Rep. Casten should oppose US enabling Israeli genocide in Gaza, not criticize protesters

Rep. Casten should oppose US enabling Israeli genocide in Gaza, not criticize protesters

My Congressman Sean Casten took umbrage Palestinian protesters disrupted his Town Hall Wednesday. It became tense enough for police to step in and stop the Town Hall.

Five pro Palestinian protesters repeatedly interrupted Casten who was focused on discussing the Trump Musk government cutbacks. When a protester complained to Casten about US complicity in hundreds of Palestinian kids killed in Israel’s renewed attacks, Casten responded “run for office.” Disgusting.

That’s par for the course for Casten who has done nothing to end the US enabled genocide in Gaza for all 18 months of the slaughter destroying every vestige of life for 2,300,000 Palestinians in Gaza’s bombed out 139 square miles.

I know Casten’s denial of US enabled genocide in Gaza first hand. Shortly after it started in October, 2022 my West Suburban Peace Coalition engaged with Casten on Zoom. He refused to even consider that Israel’s utter destruction of Gaza’s 139 square miles and thousands of Palestinian moms and kids obliterated by US bombs might just constitute genocide. Casten simply parroted the Biden administration refrain that those obliterated Palestinian moms and kids resulted from Israel's self-defense.

In over a year since nothing has changed Casten’s view of the most grotesque US foreign policy in his lifetime.

Congressman Casten vows “absolutely” to continue Sixth District Town Halls. That is good. But the next one should focus on US enabled Israeli genocide in Gaza.

Casten should welcome anti genocide advocates to inform him and Sixth District voters of the urgent need to halt all further weapons to Israel, publicly condemn Israel’s genocidal attacks and vote at the UN for ending the genocide, not vetoing its condemnation.

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With Trump's 'Thumbs Up', Netanyahu restarts Gaza genocide

 With Trump's 'Thumbs Up', Netanyahu restarts Gaza genocide

Over 400 killed, 500 injured in massive Israeli bombing of tents housing Palestinians civilians sheltering from earlier Israeli bombings.

Trump was notified in advance and gave the typical US green light to proceed. In under 2 months Trump has funneled $12 billion in genocide weapons including many 2,000 lb. bombs to fuel Netanyahu's latest genocide campaign.

Trump is anxious for all the Palestinians in Gaza to be dead and gone so he can begin his massive real estate development there to create a 'Greater Israel.'

The massive Israeli bombing comes 2 weeks after Netanyahu blocked all humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza. Whether killing Palestinians slowly with no food or medicine or killing them quickly with 2,000 lb. US bombs, Netanyahu and Trump cover the gamut of death in Gaza.

Steven Andreasen and Anthony Lake’s Chicago Tribune op-ed ‘Donald Trump’s foreign policies have a nuclear impact on US credibility abroad’ laments a long faded US unipolar exceptionalism.

 Steven Andreasen and Anthony Lake’s Chicago Tribune op-ed ‘Donald Trump’s foreign policies have a nuclear impact on US credibility abroad’ laments a long faded US unipolar exceptionalism.

Both get much wrong that deserves correction.

They take the preposterous position Trump’s seeking to end America’s lost proxy war against Russia in Ukraine is destroying US credibility among both allies and enemies.

That assumes our credibility and reliability were high under the Biden administration. The reverse is true. The fact Biden provoked the war in Ukraine that is clearly lost and must be ended did more to erode US worldwide credibility than Trump’s seeking its end. If successful, Trump will do much to reestablish US credibility worldwide. All the world respects a peacemaker.

Trump did not “parrot Moscow’s rhetoric on Russia’s war on Ukraine….berate the victim of aggression” nor “greatly weaken Kyiv’s defenses and negotiating position.” He simply told Zelensky the truth that he has “no cards to play” because the war is lost and must be ended, not prolonged till Ukraine incurs more casualties and lost territory. Zelensky got the message PDQ, pivoting to support ceasefire, not more war.

Andreasen and Lake have spent their decade’s long foreign policy careers promoting US unipolar dominance. They are oblivious it is fading almost as fast as Ukraine’s ability to continue their war against Russia. There are many things to criticize about Trump’s foreign policy, starting with his enabling Israeli genocide in Gaza. Given lockstep US support for that genocide, it is understandable Andreasen and Lake failed to mention it among their many Trump criticisms. But their seeking endless war in Ukraine which cannot be won short of the nuclear option is a bizarre way of arguing Trump’s Ukraine policy will have an adverse effect on US credibility and worldwide nuclear policy.

Trump pushing Ukraine peace for simple reason: he has no cards to play either

 Trump pushing Ukraine peace for simple reason: he has no cards to play either

At his Oval Office kerfuffle with Ukraine President Zelensky, President Trump told Zelensky he had to make peace with Russia. This followed Zelensky’s plea for more US weapons to keep the war going till Ukraine prevails. Trump disabused him of that notion by saying “You have no cards to play”, colloquial for ‘Make peace, not war.’

Trump knows he has no cards to play as well in the ongoing peace negotiations in Saudi Arabia. That’s why he is anxious to end the war. He knows predecessor Biden made a catastrophic mistake provoking the war over 3 years ago. He knows Ukraine is on the brink of military collapse in spite of the $175 billion in weapons Biden poured into Ukraine that has merely turned it into a failed state. Trump knows Biden sabotaged the imminent peace treaty Putin and Zelensky were prepared to sign ending the war in its first 2 months.

He wants none of that disastrous Biden war policy attached to his foreign policy resume.

Every American, every Ukrainian, every Russian should support the Trump peace initiative that could end the war, bring security to the region, allow reconstruction of the 80% of what’s left of Ukraine, provide resumption of normal US Russia diplomatic relations. Most importantly, it will end the risk of this war going nuclear, a threat hanging over peoplekind every one of the 1,120 days of this totally unnecessary, lost war.

Trump didn’t change sides. He’s not abandoning an ally. He’s not a Russian agent. He’s not a traitor. He’s merely a realist who looked at his empty hand, saw Russian President Putin was holding 4 aces, and decided to walk away least another 100,000 Ukrainians are needlessly sacrificed for America’s lust to control European geopolitics.

On this issue President Trump deserves our support.

Walt Zlotow, West Suburban Peace Coalition, Glen Ellyn IL