US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was pressed by Senator Tom Cotton during a recent Senate Armed Services Committee meeting, on whether Israeli actions in Gaza constitute a genocide.
“We don’t have any evidence of genocide being created,” Austin responded, who recently met with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (the same Israeli official who called Gazans “human animals” in October), as Gallant came knocking on the US’s door to ask for more weapons. The United States has sent tens of thousands of weapons to Israel since October, with Israel being the largest recipient of US military aid for decades. This puts the blame for the over 33,000 dead in Gaza (including over 13,000 children) squarely on the shoulders of the larger country.
“You stand accused by [pro-Palestine] protesters of greenlighting genocide,” Cotton pressed. “Would you like to respond to that accusation?”
“From the very beginning… we committed to help assist Israel in defending its territory and its people by providing security assistance,” Austin said.
"We don't have any evidence of genocide"
At a Senate Armed Services Committee meeting, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin denies that there is evidence of genocide taking place in the Gaza strip when pressed by Zionist senator Tom Cotton. pic.twitter.com/dlix21vSX4
— BreakThrough News (@BTnewsroom) April 9, 2024
The United States continues to stubbornly deny the reality of Israeli genocide in Gaza, despite the International Court of Justice (ICJ) upholding South Africa’s case against Israel and ordering Israel take “all measures” to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza, including by its military.
Austin’s home was visited by pro-Palestine protesters early Christmas morning back in December, who picketed outside in protest of genocide. “We don’t sleep during the genocide, and so the criminals who are prosecuting this genocide certainly shouldn’t be,” said a demonstrator outside of Austin’s house in Virginia.
As the death toll and atrocities only compound in Gaza, the US government continues to double down on its military aid to Israel. As a result, the Palestine solidarity movement has only ramped up public pressure on US officials. At a recent public appearance, an anti-war activist publicly disrupted former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, accusing her of war crimes. Clinton has unconditionally supported Israel throughout her entire political career. “You are going to speak for the crimes against Palestine, the crimes against Honduras, the crimes against Iraq, the crimes against Libya, the crimes against Syria, and Iran!” the protester shouted, highlighting the US’s broad role in destabilizing countries around the world.
