By Kenneth J. Theisen
On April 2nd Amnesty International announced that a massive consignment of U.S.-supplied munitions was delivered to Israel on March 22nd. Amnesty stated that a German ship, chartered by U.S. Military Sealift Command, unloaded its cargo at the Israeli port of Ashdod. The port is near Gaza.
According to the Amnesty report, “the German ship left the U.S. for Israel on 20 December, one 
week before the start of Israeli attacks on Gaza. It was carrying 989 containers of munitions, each of them 20 feet long with a total estimated net weight of 14,000 tons.” A U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson confirmed to Amnesty International that "the unloading of the entire US munitions shipment was successfully completed at Ashdod on 22 March”.
week before the start of Israeli attacks on Gaza. It was carrying 989 containers of munitions, each of them 20 feet long with a total estimated net weight of 14,000 tons.” A U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson confirmed to Amnesty International that "the unloading of the entire US munitions shipment was successfully completed at Ashdod on 22 March”. Some of the white phosphorus artillery shells that Israeli forces used in Gaza during its war were from U.S.-made stockpiles. The overwhelming majority of the other munitions used by Israeli forces to commit violations of international law in the recent war against Gaza were also supplied by the U.S.
Palestinian civilians are still dying from wounds sustained during the war. Recently Ghada Abu Halima, who had sustained deep burns from a white phosphorus attack on January 4th, died of her wounds. The Israeli attack had killed her husband’s father and four young siblings. It also had severely injured her, her mother-in-law, and several other children in the family. These are crimes enabled by the U.S. through its support of Israel.
"Legally and morally, this US arms shipment should have been halted by the Obama administration given the extent of the evidence showing how military equipment and munitions of this kind were recently used by the Israeli forces to commit war crimes. Arms supplies in these circumstances are contrary to provisions in US law, “said Brian Wood, an Amnesty staff member.
Wood went on to say, "There is a great risk that the new munitions may be used by the Israeli military to commit further violations of international law, like the ones committed during the war in Gaza."
The U.S. government has consistently been the main arms supplier to Israel over the last several decades. After each of the Israeli wars, it has re-supplied it staunch ally. The U.S. generally gives Israel the most advanced weapons and munitions available. The United States is due to provide $30 billion in military aid to Israel during the next decade. Obama will not cut the billions of dollars in military aid promised to Israel under a 10-year contract agreed to in 2007 by the Bush regime. This U.S. aid will be used to kill Palestinians and others opposed to continued Israeli aggression.
The U.S. gets away with its support for Israeli war crimes because most Americans remain silent. The time for silence has long passed and we must speak out against the actions of our government that enable death and destruction to continue at the hands of this U.S. ally.
Of course the US continues to send millions of dollars in sophisticated weaponry to Israel. Didn’t Hitler and Muselini work together too? Need I say more?