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Israel’s War with Iran Isn’t America’s Fight—And Voters Know It

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Original article by Medea Benjamin republished from Mint Press News under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 International License.

When Israel launched a surprise military strike on Iran last week, it did more than risk igniting a catastrophic regional war. It also exposed long-simmering tensions in Washington—between entrenched bipartisan, pro-Israel hawks and a growing current of lawmakers (and voters) unwilling to be dragged into another Middle East disaster.

“This is not our war,” declared Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), one of the House’s most consistent antiwar voices. “Israel doesn’t need U.S. taxpayers’ money for defense if it already has enough to start offensive wars. I vote not to fund this war of aggression.” On social media, he polled followers on whether the U.S. should give Israel weapons to attack Iran. After 126,000 votes (and 2.5 million views), the answer was unequivocal: 85% said no.

For decades, questioning U.S. support for Israel has been a third rail in Congress. But Israel’s unprovoked attack on Iran—coming just as the sixth round of sensitive U.S.-Iran nuclear talks were set to take place in Oman—sparked rare and unusually direct criticism from across the political spectrum. Progressive members, already furious over Israel’s war on Gaza, were quick to condemn the new offensive. But they weren’t alone.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) called Israel’s strike “reckless” and “escalatory,” and warned that Prime Minister Netanyahu is trying to drag the U.S. into a broader war. Rep. Chuy García (D-IL) called Israel’s actions “diplomatic sabotage” and said, “the U.S. must stop supplying offensive weapons to Israel, which also continue to be used against Gaza, & urgently recommit to negotiations.”

Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) was even more blunt. “The war criminal Netanyahu wants to ignite an endless regional war & drag the U.S. into it. Any politician who tries to help him betrays us all.”

More striking, however, were the critiques from moderate Democrats and some Republicans.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), a longtime advocate for requiring congressional approval before the U.S. gets involved in new wars, blasted Israel for jeopardizing planned U.S.-Iran diplomacy. “The American people have no interest in another forever war,” he wrote. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, warned that strikes “threaten not only the lives of innocent civilians but the stability of the entire Middle East and the safety of American citizens and forces.”

Some pro-Israel Democrats are feeling comfortable speaking out on this conflict because it fits their anti-Trump critique. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) said:

We are at this crisis today because President Trump foolishly walked away from President Obama’s Iran nuclear agreement under which Iran had agreed to dismantle much of its nuclear program and to open its facilities to international inspections, putting more eyes on the ground. The United States should now lead the international community towards a diplomatic solution to avoid a wider war.”

Adding to this diverse chorus of opposition are some Republicans from the party’s non-interventionist wing. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) declared, “War with Iran is not in America’s interest. It would destabilize the region, cost countless lives, and drain our resources for generations.” Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) lamented that “some members of Congress and U.S. Senators seem giddy about the prospects of a bigger war.”

And in a rare show of agreement with progressive critics, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) blasted the hawks in both parties. “We’ve been told for the past 20 years that Iran is on the verge of developing a nuclear bomb any day now. The same story. Everyone I know is tired of U.S. intervention and regime change in foreign countries. Everyone I know wants us to fix our own problems here at home, not bomb other countries.”

Of course, many in Congress rushed to support Israel. Senate Republican leader John Thune said, “Israel has determined that it must take decisive action to defend the Israeli people.” Democratic Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) voiced full support for the strike and urged the U.S. to provide Israel “whatever is necessary—military, intelligence, weaponry.”

The most crass was Senator Lindsey Graham, who posted:

Game on. Pray for Israel.”

But these crude pro-war responses, once guaranteed to go unchallenged, are now being met with resistance–and not just from activists. With public opinion shifting sharply–especially among younger voters, progressives, and “America First-ers” – the political calculus on unconditional support for Israel is changing. In the wake of Israel’s disastrous war in Gaza and its widening regional provocations, members of Congress are being forced to choose: follow the AIPAC money and the old playbook–or listen to their constituents.

If the American people continue to raise their voices, the tide in Washington could turn away from support for a war with Iran that could plunge the region into deeper chaos while offering no relief for the suffering people of Gaza. We could finally see an end to decades of disastrous unconditional support for Israel and knee-jerk support for catastrophic wars.

