RICHARD SILVERSTEIN, richards1052@gmail.com, @richards1052 Silverstein writes at Tikun Olam. He recently wrote the pieces “Israeli MKs, Messianic Evangelicals Lobby Congress for Ethnic Cleansing,” “Netanyahu Plan to ‘Thin Out’ Gaza Population to ‘Bare Minimum’” and “Israeli Claims of Hamas Sexual Assaults Lay Its Credulity on the Line: Rape claims part of anti-Hamas propaganda campaign.”
In his most recent piece, Silverstein writes: “In an escalation of the stakes against U.S. policy on Gaza, an anti-war protestor draped in a Palestinian flag, poured gasoline on himself and lit a match. He self-immolated outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta. News reports offer little more than that. Except for the astonishing statement by the Israeli consul general: ‘We are saddened to learn of the self-immolation at the entrance to the office building,’ the consul general of Israel to the southeastern U.S., Anat Sultan-Dadon, told ABC News. ‘It is tragic to see the hate and incitement toward Israel expressed in such a horrific way. The sanctity of life is our highest value.’ This is a perfect reflection of the toxicity of Israel’s permanent war mentality. … “Change is coming incrementally: a majority of Americans now oppose Israel’s war in Gaza; 40 House members now call for a ceasefire; Democratic senators are calling, for the first time, for placing conditions on U.S. military aid to Israel — even as as we’re supplying Israel with some of our most lethal weapons: ‘The U.S. has provided Israel with large bunker buster bombs, among tens of thousands of other weapons and artillery shells … U.S. officials said.
“‘The surge of arms, including roughly 15,000 bombs and 57,000 artillery shells, began shortly after the Oct. 7 attack and has continued in recent days, the officials said. The U.S. hasn’t previously disclosed the total number of weapons it sent to Israel, nor the transfer of 100 BLU-109, 2,000-pound bunker buster bombs.'”
