Cairo, Nov. 29 — On Monday, U.S. participants who are part of the Global Conscience Convoy went to a scheduled meeting with the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, to encourage the embassy to do its part in allowing the convoy to help break the siege of Gaza, and to help stop the complicity and support of Israeli genocide that the entire U.S. government is guilty of and profits from.
The Global Conscience Convoy, launched by the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate – the union of Egyptian journalists – made it clear that the U.S. is one of those countries complicit in genocide:
“For too long, the Occupation has been emboldened by the unconditional support of major world powers, who disregard its atrocities and shield it from accountability. Their complicity in the face of injustice is a stain on the world’s conscience.”
After getting through Egyptian security, then U.S. security, we began a conversation with two representatives of the embassy’s political office, who offered us nothing but manufactured empathy, giving the impression that their hands were tied in the “awful situation” after Oct 7.
It was curious that the attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, which was preceded by 75 years of Israeli attacks and occupation, was characterized as “heinous,” with no mention of who was actually responsible for the “awful situation” in Gaza.
When asked whether the massacres in Gaza could be considered heinous, given the over 14,000 Palestinians killed with nearly 50% being children, and hospitals and schools included in the civilian targets, the response from the embassy was “awful situation.”
We asked, if the transfer of humanitarian and medical attention to Gaza was only possible during the ceasefire, why wouldn’t the U.S. use its influence with Egypt’s government to get them to allow the convoy to bring aid?
The embassy representatives said they do not control what Egypt does and there are so many security hurdles to go through in making decisions.
A damning admission
This writer mentioned the culpability of the U.S. in arming Israel with weapons of mass destruction against a civilian population, and how this aid gives the U.S. great influence in Israel’s government – and how that also applies to the Egyptian government’s foreign policy, since it too receives significant U.S. funding.
One of the embassy representatives admitted that giving weapons to Egypt and Israel allows the U.S. to have leverage in their decisions. But they had previously said they had no influence with Egypt to allow the convoy through! Although they said they supported Israel in its war against the Palestinian people, they thought that Israel had gone too far, but they had no influence.
We asked them why they couldn’t just stop giving aid and stop arming Israel with weapons that are killing civilians and children? Admitting that weapons are key to leverage, the U.S. Embassy was admitting its culpability in genocide by refusing to use that leverage.
When asked if the over $500 billion worth of natural gas and oil on the coast of Gaza and the West Bank could be a motive for U.S. complicity with Israel – there was not a peep from the representatives.
The fuel that is vital for electricity, food production and keeping babies alive in incubators could be produced off the shores of occupied Palestine – but the Israeli occupation will not allow it. The cost of occupation includes the lives of many, many children.
Bianca Estrada told the embassy staff that as a mother with two children she had to come to join the convoy. Her tears in explaining her empathy with Palestinian parents losing their children in such horror committed by Israel added to her genuine message of solidarity and frustration with Israel and the U.S.
When the embassy used the excuse of supporting Israel’s right to “self defense,” one of our delegates, who was born in the West Bank, questioned how it could be called self-defense when the people of Palestine are living under an illegal occupation.
Struggle-La Lucha’s Lev Koufax mentioned that his Jewish history has taught him what a concentration camp looks like and that the genocide by Israel must be considered a holocaust.
Complicity in genocide
Much information was relayed about the genocidal nightmare that Israel unleashed after Oct. 7, killing hundreds every day until the temporary ceasefire. But the U.S. regime, now led by Biden and the Democratic Party and aided by the Republicans in Congress, refused to call for a ceasefire. They instead opted for a “pause.”
Biden and the U.S. Embassy know very well that the aid they said is going through will stop after the ceasefire (set to end tomorrow), and another 14,000 Palestinians could be killed in the next few weeks.
We knew, of course, that the embassy already had this information and more about the horror faced by Gaza. But this meeting was a record of their informed complicity in genocidal terrorism.
When we left the meeting, we let them know that we knew their plans to support Israel and refuse to help the convoy were set. In their own words, “our priority is the American people” – meaning the U.S. capitalist rulers.
We put on the record that we knew that they understood that their refusal to allow aid and continuing U.S. funding of Israel means the continuation of the slaughter of children after the pause ends.
It might be taking a leap, but it does seem curious that CBS News reported the day after our visit to the U.S. Embassy in Cairo: “A U.S. military plane carrying 54,000 pounds of food and medical supplies bound for civilians in Gaza landed in Egypt on Tuesday, the first of three such flights aimed at easing the humanitarian crisis in the enclave during a lull in fighting between Israel and Hamas.”
Why was this the first flight to “ease the humanitarian crisis”? Why didn’t it begin when the ceasefire began – instead of only two days before the ceasefire extension is set to end?
But as the article states, the aid will not make a dent in the need. Hoping a last-minute public relations stunt smooths the way for the continuation of genocide is nothing but evil.
“From the president on down, we understand that what is getting in is nowhere near enough for normal life in Gaza,” one official said on a call with reporters.
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