Feature photo | Israelis gather next to a direct hit site following an Iranian missile strike against Israel, June 16th 2025. Matan Golan | AP

Medea Benjamin is co-founder of Global Exchange and CODEPINK: Women for Peace. She is the co-author, with Nicolas J.S. Davies, of War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict, available from OR Books in November 2022. Other books include, “Inside Iran: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran” (2018); “Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection” (2016); “Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control” (2013); “Don’t Be Afraid Gringo: A Honduran Woman Speaks from the Heart” (1989), and (with Jodie Evans) “Stop the Next War Now” (2005).

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect MintPress News editorial policy.

Original article by Medea Benjamin republished from Mint Press News under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 International License.

Continue ReadingIsrael’s War with Iran Isn’t America’s Fight—And Voters Know It

The UK badly needs an Alternative Defence Review: Here it is

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https://www.declassifieduk.org/the-uk-badly-needs-an-alternative-defence-review-here-it-is/

Mr. Benn playing soldiers Keir Starmer and John Healey on Salisbury Plain, August 2022 (PA Images/Alamy)

Labour is persisting with a “nukes plus NATO” defence policy that is likely to lead to further wars. A new independent report counters this disastrous narrative.

…

[T]he Alternative Defence Review (ADR), brought together by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the RMT union, and written by academics, trade unionists and experts – all committed to a new way of doing defence and foreign policy.

The ongoing genocide in Gaza and the catastrophic war in Ukraine – and wars across the globe – serve as stark reminders of the devastating consequences of militarisation, and how vital a new approach is. 

The policies pursued by the British government entrench violence, prolong conflict, and undermine any remaining moral and diplomatic credibility that it may still have.

We argue that we need a truly ethical defence strategy centred on the principle of “common security”—that no nation can achieve genuine safety at the expense of another. 

This is inseparable from a broader vision of “human security”, which prioritises the needs, rights, and dignity of individuals over military dominance. Together, these principles offer a foundation for a peaceful international order based on cooperation, justice, and mutual well-being. 

…

In line with this, the ADR calls for a foreign policy that addresses global and national poverty, inequality, health and environmental crises — and invests in the jobs that would accompany this agenda.

…

It’s time to shift from an outdated militaristic model to a cooperative, multilateral approach rooted in the principles of international law and human rights.

The alternative we advocate is one rooted in building a sustainable and just economy — one that offers an abundance of decent and socially useful work; funds high-quality public services; rebuilds public infrastructure; invests in socially useful technologies and education; and works actively for international peace and security. 

The prioritisation of peace over war can no longer be framed as naive or idealistic — it is, in fact, the only rational and sustainable choice for achieving a just and secure future for all.

…

https://www.declassifieduk.org/the-uk-badly-needs-an-alternative-defence-review-here-it-is/

UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel's Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don't do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel’s Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don’t do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
Continue ReadingThe UK badly needs an Alternative Defence Review: Here it is

Gaza’s unquenchable thirst: The water tragedy amid relentless bombardment and total blockade

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Palestinians, including children gather around a water tanker to collect clean water amid ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza and the continued closure of border crossings, which have severely limited access to basic necessities in Khan Yunis, Gaza on March 29, 2025. [Abed Rahim Khatib – Anadolu Agency]

Under the weight of war and a suffocating blockade, more than two million people in the Gaza Strip are facing an unprecedented water crisis that threatens their daily survival. What was already a dire situation before the escalation has now turned catastrophic due to the ongoing bombardment and the widespread destruction of water infrastructure. The UN report from 2022 unveils a grim reality: over 97 per cent of Gaza’s drinking water is unfit for drinking or human consumption as a result of contaminants infiltrating groundwater reserves, whether it was caused by the excessive pumping of polluted water by the Israeli Occupation into Wadi Gaza, leakage from deteriorating sewage networks into the aquifer or the intrusion of the polluted saltwater into the aquifer by 75 per cent to meet the water deficit of the increased demand caused by the increased population. Compared to that, natural rain that does not exceed 30 per cent of natural replenishment. The situation is further exacerbated by the leakage of residues from Israeli munitions into groundwater sources.

Gaza’s water crisis: Numbers dripping with pain

Gaza’s water reality reveals a prolonged and profound deficit. While the Israeli Occupation enjoys a near-universal coverage of clean water (more than 99 per cent), as well as a substantial control over the aquifer, Gaza languishes among the world’s lowest water access rates, with a coverage below 10 per cent, placing it in a state of constant water emergency.

