Israel’s invasion of Rafah has begun. There is nowhere left to go in Gaza, as Rafah was the final ‘safe space’ left, where over a million people are sheltered. Missiles and bombs rain from the sky, flattening entire blocks of dwellings. Israeli troops have closed down the Rafah border crossing, cutting off a vital source of aid for the people of Gaza, already facing widespread famine.
Last week, prior to the invasion, the Biden Administration put a hold on a shipment of munitions to Israel. The Administration stopped shipment on two types of Boeing ‘precision’ bombs to send a ‘political message’ to Israel. And Biden has publicly stated that the invasion of Rafah represents a “Red Line.”
And yet May 7th, Biden once more affirmed that his commitment to Israel is ironclad. That red line, perhaps, written in pencil.
Hamas agreed to the terms of the ceasefire, which included the release of all hostages. The text was released. The entire world has seen for themselves the canard that Israel is negotiating in good faith. Though Hamas has agreed to the release of all hostages, Israeli officials have declared their intentions to decimate Rafah – and followed through with aerial bombardment and a ground invasion.
Domestically, Netanyahu is isolated, facing the anger of hostage’s families and an all but certain removal from office should the military operations in Gaza come to an end. And around the world, Israel faces widespread condemnation, with the United States often the lone voice of support in international forums.
Similar cross-currents buffet the Biden Administration. The public is now widely opposed to Israel’s conduct in Gaza. Student protest encampments have made the issue all the more salient, as we’ve seen the power of the state, including riot police, unleashed against peaceful student protestors. All across the country, from coast to coast, and even internationally, students are putting their bodies on the line to bring a halt to the ongoing genocide.
We are at an inflection point. We must continue to pressure the Biden Administration to hold to their professed values and to domestic and international law. That means respecting the right to peaceful protest. That means an immediate ceasefire, the cessation of any and all arms shipments to Israel. And in the longer run, an end to apartheid and the pursuit of a Free Palestine.
And, of course, please come out for ongoing resistance events, find local, Bay Area, events here and national actions here.PS. In 1967, John Tinker and his sister were expelled from their high school in Des Moines, Iowa, for wearing armbands in protest of the United States’ genocidal war in Vietnam. They protested their expulsion all the way to the Supreme Court, where they won – establishing the principle that neither students nor teachers “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.”
The same John Tinker has produced and given Global Exchange new black armbands with the word Gaza emblazoned on them. Give us your address details here, and we will send you one at a sliding scale cost as long as supplies hold out.