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Dear Progressive Reader,
On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken presented ([link removed]) to Congress a National Security Memorandum (NSM-20) that examined the use of United States military aid by Israel in its conduct of the war on Gaza following the October 7 attacks by Hamas. The report states ([link removed]) that “[G]iven Israel’s significant reliance on U.S.-made defense articles, it is reasonable to assess that defense articles covered under NSM-20 have been used by Israeli security forces since October 7 in instances inconsistent with its IHL [International Humanitarian Law] obligations or with established best practices for mitigating civilian harm.” While falling short of calling for a cessation of military aid, the report is being viewed ([link removed]) as a strong rebuke of Israel’s aggressive actions
toward the civilian population of Gaza—particularly as a full scale military invasion of Rafah is being prepared ([link removed].) . In an interview on Wednesday (preceding the report’s release) President Joe Biden told ([link removed]) CNN that he planned to halt some shipments of weapons to Israel “if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.” In spite of the critiques in the report, Israel remains ([link removed]) the largest recipient of U.S. military aid as compared with all other nations. While Biden haspaused ([link removed]) the shipment of 3,500 bombs
([link removed]) this week, according to The Washington Post, Israel dropped ([link removed]) 22,000 U.S.-provided bombs on Gaza in just the first six weeks of the conflict. With a death toll of more than ([link removed]) 34,000, voices across the country continue to call ([link removed]) for an end to the shipment of offensive weapons to fuel this war.
Kathy Kelly writes this week for our website about the lessons we can learn from student protesters who are seeking to raise awareness of the human costs of this military funding, and the corporations that are profiting from it. “With thousands of innocent lives in the balance,” she says ([link removed]) , “promoters of peace should take advantage of this crucial opportunity to follow the young people, learning alongside the students whose hunger for humanity reveals stunning courage.” Meanwhile, cartoonist Mark Fiore illustrates ([link removed]) the tactics being used by institutions and politicians to suppress those protests. Plus, Michelle Chen shares an interview ([link removed]) she did with Muang Zarni, an activist for human rights in Burma, who looks at how the Genocide Convention is differentially
applied based on the influence of powerful nations. And Mary Jo McConahay reports ([link removed]) from a trial in Guatemala where the military assistance provided by Israel to Guatemala’s military in the 1980s is being revealed.
Also on our website this week, Mike Ervin looks at ([link removed]) the issue of accessibility in churches that are also polling places; Jeff Abbott describes ([link removed]) a “glimmer of hope” for Guatemala’s labor movement; and Lynne Archibald and Hannah Reynolds Martinez write about ([link removed]) efforts at Princeton University to divest from fossil fuels—in particular in the funding of research on climate!
I had the honor of appearing on a radio ([link removed]) program on Friday, hosted by Santita Jackson, daughter of the Reverend Jesse Jackson, together with other activists and journalists to talk about the continued pressure being placed on the Biden Administration and the Democratic Party around support for the war in Gaza—pressure and protest that is expected to impact the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next August.
Also, tomorrow is Mother’s Day, a holiday that has a strong history ([link removed]) in the call for the abolition of wars. In 1870, Julia Ward Howe (author of ([link removed]) the words to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”) worked to establish a “Mother’s Peace Day” in Boston, Massachusetts, writing ([link removed]) : “Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We women of one country will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.” May those words be a lesson for our world today.
Please keep reading, and we will keep bringing you important articles on these and other issues of our time.
Sincerely,
Norman Stockwell
Publisher
P.S. – Don’t miss a minute of the “hidden history” of 2024 – you can still order The Progressive’s new Hidden History of the United States calendar for the coming year. NOW HALF PRICE – Just $7.50 plus $3.00 shipping. Just go to indiepublishers.shop ([link removed]) , and while you are there, check out some of our other great offerings as well.
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