Medea Benjamin
On Monday, June 16, Senator Tim
Kaine (D-VA) introduced legislation, a War Powers Resolution, to prevent
President Trump from using military force against Iran without Congressional
authorization. This will force all Senators to go on record supporting or
opposing the following: “Congress hereby directs the President to terminate the
use of United States Armed Forces for hostilities against the Islamic Republic
of Iran or any part of its government or military, unless explicitly authorized
by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force
against Iran.”
Sen. Kaine, a longtime advocate
for exerting congressional authority over war, blasted Israel for jeopardizing
planned U.S.-Iran diplomacy. “The American people have no interest in another
forever war,” he wrote.
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), a Republican and 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. 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.
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