OPINION: The Zionist enemy will not manage to seize the Resistance’s weapons

Over the past years, Israel, through its national water company, Mekorot, supplied Gaza with around 18 million cubic meters of water annually through three pipelines, amounting to only 9 per cent of Gaza’s needs. Yet, the water sector in Gaza suffers from a severe deficit exceeding 120 million cubic meters per year (approximately 60 per cent of total demand). With the outbreak of the latest war, these limited supplies have been repeatedly disrupted and, today, they are completely cut off following the destruction of transmission networks. During the war, these pipelines provided up to 70 per cent of Gaza City’s water supply, after most local water sources were destroyed. More than 85 per cent of Gaza’s water and sewage networks have been bombarded, causing destruction and damage to 2,263 kilometres of pipelines and 47 pumping stations, as well as the cessation of all operations of wastewater treatment plants. Currently, only 30 per cent of Gaza’s wells remain operational. The capacity of desalination plants has plummeted to their lowest levels due to continuous bombardment and the shortages of electricity and fuel. Consequently, water supplies available to Gaza’s people have dropped by 95 per cent, with the average daily water consumption per capita reduced to just 3–5 litres, far below the 15-liter minimum emergency threshold set by the United Nations.

Gaza’s displaced: Long queues and arduous journeys for a few drops of water

Since the beginning of the escalation, thousands of Gaza’s residents have endured the tragedy of displacement, which has only deepened their daily suffering. Hundreds of families, forced to flee their homes under heavy bombardment, now face the exhausting challenge of searching for water in distant areas or in overcrowded shelters lacking even the most basic necessities of life. Long queues at water distribution points and wells have become a daily reality, fraught with the constant risks of air strikes, fear and loss of life.

“We wait for long hours just to access unsafe and contaminated water, and sometimes we only manage to get our share after complete exhaustion,” says Fatima, a 35-year-old mother of four, who was displaced with her children to a shelter in western Gaza. “The distance we have to walk every day just to collect water can stretch for several kilometres and, with each passing day, the journey becomes even more difficult.”

Contaminated water: An immediate and long-term health threatThe health situation in Gaza has become catastrophic due to the acute shortage of clean water and the forced reliance on contaminated sources for drinking and hygiene, if available, which has led tothe widespread outbreak of acute diseases such as diarrhoea, kidney infections, urinary tract infections and waterborne diseases, as well as skin infections due to poor hygiene conditions or the use of polluted water for personal care.

OPINION: Euphemistic practices: The IDF, killing aid workers and self-investigation

These health risks are even more severe for children under the age of five, who are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition, intestinal infections, and severe diarrhoea, which can lead to dehydration or death. Pregnant women also face higher risks of early miscarriage, premature delivery and reduced breast milk production due to dehydration and exposure to contaminated water. The elderly are not spared, either, as they face an increased risk of kidney diseases, kidney failure and challenges in managing chronic conditions in the absence of safe and sufficient water supplies.

Impact of the water crisis on food security and forced displacement

The water crisis in Gaza is not only a health emergency but also a growing threat to food security. The destruction of agricultural irrigation networks has further worsened the already fragile economic situation, increasing poverty and hunger across the Gaza Strip due to a sharp decline in agricultural and livestock production. Agricultural productivity in the limited available farmland has dropped by 60 per cent as a result of using contaminated water, not to mention that farmlands have become either unsuitable for cultivation or located in unsafe areas due to the ongoing conflict. Moreover, the scarcity of clean and safe water has intensified forced displacement, with many residents compelled to leave their homes in search of areas where drinking water is available.

A grave breach of International Law:  Denying people their right to life

The targeting and destruction of water sources and infrastructure in Gaza constitute a grave breach of international humanitarian law.

According to the 1977 Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, it is prohibited to attack resources indispensable to the survival of civilians, such as water supplies. Denying water to civilians amounts to a war crime under the Fourth Geneva Convention and represents a blatant violation of Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.Such acts may also qualify as crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

 In the face of tragedy: An urgent call for action

In light of this tragic reality, there is an urgent need for immediate and coordinated action. Internationally, the United Nations must activate emergency protection mechanisms, while international organisations, including the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League, should play a key role in intensifying political pressure on the United States to compel Israel to stop the war, halt the supply of weapons to the Occupying forces and ensure the immediate entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The Human Rights Council is also expected to issue investigative reports on these violations, and the International Criminal Court should open immediate investigations into the crimes committed.

