Dear Editor,
An article in the August 1st issue of this newspaper titled “Senators introduce Countering Hate Against Israel by Federal Contractors Act” describes how U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito has joined with other legislators to stifle the First Amendment right of American citizens to protest government foreign policy, preferring to champion the interests of a foreign power.
Capito is “proud to” deny American businesses and their workers the right to earn a living through federal contracts if they choose to boycott Israel, a country that has killed over 40,000 Palestinians since October 7th, mostly women, children and the elderly. Israel has repeatedly bombed schools, churches and mosques, hospitals, ambulances, residential buildings and refugee camps. On July 24th, a leaked report showed Israel has killed over 366 UN aid workers and their families in Gaza. Israel routinely targets journalists and has killed at least 113 documenting the Gaza massacre. This is one of the highest numbers of journalists killed in any warzone on record.
On July 29th, IDF soldiers released a video of themselves—set to Hebrew rap music—blowing up one of the last reservoirs providing drinking water to the civilians in Rafah. On July 31st Israel committed another war crime, violating the sovereign territory of another country by assassinating the leading cease-fire negotiator for the Palestinians in Gaza. On August 7th, after horrific new revelations of mass rape and torture at Israel’s Sde Teiman prison camp, Israeli lawmakers and TV anchors responded by publicly making arguments in favor of the systematic mass sexual abuse of prisoners!
Israel is a rogue state, flagrantly committing genocide and war crimes as a matter of course. Yet after the disgusting display of subservience to him by Capito and most of Congress a few days earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu felt assured that American blood and dollars will come to Israel’s rescue after they provoke and drag us into another full-blown Mideast war.
Israel is making a mockery of America as the defender of human rights everywhere, as well as any pretense of a “rules-based international order.” But saying “no” to Israel on anything it wants is political suicide for most U.S. politicians. Capito and others have received hundreds of thousands of dollars from powerful pro-Israel lobbying groups that target anyone who stands up to Israeli influence in Congress. Americans who pay the taxes and die in our wars don’t have the equivalent of an AIPAC lobbying group or the Israeli fifth column in our mass media. Capito’s “ally and friend” is leading us into a major war with all the human and economic suffering that will come with it. She should be ashamed of herself, and so should anyone who supports her or anyone like her.
Sincerely,
Alan Balogh
Hillsboro