"$14.3 billion is larger than the budget of the Environmental Protection
Agency. It’s 20 times the budget of the Occupational Safety and Health
Agency. It’s four times the budget of the National Park Service, which
has 300 million visitors. So there is rising opposition to it in the
Congress, mostly among Democrats, but not enough. And I think the Jewish
Voice for Peace and other valiant people who are resisting should focus
more on the Congress."
Ralph Nader on Gaza Ceasefire & Why Suppression of Palestine Advocacy Is the Real Problem on Campus
January 05, 2024
Transcript
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! I’m Amy Goodman.
We end today’s show with Ralph Nader, longtime consumer advocate,
corporate critic, four-time former presidential candidate. We’ll talk to
him about several topics, including his new book, The Rebellious CEO: 12 Leaders Who Did It Right. He’s also the founder of Capitol Hill Citizen newspaper, has been named by Time and Life magazines one of the 100 most influential Americans of the 20th century.
But, Ralph, let’s begin with U.S. policy in Gaza. Amidst the protests
nationwide calling for a ceasefire, senior Biden education official
Tariq Habash resigned this week — he’s the first Biden appointee — over
what he called Biden’s, quote, “complete unwillingness to demand an
immediate and permanent cease-fire” in Gaza. Biden is facing reelection
amidst a broader Middle East conflict. Ralph, you said, quote, “Biden
and Congress are vigorously enabling the annihilations” in Gaza. What do
you mean? And what do you feel needs to happen?
RALPH NADER:
Well, the important thing in the U.S. here is to focus on Congress and
the White House, because they are waist deep in this genocidal war in
Gaza. The Congress is basically a rubber stamp and doesn’t even have
public hearings as it shovels billions of dollars to Israel. And it’s
about to pass, unless Bernie Sanders and others who are opposed, a $14.3
billion — with a “B” — appropriation for Israel, military arms and
other aspects of the Israeli right-wing regime’s priorities.
And $14.3 billion is larger than the budget of the Environmental
Protection Agency. It’s 20 times the budget of the Occupational Safety
and Health Agency. It’s four times the budget of the National Park
Service, which has 300 million visitors. So there is rising opposition to it in the Congress, mostly among
Democrats, but not enough. And I think the Jewish Voice for Peace and
other valiant people who are resisting should focus more on the
Congress.
As far as Biden is concerned, it really gives a new meaning to
hypocrisy. He keeps saying publicly that Israel should reduce its impact
on civilian casualties and let humanitarian trucks in. At the same
time, he’s sending ships full of munitions and cargo planes full of
munitions to Netanyahu. You cannot have humanitarian trucks coming in —
and there needs to be about 700, at least, a day — if you don’t have a
ceasefire, because who’s going to go in? The roads are torn up. They
can’t get to their destination. The hospitals and clinics have been
destroyed or disabled. There’s no markets. There’s no ability to receive
these materials. And the Israelis are letting in maybe 10, 20 trucks a
day, but they’re delaying hundreds and hundreds of trucks ready to come
in, which Biden has already paid for. So, Biden is playing Netanyahu’s
game, but he’s trying to get away with highfalutin adherence to
international law.
We don’t hear enough about the violation of international law, U.S.
treaties, Geneva Conventions. It’s as if the U.S. can do anything it
wants in Syria and Iraq, and Israel can continue to bomb repeatedly in
Syria and do other violent acts, and the press never raises the issue of
law...
READ MORE or watch the video https://www.democracynow.org/2024/1/5/ralph_nader_on_stopping_gaza_war
