A letter from Senator Peters claims to care about the humanitarian crisis in the West Bank and Gaza, but it is filled with deception and hypocrisy

On Thursday, Michigan Senator Gary Peters, along with 30 other Senators, sent a deceptive request to President Biden for humanitarian aid for the West Bank and Gaza. Here is the text of that request from Senator Peters, which was sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken:

As a result of the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza prompted by Hamas’ horrific terror attacks, more than 1.2 million people are in urgent need of lifesaving humanitarian assistance. More than one million people have fled the violence, stretching the already strained ability of the United Nations and humanitarian partners on the ground to provide the food, medical treatment, and shelter they need to survive. In this context, the UN has released an emergency appeal for $294 million to address these humanitarian needs, help protect displaced people and save countless lives. We urge you to uphold our country’s proud tradition of leading the international community in providing lifesaving relief by contributing funding for international humanitarian assistance toward this UN appeal. 

We support Israel’s right to defend its people against the brutal attacks carried out by Hamas. Hamas knew that the Israeli government would have to respond to the unconscionable murder and hostage-taking of its citizens and thus bears the blame for initiating this conflict. We also know there are many innocent Palestinians in Gaza who do not support Hamas and urgently need help as they seek to flee the fighting. More than one million people in Gaza have fled their homes in search of safety, with nearly half of those taking shelter in UN facilities. The United Nations estimates that Gaza will run out of food and water within days. Healthcare facilities are overwhelmed, running desperately short on supplies and impacted by the lack of electricity. The humanitarian needs on the ground have dramatically increased over the past week, and conditions will likely continue to deteriorate in the days and weeks ahead. 

Displaced people around the world depend on lifesaving humanitarian assistance from the UN and its partners to feed their families, receive medical treatment, and secure shelter. The United States should continue its steadfast support for Israel while also doing our part to help the UN assist innocent civilians as they flee the violence. We therefore urge you to join the international community in answering the call from the United Nations by contributing toward this lifesaving $294 million appeal, and ask that you work with the UN and its partners to ensure that the assistance reaches the intended recipients without diversion or delay.

I stated earlier that this statement was deceptive, plus it is highly problematic. Let’s look at the reasons why. 

First, the statement from Peters and his colleagues uses language that is deceptive. It begins by saying, “the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza.” What is happening and what has been happening since the late 1940s in not a conflict, it is a one-sided dynamic, where Israel displaced thousands of Palestinians during the Nakba, the 50 years illegal Israeli occupation, the Apartheid State of Israel and the ongoing brutalization of Palestinians, particularly those that live in Gaza.

Second, the statement clearly wants to lay all of the blame at the feet of Hamas, using phrases like “Hamas’ horrific terror attacks” and “unconscionable murder and hostage-taking of its citizens.” This statement was written after Israel started dropping thousands of bombs on Gaza, which is made up of civilians and a high number of children. In addition, Israel announced before this statement was written that the 1.2 million Palestinians living in Gaza needed to leave. Bombing Palestinian civilians, including children is an act of terrorism. Forcibly displacing and relocating the more than 1 million living in Gaza is a form of ethnic cleansing and it meets the definition of genocide, as stated in the 1948 Genocide Convention.

Third, the US Government announced before the statement written by Senator Peters and his colleagues, that they would be sending several billion dollars in US military aid to Israel, which is in a addition to the already $3.8 billion in US military aid that Israel automatically receives on an annual basis. The New York Times reported that the Biden Administration is asking for $14 billion for Israel in responses to the Hamas attacks. The new US military aid to Israel, along with the annual $3.8 billion the US provides, is the root cause of the humanitarian crisis in the West Bank and Gaza. 

Fourth, since the massive amounts of US military aid to Israel is part of the root cause of the humanitarian crisis in the West Bank and Gaza, this letter from Senator Peters and his colleagues is complete hypocrisy. In their statement, they refer to the humanitarian aid as, “lifesaving humanitarian assistance.” This further demonstrates the hypocrisy of their actions, because if the US really wanted to take action to provide “lifesaving humanitarian assistance,” they would stop sending Israel $3.8 billion in military aid every year. In fact, the hypocrisy of the US is reflected in the last paragraph of the statement from Sen. Peters and his colleagues, when it says, “The United States should continue its steadfast support for Israel while also doing our part to help the UN assist innocent civilians as they flee the violence.”

Lastly, it is worth pointing out that Senator Peters and his colleagues, along with the rest of Congress and the Biden Administration are well aware of the violence that the Israeli government perpetrates against the Palestinian people. US leaders are not in denial, they are ideologically compromised on this issue, partly because the pro-Israel Lobby makes significant contributions to most members of Congress.

Let us not be deceived by the hypocritical statement from Senator Peters and his colleagues and recognize that if the US really cared about the well being of Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza, they would stop sending billion in US Military Aid to Israel.