Diala Shamas: 'The US must end its complicity' 

Since the United States’ announcement of unconditional support and emergency military and other assistance to Israel, Israeli officials declared Palestinians “human animals” and proclaimed their intention to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity, if not an act of genocide. Israeli forces proceeded with bombing dozens of buildings – annihilating entire families – in an isolated territory where Palestinians have no safe place to go.

The US government bears significant responsibility for the current situation and, as a signatory to both the Geneva conventions and Genocide Convention, has obligations under international law to prevent – not further – the commission of international crimes. Israeli government officials have spent the last year openly inciting to war crimes and encouraging settler pogroms. The Israeli military has imposed a 16-year siege on Gaza – during which it conducted six deadly military assaults against a population living in one of the most densely populated places on earth. The Biden administration has not simply been silent, it has rewarded such crimes at every turn.

Now, rather than deescalate a situation to prevent further loss of life, the most powerful countries in the world, led by the US, have communicated a carte blanche to Israelis.

This international abandonment has come regardless of which avenues Palestinians pursued: Palestinians have appealed to every international institution available, holding weekly nonviolent marches despite being met with snipers and tear gas, and leading campaigns to boycott Israeli apartheid. They have pushed every possible lever, and the US has dismissed them, impeded their efforts or restricted their protest.

Recognizing the root causes of the current violence doesn’t require condoning attacks on civilians. Offering context is not offering an excuse. On the contrary: the only way to honor the loss of life – Palestinian and Israeli – is to address its source. The US must end its complicity in Israeli apartheid, systemic oppression, military occupation and collective punishment – not double down on its support.

Diala Shamas is a senior staff attorney with the Center for Constitutional Rights...

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