OPINION: Deporting dissent: The dangerous precedent set by the persecution of pro-Palestine activists

On the humanitarian level, aid organisations must intensify efforts to find emergency solutions for providing clean water to the population in Gaza by repairing damaged water networks, maintaining wells and desalination plants using locally available resources, operating mobile desalination units powered by solar energy, expanding water distribution through water trucks to shelters and displacement camps and providing households with simple tools for water purification and desalination.

On the relief level, it is essential to pre-position water-related equipment, including well supplies, fixed and mobile desalination units, generators, solar energy systems, spare parts for water networks and fuel in both Egypt and Jordan. These should be ready for immediate delivery as soon as border crossings are opened for humanitarian aid. It would be a grave mistake to wait until Crossings re-open before starting to procure these critical supplies, given the time required for sourcing and delivery.

For the recovery and development of Gaza’s water system, it is equally critical not to wait until the war ends to begin planning and preparation. Delaying the restoration and development of the water sector will only prolong the suffering of a population that has already endured unimaginable hardship for over 17 months. Efforts must begin now by developing a comprehensive recovery plan, securing supply chains, mobilising funding and preparing technical teams to respond without delay, ensuring the most vital resource for life, water, is restored for Gaza’s population.

Between a suffocating siege and relentless bombardment, the people of Gaza struggle for every drop of water, much like a drowning person gasping for their final breath. They call for water but receive none; they cry out for help but are left unheard. Has humanity truly turned its back on them? Is water not a right for every living soul, including those trapped and besieged in Gaza?

OPINION: The Israeli genocide in Gaza targets foetuses, newborns and pregnant women

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA

Continue ReadingGaza’s unquenchable thirst: The water tragedy amid relentless bombardment and total blockade

Hundreds killed in the “deadliest single bombing” of the war in Sudan

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Original article by Pavan Kulkarni republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

The market is near the city of El-Fasher, which is controlled by the army. Photo: Darfur Network for Human Rights

The airstrike on one of the last major markets left with stocks in the North Darfur will likely accelerate the famine spreading in the state since last August.

An airstrike by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on a busy market in the North Darfur state killed hundreds on March 24, in what has been described as the “deadliest single bombing since the beginning of the war” in April 2023. 

Initial reports indicated about 60 deaths, but the death count has now “exceeded 350, with hundreds more injured and missing”, Adam Rojal, spokesperson of the General Coordination of Darfur Displaced People and Refugees told Peoples Dispatch. The SAF, he alleged, had deliberately chosen the weekly market day to inflict maximum damage.

“My Office has learned that 13 of those killed belonged to a single family, and that some of the injured are also reportedly dying as a result of the extremely limited access to healthcare,” the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in a statement on March 26.

“The market was bustling with life, mothers carrying their children, elderly men selling vegetables, and people going about their daily business. Then, without warning, we heard the deafening roar of a plane overhead. Within seconds, everything went dark. The air was thick with dust and the cries of the wounded. Bodies lay scattered across the ground,” 37-year-old Aisha, a survivor with injuries to an arm and leg, told the Darfur Network for Human Rights. “We are not fighters. We are just ordinary people struggling to live. Why are they bombing us?”

The market is located in the village of Tora, about 35 km north of the state capital El-Fasher, the last SAF foothold in the Darfur region. Its former ruling partner in the military junta turned enemy, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – which has taken over the other four states in the Darfur region – has besieged El-Fasher since mid-last year, cutting off the supply routes for food aid and causing a famine.

The famine is spreading to increasing regions of the state as both the warring parties, in an attempt to undermine the other’s position, have been indiscriminately bombing civilian spaces, including in markets – the SAF from the air and the RSF with artillery. Those markets spared of bombing, have largely run out of stock.

Tora had the only major market left with supplies for the people in and around El-Fasher to buy food and other essentials, Rojal said. On March 24, thousands had journeyed from different areas of the state to this weekly Monday market to stock up ahead of the ending of Ramadan, when an SAF warplane dropped a barrel bomb.

Pictures of the aftermath show charred bodies lying in the smoldering debris of the stalls in this market. 

Two million already suffering extreme food insecurity in the state 

The destruction of the last major market in the state is bound to worsen hunger and hasten the spread of famine in North Darfur, where two million people are already facing extreme food insecurity. 

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on March 26 that over 457,000 children in the state are suffering acute malnourishment. Almost 146,000 of them are in the deadly stage of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM). 

