Congressman Huffman's Support for Massacre of Palestinian Civilians
Razan
Al-Najjar, 21 year-old medic volunteer, was murdered by Israeli
military forces on June 1st, 2018 with the help the political leadership
of the United States, including Congressman Jared Huffman. Razan is a
martyr not only to the Palestinian cause of freedom and justice, but the
cause for a livable, just, humane, and dignified future for all
humanity. Our struggle continues in that spirit.
In April 2018 we began a petition campaign (Please sign if you live in CA-2, North Bay/North Coast) on the assumption that with gentle prodding, our Congressman Jared Huffman would join other congressmembers around the Bay Area to support a modest proposal to make sure that the massive military aid the US sends to Israel every year is not used to harm children. Officially, Jared Huffman is still “looking into” whether to support HR 4391, the “Promoting Human Rights by Ending Israeli Military Detention of Palestinian Children Act”. But after all the in-person requests, the multiple talks with staff, the hundreds of letters and phone calls, we see no sign he will support it. He has chosen to be silent as Israel sends youth, in violation of international law, to military courts where there is no realistic hope for justice. He has chosen to support, with his silence and his refusal to support this bill, practices that include torture of children and keeping children separated from their families, at times for months on end, in flagrant violation of international law.
Congressman Huffman seems to have given his full support for the shooting of unarmed protesters in Gaza, blaming Palestinians themselves for the actions of Israeli military snipers. When pressed at a public forum on May 11th about his silence over the last few weeks regarding the Israel’s horrific response to Gaza protests where people protesting their unbearable conditions and demanding the right to return to their homes in what is now Israel, Huffman replied by saying “Let’s talk about Hamas pushing kids into dangerous situations.” This diversion of responsibility is an age-old ploy of putting blame on a demonized political opponent. Not only is Huffman repeating, nearly verbatim, the official response of the Trump administration, he is also aping reactionary opponents of civil rights who placed the blame for police violence on “communists” in the 1950’s and 60’s. The truth is any child is put into a dangerous situation simply by being born in Gaza due to the immoral Israeli military siege that prevents the creation of a livable society.
On May 8th, Huffman
signed onto another bill,
HR 5141, that promises more than $3.8 billion
more US aid to the Israeli military, with no accountability whatsoever.
That, together with his mostly silent response to Israeli atrocities of
recent weeks, shows that has so far refused to articulate any policy for
Palestine/Israel that significantly differs from that of the Trump
administration. The tragic reality is that the children of Palestine
live in fear of the guns and bombs subsidized by Huffman, his allies in
Congress, and President Trump.
As the Soweto Uprising
in apartheid South Africa led to a mass movement in the US for Boycott,
Divestment, Sanctions against that regime, we believe that a similar
mass movement is inevitable in the US calling for consequences for
Israeli military impunity. It has already begun in earnest. After the
blood spilled by the over 116 murdered and the 3,600 wounded live fire
by the Israeli military regime we will likely see its exponential
growth. The courage and persistence of Palestinians demanding their
freedom will change everything. We hope at some point in the future
Huffman will join this call for a moral and humane US policy for the
region. We will persist in demanding it. US politicians of conscience
are speaking out now against US-funded atrocities.