Israel is a colonial-settler project. Like the Americas—especially the east coast of the United States which was originally settled by various religious and cultural outcasts—Israel was established as a homeland for the Jews, probably the most outcast of any outcasts in the western world. While it took a war led by wealthy colonists against the throne to establish the American colonies as the United States, Israel was granted independence once it was legally established. It had to fight wars with its neighbors who not only resented its creation for cultural reasons, but because they correctly understood it to be a continuation of western colonialism.

The people who lived on the lands that the global north granted to Jewish refugees led by Zionist fighters and zealots were the Palestinians. They were chased from their lands, often at the point of a gun and sometimes after Zionist massacres of those who did not want to leave. There was resistance to what is called the Nakba and the aftermath; an aftermath that saw Palestinians relegated to refugee camps while Jewish refugees were given Palestinian homes and fields. Some of the Arab governments fought wars against Israel, but were not successful in part because of the support the Israelis received from governments across the seas.

The violence that is the essence of the Israeli state has been exposed. The question is, how many Israelis will see it for what it is? Indeed, how many of Tel Aviv’s supporters will see it? How many of either will recognize their complicity in that violence? Will they continue pretending that Israel is a democratic state? Hell, will they continue telling themselves that it is a rational state?

For the past few years up until October 2023, most of the world found itself able to ignore the violence of Israel’s occupation of Palestine. The daily beatings, harassment, petty bureaucratic controls, arrests and torture, even the occasional days and weeks of bombardments–they could be ignored because they didn’t seem extraordinary in the context of the occupation. Those instances killed a few hundred here and there, destroyed a few houses every month, locked up a few thousand Palestinians; they whittled away at the idea that Israel was stealing Palestinian land and destroying its communities. Israelis and most of the world’s residents seemed to accept this slow motion destruction, this slow motion genocide. But no longer. The attack by Hamas on October 7th manifested Tel Aviv’s intentions to destroy all resistance to its colonial settler project. The resistance would be hunted down and the sea the resistance swam in—the two million Palestinians living in Gaza—would not be spared. The land we call Gaza would be wiped clean of its buildings: homes, businesses, schools, hospitals and places of worship would all be subject to the wrath of the colonizers’ military. That military already had the finest weapons and would receive as many as it wanted from those who sponsor its presence, its occupation, its bloodshed. On cue, Washington quickly opened its arsenal and quickly moved deadly ships and airplanes into the area, making clear how important it is to defeat the resistance of the Palestinians.

The speed with which the bombardment of Gaza began seems to indicate that Israel had the plans for its unfolding slaughter in Gaza on the books for awhile. Although it may never be proven, it is reasonably safe to assume that these plans existed in some form since before the reign of Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing regime; even the more liberal governments in Tel Aviv must have felt there was a need for such a backup plan while they pursued different versions of coexistence with the people whose lands they stole. However, unlike Netanyahu and the current ruling coalition, some of those liberal governments shied away from the type of onslaught currently going on in Gaza.

Since I am writing this as a resident of the United States, it is important to address Washington’s role in the current war on the Palestinians. Specifically, it is necessary to address the Biden administration’s bellicosity and lack of concern for the repercussions its support for the ongoing mass murder in Gaza will certainly provoke on the world stage. The fact of secret arms shipments to Israel, a request for $14.3 billion emergency aid to Israel on top of the $3.8 billion already sent this year, and the menace of US battle groups off of Gaza’s shore make it quite clear that Washington supports Tel Aviv’s actions. Instead of using its power to demand a ceasefire and work towards some kind of honest resolution to the conflict over land in Israel/Palestine, Washington is using the situation to inflame existing disputes and animosities almost as if it doesn’t care if the result is a wider war.

However, upon further reflection, the role of Washington is actually one which reflects its decades-long decline on the world stage. Like post-World War Two Britain, the United States has been losing political and economic influence since the 1970s and the final years of its imperial adventure in Vietnam. That decline intensified exponentially since the US war on Iraq dissolved into a stalemate earlier this century between Iraqi politicians close to Iran and those on Washington’s payroll. The only arena where Washington remains superior is in the projection of military force. Besides the fact that it hasn’t actually won a war since 1945, the dependence of the US economy on the war industry has meant that the United States usually chooses armed conflict over compromise in disputes it involves itself in. This is true in conflicts it actively participates in (Yugoslavia 1999, Iraq 1991 and 2003, Afghanistan 2001, the so-called Global War on Terror) and those it merely funds and helps instigate (Israel-Palestine, Ukraine-Russia). In addition, the involvement of the US military in Washington’s economic rivalry with China has become more obvious in recent years.

