AG
Obviously, there is a problem with a U.S. Senator pushing an obvious falsehood to try to sell their support for an arms embargo, but the bigger issue is that we also aren't having an honest discussion about what has been happening in Gaza The indisputable truth is that: 1) With the possible exception of a few weeks, there has consistently been enough food entering Gaza to feed the population 2) There are absolutely people in Gaza facing food insecurity Those who want to blame Israel are not interested in trying to reconcile these 2 facts because that would complicate their narrative. The reality is there has been substantial aid entering Gaza since November of 2023. However, much of that aid would often be transferred to Hamas-connected entities who would then take what they needed and then resell the rest at a substantial premium endangering those who couldn't afford it. The situation was further complicated by fighting in Northern Gaza making access difficult to some areas. Now more recently, there has been an additional complication. With Hamas weakening and people getting tired of the situation, gangs have started to form that are looting and reselling the aid themselves. Hamas is upset about this because it is cutting into their revenue streams. The UN is upset about it because it endangers their people and the deals they have secretly made. In either case, the situation has little to do with Israel blocking aid and everything to do with the reality within Gaza. There is no easy answer. You need someone other than Hamas to protect the aid from the looters, but the UN has also insisted that Israel cannot provide direct security for aid trucks (which I think speaks for itself). Of course an arms embargo on Israel will not solve any of those problems or help address hunger in Gaza. But of course that was never really the goal of proposing it.
Israel War Room
Today, @SenSanders stood on the Senate floor and lied to the American people. He said Israel is intentionally starving civilians in Gaza, pointing to the picture behind him — promoted by Hamas propaganda outlet Al Jazeera — as evidence. The truth?? The boy in the picture, Fadi, has cystic fibrosis and requires advanced medical support. Israel facilitated his exit from Gaza to a US hospital where he received the care he needed. Israel is surging more aid into Gaza than international organizations are able to handle. There is currently a backlog of ~850 trucks worth of aid inside Gaza waiting to be distributed. Sanders also accused Israel of preventing a ceasefire/hostage deal when the US has reiterated time and time again that it is Hamas, not Israel, that has rejected offer after offer after offer. So why is @SenSanders peddling lies to the Senate and to the American public? Withholding weapons from Israel won’t help reach a ceasefire any faster, and it won’t help bring the hostages home. It will only endanger Israel’s security while emboldening the Iranian regime and its proxies, who have sworn not only to destroy Israel but to destroy the US as well.