IDP camps worst affected by famine

The worst affected are the camps for Internally Displaced People (IDP). Hundreds of thousands displaced during the Darfur Civil War in the 2000s when the SAF and the RSF’s precursor, the Janjaweed militias, committed mass atrocities together, were already living here in precarious conditions, dependent on food aid even before this war began in 2023. 

Displacing 12 million more, this war has caused the world’s worst displacement crisis. In North Darfur alone, almost 1.7 million people have been displaced, including 60,000 in the last six weeks. Increasing numbers of the newly displaced have sought shelter in Zamzam, one of Sudan’s largest and oldest IDP camps, located on the outskirts of El Fasher. 

Its population doubled from 350,000 before this war to up to 800,000, increasing pressure on the limited food availability. Cut-off from supply after the RSF’s siege of El-Fasher last year, a famine was declared here in August 2024.      

Read: Besieged and bombed amid famine, hundreds of thousands of IDPs struggle to survive in Darfur 

Since then, the UN’s World Food Program (WFP) has only been able to transport one convoy of aid to the camp amid the fighting. Late last month, the WFP complained that it was forced to halt “the distribution of life-saving food and nutrition assistance” because the “escalating violence left WFP’s partners with no choice but to evacuate staff for safety.

Over four weeks have passed since its Regional Director for Eastern Africa and acting Country Director for Sudan, Laurent Bukera, warned that “without immediate assistance, thousands of desperate families in Zamzam could starve in the coming weeks.” Nearly half a million more IDPs are also on the brink in the Abu Shouk camp, where famine was declared last December, along with El Salam camp in the state.

By May, the UN projects that five more areas in North Darfur, including the state capital El Fasher, may be in the throes of famine.  

Read: RSF shelling kills dozens in famine-stricken Abu Shouk Camp amid siege of North Darfur 

Water shortages worsen the plight of the starving

Water shortages have also become life-threatening, especially in Zamzam and Abu Shouk, added Rojal. “There are no means of transporting water from distant locations, nor are there spare parts and fuel to operate boilers” to purify the available water for drinking.  

“Women and children stand in line from 4 am to 3 pm waiting for their turn to collect whatever little water there is,” he added. Unable to bathe and wash their clothes and cooking pots, many are becoming increasingly vulnerable to diseases, which are life-threatening when victims are already suffering malnutrition. 

“We must resume the delivery of life-saving aid,” emphasized Bukera. “For that, the fighting must stop, and humanitarian organizations must be granted security guarantees.”

No end in sight after nearly two years of war

However, there are few signs of the guns stopping anytime soon. Earlier, following 48 hours of fighting on March 20 and 21, the RSF captured the town of Al-Malha, killing dozens of civilians and displacing another 15,000 households.

200 km to the northeast of El-Fasher, Al-Malha is the northernmost urban area before the desert stretching to Libya, from where Khalifa Haftar has been reportedly supplying the RSF with arms and fuel. The capture of this town therefore reinforces the RSF’s strategic advantage against the SAF in North Darfur.

The SAF, on the other hand, has also scored an important victory, retaking Sudan’s capital Khartoum on March 26, expelling the RSF after intense battles.

“Both sides are killing citizens because they were essentially one entity, killing citizens together. They are devoid of morality and humanity,” laments Rojal.

Original article by Pavan Kulkarni republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

Continue ReadingHundreds killed in the “deadliest single bombing” of the war in Sudan

Gaza death toll soars to 330 as Israel launches heaviest attack since ceasefire

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https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/breaking-gaza-death-toll-soars-34880557

Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

Airstrikes on Gaza have led to reports of 330 deaths so far as Israel says it has aimed at dozens of Hamas targets in its heaviest assault on the territory since a ceasefire took effeect

Israel has battered Gaza with a wave of airstrikes killing hundreds of people in its war on Hamas.

Hospitals initially reported at least 235 people killed, including women and children but reports now say this has risen to at least 330, during the heaviest assault on the territory since a ceasefire took effect in January. It has shattered a period of relative calm during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and raised the prospect of a full return to fighting in a 17-month war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and caused widespread destruction across Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the strikes because of a lack of progress in talks to extend the ceasefire. Officials said the operation was open-ended and was expected to expand stating Israel would from now on “act against Hamas with increasing military strength”.

…

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/breaking-gaza-death-toll-soars-34880557

Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Continue ReadingGaza death toll soars to 330 as Israel launches heaviest attack since ceasefire