If one wants to try and understand the military’s hold on the US economy, they need just look at the numbers. In FY 2023, the Department of Defense spent $1.8 trillion. Of that amount $374.09 billion was for the manufacture and replenishment of weapons and rhe ammunition those weapons use. Even more telling is that contracts involved with armaments production are in every single state in the country. For example, a quick look at the numbers of Defense Department (DoD) contracts in Vermont (a state with fewer than a million residents) shows there are 853 companies with DoD contracts in the state. The total value of DoD contracts from 2000 to 2020 is 11,017,214,918 dollars (more recent data was not available from my source. The economy of more populous states is even more beholden to the war industry. For example, California has 32,597 companies doing business with the Pentagon; the total value of the contracts from 2000 to 2020 is 708,583,731,995 dollars. When it comes to the money transferred from our pockets to the war industry there is no such thing as small change. Of course, not all of the monies are for weapons and munitions. Some are for building rentals and maintenance. Other funds are for incidental expenses. However, most of the money goes to the production of machines designed expressly for the purpose of killing human beings.

What does this have to do with the war on Gaza? Simply put, Israel is one of the biggest customers of the US war industry. Even a cursory glance at the news of the conflict will tell you that US-made F-15s, F-16s and F-35s are firing “precision” missiles and bombs at targets across Gaza, including hospitals, schools, ambulances and people fleeing from the bombing (see APPENDIX). The various parts of these planes are made in states across the nation. The operational intimacy between the US and Israeli militaries is an established one. In fact, it’s almost as if Israel is part of the United States. The nature of this relationship becomes more intimate and more criminal with each Palestinian killed by a US weapon dispatched by Israeli forces.

When it comes to Israel and Palestine, it is becoming quite clear that the government in Washington cares as little for the plight of the Palestinians as the government in Tel Aviv. The decades of Tel Aviv’s and Washington’s involvement and support (active and tacit), false promises, ignored peace agreements, expanding occupation and settlements and the tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths, arrests and home destructions proves that neither honestly respects the Palestinians’ legally and morally justified claim for sovereignty. Like a pair of serial murderers, they are on a killing spree.

This is why, now more than ever, all arms shipments to Israel must be halted.

APPENDIX:

The slaughter in Gaza by Israeli forces continues mostly unabated. The weaponry employed by those forces is made in different parts of the world. The bulk of it is made in the United States and Israel. There’s a reason for this. Israel is Washington’s military outpost in that part of the world. Established as a colonial settler state in 1947, its role has been to keep the indigenous people of Palestine insecure and the Arab and Iranian governments either docile or uncertain. Washington has provided more arms to Israel than any other military in the world since 1948. In fact, the $312.5 billion dollars (when adjusted for inflation 2023) given to Israel dwarves even the one-time nation of South Vietnam ($184.5 billion), Egypt ($183.7 billion), Afghanistan ($158.9 billion), and South Korea ($120.7 billion). Much, if not most of this military aid is in the form of weapons—aircraft, missiles, bombs, etc. These materials are manufactured around the United States, from Vermont to California, from Virginia to Texas. While some are arguably defensive in nature, others are clearly used solely for offensive reasons, most often against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. In the current situation, the US weaponry we read about the most are the US fighter planes F-15, F-16, and the F-35. Many of the ammunition these planes are “delivering” are JDAM bombs that are regular explosive bombs modified so they can be called precision bombs.

The information that follows was taken from the website http://governmentcontractswon.com

The data is current to the end of 2020.

F-15

GENERAL DYNAMICS-OTS, INC.

