Democrats’ Unapologetic Support for Israel Enables Daily War Crimes Against Palestinians - FDL

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Democrats’ Unapologetic Support for Israel Enables Daily War Crimes Against Palestinians
By: Kevin Gosztola - FDL
Wednesday July 30, 2014 10:59 pm

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Politicians from the Democratic Party in the United States have expressed fervent support for Israel’s assault on Gaza, even going so far as to sponsor multiple resolutions which demonstrate unwavering solidarity and appropriate more funds for weapons and the US-funded missile defense system known as Iron Dome. This support has worked to ensure that the political climate discourages condemnation for war crimes, which Israel now seems to be committing on a daily basis.

Many of the comments in this story could easily have come from the mouths of Republicans. There simply is no political opposition in Congress to the ongoing war in Gaza. In fact, many Democrats are cheering Israel to “finish the job” and “restore the quiet” by doing whatever it takes.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid joined numerous Democrats (and Republicans) and condemned the United Nations Human Rights Council on July 29 for passing a resolution “accusing Israel of human rights violations.”

“The resolution was so incredibly one-sided in its anti-Israel bias, that it makes zero mention of Hamas and the atrocities Hamas has committed by indiscriminately barraging Israel with rockets and using Palestinian civilians as human shields,” Reid complained. “Hamas perpetrated this conflict. They wantonly fire rockets into Israel, and they don’t care who they hit.”

Reid described the rockets used, the tunnels Hamas relies upon, and how it was a “sham” that only the US voted against the resolution. Then, he shared, “I was watching the News Hour, and they had [a] commentary section from [New York Times'] David Brooks and [syndicated columnist] Mark Shields. David Brooks aptly noted that what Hamas is doing represents ‘a rare moment in military history where a party rejects a cease-fire in order to get more of their own people killed.’ And that is what is happening; Hamas is saying ‘kill some more of our people.’”

On July 11, when the House unanimously passed a resolution in support of the “state of Israel as it defends itself against unprovoked rocket attacks from the Hamas terrorist organization,” Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi declared, ”With Israel’s citizens once again under assault, our bipartisan resolve to stand by Israel is firm and unwavering,” and, “No family should be forced to endure constant threats to their lives or the persistent fear of rocket attacks. We call on Hamas to cease their attacks on Israel and stop endangering Palestinian civilians by using them as human shields.”

California Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer, along with Missouri Republican Senator Roy Blunt, introduced the “Updated US-Israel Strategic Partnership Act” on July 28...

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More: http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2014/07/30/democrats-unapologetic-support-for-israel-enables-daily-war-crimes-against-palestinians/