Who Keeps Us Safe?
A Note from Nour
As we approach the grim milestone marking one year of Israel's genocide in Gaza, the violence escalates, not just in Palestine but across the region. On Tuesday, Iran responded to Israel's killing of Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut last week and the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this summer with two waves of rocket attacks on Israel. Biden swiftly came to Israel's rescue with an $8.7 billion "aid" (weapons) package and an order for the U.S. military to help shoot down Iran's missiles. The very same day, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced a $9 billion shortfall in funds for Hurricane Helene recovery efforts. It's a stark reminder of who the U.S. government keeps safe — and it isn't us.
In Lebanon, Israel's nonstop bombing has created yet another ever-rising death toll. Nearly 2,000 people were killed, 10,000 more injured, and over 1.2 million are displaced either internally or to surrounding countries. Lebanon is no stranger to Israel's terror. This bombardment is another attempt by Israel to expand its settler-colonial project into Lebanon, even going so far as to name and advertise settlements there. Israel must have forgotten the utter humiliation it faced when it attempted to occupy Lebanon decades ago, which ended in the liberation of Lebanese and Palestinian political prisoners being held in Khiam prison in Lebanon on May 25, 2000. Khiam prison was known for its abhorrent torture program that targeted activists. That day is known as يوم المقاومة و التحرير, "The Day of Resistance and Liberation". Soon, all of our political prisoners will celebrate this day on liberated land.
With each passing day, the full extent of Israel's devastation in Gaza becomes more apparent. It’s been reported that the Israeli army, with the help of the U.S., has entirely wiped out 902 Palestinian families in Gaza since the start of the genocide one year ago. Please, don't just skim over that sentence. Read it again. Read it out loud. Entire bloodlines have been erased, and Israel and the U.S. are to blame. Who will mourn for them if not us? Who is left to demand justice for them if not us? It is my responsibility, and it is yours. The duty rests with us.
Netanyahu made a promise that Iran will "pay" for its retaliation, adding that "The regime in Iran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and our determination to retaliate against our enemies." However, the world understands all too well that as an aggressor and occupier, Israel doesn't have the right to "defend" itself from people resisting its relentless violence. Israel's latest bombings in Gaza and Lebanon are part of its broader regional war — one it's been waging with impunity for decades. Those of us in the U.S. understand that backing this remorseless genocidal state will continue to come at the expense of our needs here — even while survivors of Hurricane Helene are still struggling to recover. Just as the people of Gaza are forced to dig up their neighbor's bodies from under the rubble themselves, now, survivors of Hurricane Helene are stepping up to rebuild their communities without adequate government assistance. We keep us safe because when it comes down to it, the U.S. government is failing both Palestinians and Americans. Part of our responsibility is to demand that the U.S. does not escalate tensions and go to war with Iran. You can stand with us in this fight.
And if you’re outside the United States, you can help as we demand better of VP Kamala Harris, who touts feminist values while she green-lights the bombing of women and children. Add your name to our letter telling Kamala: War is NOT Feminist!
Our fight is not just against Israel's war crimes — it's against the entire imperial system that props them up. We keep us safe, not by waiting for help that will never come, but by standing together, just as communities in Gaza and survivors of Hurricane Helene are doing. Every time Israel and the U.S. destroy, we will rebuild. It isn't easy to imagine right now, but we've seen it before, and I know we'll see it again.
Nour Jaghama is CODEPINK's Palestine and Iran Campaigner. Nour graduated from DePaul University with a bachelor’s degree in International Studies in June 2022.