326 IBM ROAD BUILDING 862

WILLISTON , VT 05495

NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION

600 HICKS RD

ROLLING MEADOWS , IL 60008

ROCKWELL COLLINS, INC

400 COLLINS RD NE

CEDAR RAPIDS , IA 52498

GENERAL ATOMICS SYSTEMS INTEGRATION, LLC

1343 FLINT MEADOW DR STE 2

KAYSVILLE , UT 84037

BOEING COMPANY, THE

6200 JS MCDONNELL BLVD

SAINT LOUIS , MO 63134

F-16

LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION

1 LOCKHEED BLVD

FORT WORTH , TX 76108

LOGISTIC SPECIALTIES, INC.

1530 N LAYTON HILLS PKWY STE 201

LAYTON , UT 84041

PACIFIC SCIENTIFIC ENERGETIC MATERIALS COMPANY (CALIFORNIA) LLC

3601 UNION RD

HOLLISTER , CA 95023

HAMILTON SUNSTRAND AVIATION SERVICES, INC

3601 S FLAMINGO RD

HOLLYWOOD , FL 33027

NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION

1580A W NURSERY RD

LINTHICUM HEIGHTS , MD 21090

BAE SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS & SERVICES INC.

520 GAITHER ROAD

ROCKVILLE , MD 20850

UNIVERSAL PROPULSION COMPANY, INC.

3530 BRANSCOMBE RD

FAIRFIELD , CA 94533

KOREAN AIR LINES COMPANY LTD_AEROSPACE DIVISION

DEFENSE & AIRCRAFT MOD’ PLANT, KORE 103 DAEJEO-2 DONG, GANGSEO-GU,

BUSAN, KOR –

GENERAL ATOMICS SYSTEMS INTEGRATION, LLC

1343 FLINT MEADOW DR STE 2

KAYSVILLE , UT 84037

L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

1500 NEW HORIZONS BLVD

AMITYVILLE , NY 11701

SHIRAMIZU , PAUL GRAPHIC DESIGN

307 W 200 S STE 4001

SALT LAKE CITY , UT 84101

F-35

UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION

400 MAIN ST

EAST HARTFORD , CT 06118

GENERAL DYNAMICS-OTS, INC.

326 IBM ROAD BUILDING 862

WILLISTON , VT 05495

BAE SYSTEMS INFORMATION AND ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS INTEGRATION INC.

65 SPIT BROOK RD

NASHUA , NH 03060

BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON INC.

8283 GREENSBORO DR

MC LEAN , VA 22102

LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION

1 LOCKHEED BLVD

FORT WORTH , TX 76108

CDW GOVERNMENT LLC

230 N MILWAUKEE AVE

VERNON HILLS , IL 60061

AECHELON TECHNOLOGY, INC.

888 BRANNAN ST STE 210

SAN FRANCISCO , CA 94103

GENTEX CORPORATION

9859 7TH ST

RANCHO CUCAMONGA , CA 91730

DIXEQUIP, INC.

2332 PECAN ORCHARD RD

LEAGUE CITY , TX 77573

SRC, INC.

7502 ROUND POND RD

SYRACUSE , NY 13212

OPEN TEXT INC.

2950 S DELAWARE ST

SAN MATEO , CA 94403

FLATWATER SOLUTIONS COMPANY

1 MISSION DR

WINNEBAGO , NE 68071

COLLINS ELBIT VISION SYSTEMS, LLC

400 COLLINS ROAD NE

CEDAR RAPIDS , IA 52498

NEW WAVE DESIGN AND VERIFICATION, LLC

4950 W 78TH ST

MINNEAPOLIS , MN 55435

GUIDEHOUSE LLP

1800 TYSONS BLVD FL 7

MC LEAN , VA 22102

HPI FEDERAL LLC

1299 PENNSYLVANIA AVE NW STE 475

WASHINGTON , DC 20004

MID ATLANTIC TECHNICAL AND EXECUTIVE CONSULTING, LLC

17104 BARNSTABLE DR

DERWOOD , MD 20855

CHOCTAW DEFENSE MANUFACTURING LLC

3 SKYWAY DR

MCALESTER , OK 74501

KPMG LLP

1676 INTERNATIONAL DR STE 7000

MC LEAN , VA 22102

ASRC FEDERAL PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LLC

7000 MUIRKIRK MEADOWS DR #100

BELTSVILLE , MD 20705

APPLIED VISUAL TECHNOLOGY, INC.

