January 16th, 2025
In a rare public statement posted on Congressman Huffman’s official congressional website, Huffman talks up the ceasefire deal. Naturally, he praises “the Biden-Harris administration for its “tireless work to deliver peace for the people of Israel and Palestine,” The reality, of course, is that the Biden administration has worked tirelessly instead to promote this genocide. First, by providing the necessary weaponry. Secondly, and with at least as much importance, protecting Israel from any political consequence for its criminal actions. Every demolished home, every bombed hospital, school, and the destroyed freshwater system, every child and adult buried under the rubble is the responsibility of the Biden-Harris administration as much as it is the Netanyahu regime. Congressman Huffman being equally complicit, as well as every congressmember who continued to support the Israeli military with our tax dollars.
Included in Huffman’s statement is a list of statements and actions that it would appear to be designed to answer the considerable criticism Huffman has received for his support for the Israeli government. Some of these actions listed and words would be commendable taken in isolation, if it weren’t for the fact that Israel’s war crimes were made possible by U.S. supplied arms supported by Huffman. Huffman gives us nothing but lip-service for peace, and very tangible action to support genocide and ethnic cleansing.
A glaring omission in Huffman’s own summary of actions was his vote in April 2024 to provide $17 Billion in military aid during a genocidal assault on Gaza. It’s almost as if Huffman sees this vote for military aid during a genocide as a political liability rather than an accomplishment to share. This is a direct result of every protest, every critical call Huffman has received in the long 15 month war on the people on Gaza.
At the root of Huffman’s problem, his refusal to take action to stop the genocide in Gaza and to end U.S. support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians, is his support for the pro-Israel group “J Street”. Though marketed as “pro-peace”, this organization is a firm supporter of unending funding of mass killing of Palestinians by the Israeli military with the full sponsorship of U.S. taxpayers.
A brilliant line delivered by Jon Stewart way back in 2014 was that “We can’t be Israel’s rehab sponsor and its drug dealer!” (see video below) gets to the heart of the problem. Huffman, like most of Congress, has chosen to remain Israel’s gun dealer. That is what J Street (and AIPAC) has demanded of Congress, and Huffman tragically plays along. Any “concerns” and “nuances” urged by Huffman are empty phrases when Israel knows its supply of lethal weapons will be uninterrupted. Congressman Huffman gave unqualified support for every Netanyahu action during the brutal genocide on Gaza by his deeds. His words of concern, which I should note are quite rare, are rendered useless by his actions.
Readers are urged to check out Norman Solomon’s important take down of the J Street lobby for Israel’s military here: Has J Street Gone Along With Genocide? | The Nation
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