On February 7, activists with feminist anti-war group CODEPINK confronted several US Senators who have been doubling down on their support for Israel throughout the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip.
“Killing Hamas makes Israel safe,” said Florida Senator Ted Cruz to an activist who told him that “the war does not make Jews safer.” Cruz has received over one million dollars from the pro-Israel lobby since 1990, receiving USD 489,419 from 2019 to 2024. Cruz’s top pro-Israel Political Action Committee (PAC) donors are the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the Republican Jewish Coalition. “Killing 30,000 civilians doesn’t make anyone safe,” the activist responds.
An activist implored Marco Rubio, who has also received over one million dollars from the pro-Israel lobby, that she has a baby dying in Gaza. Since 2019 along, Rubio has received USD 321,728 from the lobby, with top PAC contributors being the Pro-Israel America PAC and the Republican Jewish Coalition, which have given him USD 104,800 and USD 72,736 respectively since 2019. Rubio responded, “Yeah, Hamas is responsible for killing all of those children.”
“I wanna help Israel destroy Hamas,” he continues.
This is what millions from AIPAC buys in the Senate. Today, we confronted several Senators ahead of the expected vote on $118 billion dollars for sending weapons to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, as well as militarizing the border. Even though there’s major support for sending… pic.twitter.com/R1moySqMnu
— Medea Benjamin (@medeabenjamin) February 8, 2024
Both Rubio and Cruz are some of the most conservative lawmakers in the Senate, but unconditional support for the Zionist state extends throughout both major parties. Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, who ran as a “progressive” candidate, has displayed some of the most dramatic support for Israel, waving the Israeli flag at protests from the roof of his home, even breaking with his progressive image over his support for Israel. CODEPINK also confronted Fetterman, who filmed the activists on his phone and pumped his fist at them.
These lawmakers’ unconditional support for Israel are compatible with the White House’s outright rejection of a ceasefire, as well as Western nations and Israel’s escalation of the conflict. The United States is now bombing three separate countries in West Asia: Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, in direct retaliation against the people of those nations acting against Zionism and imperialism. Israel rejected Hamas’ latest ceasefire proposal, following a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and bombed Syria on February 7. “The ‘day after’ is the day after Hamas. All of Hamas,” Netanyahu said after rejecting the proposal. He added, “There is no alternative for the military collapse [of Hamas]. There will not be a civilian collapse of [Hamas rule] without a military one,” according to Times of Israel.
