Israel has outdone itself in 2021 – destroying large swaths of Gaza, shooting to kill Palestinian protesters, endangering Palestinian children, and more. Here is a rundown of the year’s violence, covered by numerous IAK posts – with hopes that together, we can work to bring justice and peace in 2022.
Former president Donald Trump speaks frankly about former Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump said that at an early stage of his presidency, he realized that Netanyahu would be a bigger obstacle to peace than Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. “I thought he was terrific,” Trump said of Abbas, reflecting on their “great” first meeting. “He was almost like a father. Couldn’t have been nicer. I thought he wanted to make a deal more than Netanyahu…”
Christians and other faith-based groups are speaking out against Israel’s latest attempt to silence the discussion on human rights for Palestinians. We can all be a part of this fight for justice.
With documentation from 150 sources, If Americans Knew presents over 70 pieces of legislation now under consideration in Congress, which seek to guarantee Israel, not just $10 million a day in military aid, but also an additional $10 million per day expended on items because they benefit Israel, as well as protection from criticism, condemnation of its adversaries, and support for new allies – with nothing in return, and in spite of Israel’s bad behavior. Justice for Palestinians is the subject of one bill.
Facebook’s faulty content moderation, plus Israel’s “requests” to the social media company to take down online content, results in unfair restriction on free speech about Israeli human rights violations against Palestinians. HRW calls for widespread investigation.
Israel, which receives billions of dollars from American taxpayers, has conducted espionage in the US – especially economic espionage – since its creation in 1948. The illegal behavior includes stealing US technology, the fraudulent diversion of US foreign aid, the illicit retransfer of sensitive US technologies to third parties, and violation of end-use restrictions on U.S. military items transferred to Israel…
Republican Congress members flip out over the removal of an extra $1 billion gift to Israel on a budget bill (that they weren’t going to vote for anyway). Activists for justice for Palestinians hail the event as “an unprecedented moment for Palestinian rights.”
Though the midterms are still far off, the bipartisan advocacy group Pro-Israel America has been aggressively promoting candidates ahead of the 2022 midterms – see list. PIA claims that it raised more than $3 million for pro-Israel candidates in the 2020 elections.
Jewish author Michael Lesher – who blogs for the Times of Israel, among other outlets – muses on many Jewish leaders’ responses to the recent attack on Gaza: “trust in God and believe in Jewish infallibility.” Lesher suggests that instead, they should “devote their efforts toward restraining the Israeli war machine,” and consider the consequences of “[building a] future on a foundation of stolen property and murdered children.”
Much essential information is frequently omitted from US news coverage, including the vast difference in weaponry used in the “Israel-Hamas wars” – see this detailed report and videos of the weapons used by Israeli military forces and Palestinian resistance groups.