Repeated warnings to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by world leaders have been blatantly ignored. Instead of scaling back on its military aggression, Israel is now involved in military assaults on three fronts—Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen. The threat of Israeli military engagement with Iran, Turkey and Syria is real, and concerns of growing regional conflict is a reality. How can Israel, the approximate size of New Jersey, be mighty enough to sustain this level of military actions? Quite simply—because of U.S. unconditional support.

In spite of a UN  Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire, the unrelenting airstrikes on Gaza have resulted in more than 42,000 Palestinian deaths and nearly 100,000 injured. Almost 2 million people have been violently displaced, creating a humanitarian crisis. That’s about 90 per cent of the Palestinian population. Israeli forces have bulldozed 80 percent of Palestinian agricultural lands and nearly 70 percent of its infrastructure has been decimated. Since October 7, Israeli forces have bombarded Gaza with thousands of explosive attacks including drone strikes, missile attacks, and remote explosions. Palestine has been reduced to rubble in an attempt to erase its political, cultural and social existence.

Israel’s recent strike on Beirut represented a significant military escalation for the first time in two decades. The mission was to take out Hezbollah leaders like Hassan Nasrallah. The attack also killed three key leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Over 1000 people were killed and as is the case of most military conflicts, humanitarian catastrophes kicked in. Israel attacked the Iranian-backed Houthis, freedom fighters in Yemen who are in solidarity with Palestine’s demand for self-determination.

The expanding military strategy of Israel is proof that the Zionist-agenda is impervious to the complex realities of the Middle East. Its military aggression has been a “shock and awe” tactic that has produced more enemies for Israel and no peaceful solution. The determination of Muslim countries in the region to fight against Israeli domination individually and collectively only dooms the Israeli to perpetual war. This is causing increasing division among the Jewish people—both inside and outside the country–who are weary of the uncompromising conflicts that put them in the crosshairs.

Israel is like a little bully who relies on its big, bullying brother to intervene when it gets in a situation over its head. That big brother is the United States. The US continues to prop up the bullying with verbal support and weapons of mass destruction. The international community has not been able to convince Israel of a ceasefire but those of us in the US have an obligation and a realistic pathway to stop the billions of dollars going to Israel. It is the US’s unwavering support of Israel that has it beating its chest in the Middle East.

The fact that this conflict is the machinations of men, and that women and children suffer the most, should not be lost on anyone one with a conscience. Every military escalation by Israel should be met with the same energy to neutralize its unbridled power. Let’s not forget that nuclear weapons are part of the Israeli arsenal.

The US Congress is moving in the interests of the Zionist lobbyists. It’s time to remind them that we refuse to be complicit in the Palestinian genocide. If the ultimate goals are peace and sovereign respect, new thinking is mandatory to re-imagine how we get there. The presidential election cycle is an opportunity to reframe and amplify the demands.

We who believe in Palestinian liberation must lead the way. Demands must be actualized by organized and coordinated action. There must be calls for sanctions against Israel and an end to the endless flow of U.S. tax dollars to fund its military wars. The most vocal supporters of Israel in Congress must be targeted for individualized exposure and pressure.

As abolitionist Frederick Douglass reminded us, “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.”