Israeli Bombs Kill Another American
American citizens killed by the Israeli military.
[Ed. note: this article appeared on October 3, 2024]
The question is, when it comes to Palestine and Israel, why is the DOJ stopping with Hamas?
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 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.
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:
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:
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:
And as the final infuriating point to this discourage, Biden knows Netanyahu wants war, not peace—yet arms him anyway. Politico reports:
All the while, Americans killed by the Israeli government receive no justice, and Netanyahu and the Israeli government face no accountability.
A vehicle sits near rubble after an Israeli airstrike in Ain Ed Delb, a town in southern Lebanon, on Oct. 1. Stefanie Glinski photos for Foreign Policy
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.