3267 PROGRESS DRIVE

ORLANDO , FL 32826

CARAHSOFT TECHNOLOGY CORP.

11493 SUNSET HILLS RD

RESTON , VA 20190

THE BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP INC

4800 HAMPDEN LANE STE 500

BETHESDA , MD 20814

GARTNER, INC.

56 TOP GALLANT RD

STAMFORD , CT 06902

CONSTELLATION SOFTWARE ENGINEERING, CORP.

180 ADMIRAL COCHRANE DR SUITE 230

ANNAPOLIS , MD 21401

CGI FEDERAL INC.

12601 FAIR LAKES CIR

FAIRFAX , VA 22033

DELL FEDERAL SYSTEMS L.P.

1 DELL WAY

ROUND ROCK , TX 78682

TRANSOURCE SERVICES CORP.

2405 W UTOPIA RD

PHOENIX , AZ 85027

ALVAREZ LLC

8251 GREENSBORO DR STE 230

MC LEAN , VA 22102

COMPUTER SYSTEMS CENTER INCORPORATED

6225 BRANDON AVE STE 520

SPRINGFIELD , VA 22150

AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE NETHERLANDS B.V.

MENDELWEG 30

LEIDEN, NLD 2333

SYSTEM HIGH CORPORATION

15059 CONFERENCE CENTER DR STE 200

CHANTILLY , VA 20151

ID TECHNOLOGIES, LLC

19980 HIGHLAND VISTA DR STE 175

ASHBURN , VA 20147

JC TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED

575 LIVELY BLVD

ELK GROVE VILLAGE , IL 60007

NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION

1580B W NURSERY RD MS B585

LINTHICUM HEIGHTS , MD 21090

SADDLE BUTTE SYSTEMS, LLC

218 MAIN ST STE 680

KIRKLAND , WA 98033

ROCKWELL COLLINS OPTRONICS, INC.

400 COLLINS RD

CEDAR RAPIDS , IA 52498

IDSC HOLDINGS LLC

2801 80TH ST

KENOSHA , WI 53143

NOVETTA, INC.

7921 JONES BRANCH DR STE 500

MC LEAN , VA 22102

SIERTEK, LTD

2763 CHATHAM COURT

DAYTON , OH 45431

A.T. KEARNEY PUBLIC SECTOR AND DEFENSE SERVICES, LLC

1300 WILSON BLVD, SUITE 1050

ARLINGTON , VA 22209

THUNDERCAT TECHNOLOGY, LLC

1925 ISAAC NEWTON SQ STE 180

RESTON , VA 20190

ZITEC, INC.

1031 PARTIN DR N

NICEVILLE , FL 32578

WESTWIND COMPUTER PRODUCTS, INC.

5655 JEFFERSON STREET NE SUITE B

ALBUQUERQUE , NM 87109

AUGUST SCHELL ENTERPRISES, INC.

51 MONROE ST STE 1802

ROCKVILLE , MD 20850

DARK WOLF SOLUTIONS, LLC

14221A WILLARD RD STE 200

CHANTILLY , VA 20151

STERLING COMPUTERS CORPORATION

303 CENTENIAL DR

NORTH SIOUX CITY , SD 57049

ALION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION

1000 BURR RIDGE PKWY STE 202

WILLOWBROOK , IL 60527

SMARTRONIX, INC.

44150 SMARTRONIX WAY

HOLLYWOOD , MD 20636

WPI SERVICES, LLC

14255 US HWY ONE STE 224

NORTH PALM BEACH , FL 33408

JDAM bombs

BOEING COMPANY, THE

6200 JS MCDONNELL BLVD

SAINT LOUIS , MO 63134

CUMBERLAND GROUP, INC., THE

1814 LOCKBOURNE DR

CINCINNATI , OH 45240

RAYTHEON COMPANY

RAYTHEON COMPANY

1151 E HERMANS RD

TUCSON , AZ 85756

CLARK EQUIPMENT COMPANY

1293 GLENWAY DR

STATESVILLE , NC 28625

SMARTRONIX, INC.

44150 SMARTRONIX WAY

HOLLYWOOD , MD 20636

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