2021-05-19 03:46:40
Sonali Kolhatkar speaks with Saree Makdisi about how billions in U.S. aid finances Israel's war on Palestinians.
President Joe Biden on Monday said that in a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he “expressed his support for a ceasefire.” Israeli air strikes have killed hundreds of Palestinians including dozens of children in just 2 weeks in a conflict that began over Jewish settlers trying to seize Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem. Israel has bombed densely populated areas of Gaza including destroying a building that housed the offices of Al Jazeera and Associated Press. Mr. Biden’s cautious support for a ceasefire is the furthest he has gone so far in expressing discomfort over Israel’s violence.
Considering that Israel is the largest recipient of U.S. military aid a growing chorus of elected officials is demanding that Israel be held accountable. A week before Israel began attacking Palestinians, Congress was notified of a $735 million weapons deal finalized between the Biden administration and Netanyahu’s government.
Israeli violence is not relegated to the state any more as ordinary Israelis have taken to marching in the streets chanting, “Death to Arabs,” and engaging in assaults and lynchings. Hamas, the militant Palestinian group, has lobbed dozens of rockets into Israel, Western media coverage of which has eclipsed Israel’s crimes.
Saree Makdisi, professor of English and comparative literature at UCLA. He recently wrote the piece “The Nakba Is Now” for The Nation.
Rising Up with Sonali is a radio and television show that brings progressive news coverage rooted in gender and racial justice to a wide audience. Rising Up With Sonali was built on the foundation of Sonali Kolhatkar's earlier show, Uprising, which became the longest-running drive-time radio show on KPFK in Los Angeles hosted by a woman. RUS airs on Free Speech TV every weekday.
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