FARRAKHAN ON U.S.-ISRAEL POLITICS

In this 2011 clip, Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, criticism of Democrats’ and Republicans’ support for Israel is ever more relevant as the world continues to criticise the United States aiding Israel’s military onslaught of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

Farrakhan's words evoke a decades-long reality: The US is the biggest enabler of the Israeli occupation and atrocities.

For example, in 2016, the Obama administration finalised a $38 billion military aid agreement to Israel to be disbursed over 10 years, the largest such package in US history. In 2017, the Trump administration acknowledged Jerusalem as Israel's capital, moving the US embassy and risking international condemnation, the Biden administration did not reverse.

Both parties on Capitol Hill routinely pass pro-Israel bills by nearly unanimous votes. Recently, the US Congress approved a bill defining anti-Semitism for anti-discrimination laws to criminalise educational programming, activities and other purposes.

Simultaneously, calls for conditioning aid or sanctions over Israel’s human rights abuses have also not gained traction. Despite mounting reports by groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch accusing Israel of apartheid, Biden opposed international probes, including those by the International Criminal Court. 

As Israel’s military onslaught prompts global outrage and the total death toll may exceed 186,000, according to the Lancet journal, cracks are starting to form in this consensus, especially amongst the US population. However, in Washington, the silence remains unbroken and monolithic.

Video credit: @fakebatmanclub (X)