OPINION: Why aren’t we doing anything about Gaza?

The previous administration waited too long before they began objecting to Israel’s management of the war with Hamas. The current administration has done even less to curb Israel’s aggression and its brutal annihilation of Gaza.

The United States stands by passively as a group of people starve to death before our very eyes. Children are wasting away as their parents, desperate to get food for them, are attacked by Israeli gunfire and bombs. Meanwhile, America doesn’t have anyone in charge of Israeli-Palestinian Affairs. That person was fired last week along with more than 1,300 other employees from the state department.

The rest of the world is of little help in getting food aid into Gaza. The United Nations seems to have lost its ability to coordinate a response to such brutality, and America has no clout in the U.N. anyway, since we no longer support its missions.

After the Holocaust, American support for the Jewish state never faltered. We’ve worked hard to prevent antisemitism in every aspect of our society and the U.S. has always backed Israel whenever they were threatened. Sometimes we were troubled by Israel’s aggressive behavior, but we always supported their need to defend themselves from hostile neighbors in the Middle East.

Everyone agrees the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas was unforgivable. Their treachery knows no bounds. The slaughter of innocent people and taking of hostages demanded quick and forceful retribution. It does not, however, justify ongoing killing and starving Palestinians whose miserable lives are completely controlled by Hamas. Blockading food for hungry children goes too far.

What Israel has been doing for the past year is punishing helpless people for the sins of their leaders. These people have almost no food or water and no homes to return to after their entire communities have been destroyed by Israeli bombs. Hamas is the villain who still holds on to some hostages and still manages to fight Israeli forces. If there isn’t a ceasefire soon, there won’t be anyone left to kill.

Everyone knows Israeli prime minister, Bibi Netanyahu, is a radical militant leader. He is also corrupt. He’s currently under indictment on corruption charges with a trial pending, but he remains in office and feels safe in his position as long as the war continues. Americans criticize the Israeli people for continuing to support Netanyahu, knowing he continues the war with Hamas in order to avoid prison. Perhaps we should look in the mirror.

If the people of a democratic nation elect leaders who are corrupt, immoral and unfit for office, they bear responsibility for their leaders’ sins. We can’t just put somebody in office and then wash our hands of their misdeeds.

The situation in Gaza is now beyond catastrophic. Israel has refused for months to allow food to be brought in to feed starving people. Aid workers have been killed by Israeli forces, hospitals are under attack, there is little or no medical care, very little water, no housing, no jobs and people have almost nothing to eat for days on end.

The rest of the world wrings its hands and does little about it. Other Arab countries should be doing much more in this crisis, especially wealthy nations like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates. American leaders have a responsibility to stop sending military equipment to Israel, and they should not support their attacks on other countries, such as the bombing of Syria and Iran. Israel’s actions could widen the conflict in the Middle East to dangerous levels.

It is heartbreaking to see the emaciated children of Gaza, literally unable to move because of weakness and disease. Americans have been historically the most generous people in the world and want to help, but they cannot feed them or care for them until safety is assured.

Netanyahu must no longer be given diplomatic support or military arms, nor should we allow his continued destruction of Gaza. The United States should not continue to ignore how Netanyahu allows Jewish settlements to expand in Palestinian territory in the West Bank.

America has always supported Israel and no one wants antisemitism to rise. We are not comfortable feeling anger at Israel, but today, as we witness what is being done to the people of Gaza, our opinion of them is not good.