panetta’s Santa Cruz office Aug. 5-9 (Hiroshima Week). The petition is at: panetta-vigil.org.
Rick Longinotti is a marriage and family therapist, teacher of nonviolent communication and resident of Santa Cruz.