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The brief relief from Israel’s bombardment of Gaza was broken on Oct. 19, killing nearly a hundred Palestinians. This latest violation is reminiscent of the last time Israel abandoned the ceasefire in March, renewing its offensive on the besieged strip, killing more than 13,000 Palestinians and forcibly displacing over a million. The hope that this time is different, that President Donald Trump’s ceasefire agreement will hold, is undermined by Israel’s continued impunity.
For two years, people of conscience have taken to the streets in our community and around the globe to sound the alarm of genocide and demand an end to the violence. But only when the president of the United States decided it was time to stop, it stopped. Both Trump and former President Joe Biden always had the political leverage to end the bloodshed.
Trump, seemingly motivated by the personal allure of the Nobel Peace Prize, has pushed forward a recycled proposal that entrenches Israeli-American control over Gaza, sidelines Palestinian sovereignty, ignores the core issue of occupation, and evades accountability for crimes against humanity under international law.
Complicit in killing
In Gaza, the official death toll reported by the Gaza Ministry of Health exceeds 68,000 Palestinians and thousands more have been left uncounted, buried under rubble. That includes over 20,000 children, approximately the K-12 population of Pittsford, Penfield, Brighton, Fairport, and Gates Chili combined or all of the Rochester City School District’s student population killed in two years. The seriousness and veracity of the charge of genocide, often dismissed as hyperbole, is unavoidable.
In September, a United Nations commission concluded that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. A similar declaration was made in August by the International Association of Genocide Scholars. Both the UN commission and IAGS resolution called upon the governments of the world to uphold their legal obligations to prevent and punish genocide and warned that states supplying weapons to Israel would be complicit.
The United States is the largest supplier of arms to Israel, and while the carnage and consequences may seem far away, the reality is that we have armed a genocide and not just “we” the United States—but we in Upstate New York. Our tax dollars, our political representatives, and our local companies are directly funding and profiting from the supply of weapons and military technology being used in this genocide.
Our local contributions
Rochester taxpayers alone funded over $15 million in weapons to Israel in 2024. Our congressional delegation, including Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and Reps. Joseph Morelle and Claudia Tenney, have all voted to appropriate billions of dollars in supplemental weapons transfers to Israel since October 2023.
Some of those appropriations also included funds for humanitarian aid for Palestinians that Israel systematically blocked from entering Gaza, which is a violation of the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act and should have triggered a suspension of military aid.
One bill in particular, H.R.3565, illustrates our material and political connections to the weapons used in this genocide. The “Block the Bombs” bill would prohibit the administration from “selling, transferring, or exporting certain defense articles or services to Israel,” including bunker-buster bombs, tank and artillery ammunition. Some critical components of these weapons are supplied by companies like L3Harris (Rochester), Lockheed Martin (Syracuse, Buffalo, Owego), and smaller subcontractors that have a presence in our backyard.
Our regional House representatives Morelle and Tenney do not support the Block the Bombs bill. Examining their political contributions, both Morelle and Tenny receive significant funds from the weapons manufacturers that supply defense articles specifically prohibited by H.R. 3565. Additionally, the number one political contributor to Morelle and Tenney in the last election cycle was the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, one of the most influential lobbying groups in American politics.
Following the funds
Morelle’s top two career campaign contributors are AIPAC ($147,595) and L3Harris ($119,641). In addition to L3Harris, Morelle received significant contributions during the last election from Northrop Grumman, Honeywell International, General Motors, and RTX Corp (formerly Raytheon). All of these companies have produced weapons components or related defense articles for Israel. Tenney’s top career campaign contributors include AIPAC ($68,400) and Lockheed Martin ($39,782).
Comparing the companies that contribute to our politicians and the prohibited defense articles list in H.R.3565 exposes a clear conflict:
■ L3Harris produces many of the components that are used in precision munitions including weapon fuzing, targeting, and navigation. L3Harris’ optics, lasers, and communications systems are integrated into multiple weapons systems used by the Israeli military and the company is a primary supplier of components for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jet, which Israel has used to drop 2,000-pound bombs on Gaza.
■ Northrop Grumman is a major producer of 120mm tank ammunition that would be prohibited by H.R.3565. It is also a key producer of components for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 and F-16 fighter jets, as well as the manufacturer of a radar system equipped on Apache attack helicopters using Longbow Hellfire laser-guided missiles that have been used by Israel in documented violations of international law since the year 2000.
■ Honeywell International produces tactical-grade inertial measurement units (IMUs) that are key components of precision-guided bombs. These components are used in Boeing’s Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and GBU-39 small diameter bombs, both of which would be prohibited H.R. 3565. In June 2024, a Honeywell IMU sensor was recovered from the site of an Israeli airstrike on a UN school in Gaza that killed 40 Palestinians, including 14 children.
■ RTX produces an arsenal of missiles and bombs in addition to weapons systems and technology integrated throughout the Israeli military. RTX also supplies many of the components for the F-35, F-15, and F-16 fighter jets.
■ Lockheed Martin is the world’s largest weapons manufacturer. In partnership with Rafael, Israel’s state-owned weapons company, Lockheed Martin produces air-to-surface precision weapons systems called SPICE (Smart, Precise Impact and Cost-Effective), which would be prohibited by H.R. 3565. Lockheed Martin also produces an advanced guiding system, Paveway II Plus, that is a compatible component with BLU-109 warheads and MK80 series bombs, which would also be prohibited. As mentioned above, Lockheed Martin is the lead manufacturer of many military aircraft in Israel’s air force.
In the Senate, Schumer and Gillibrand have twice voted against resolutions introduced by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders to block the sale of weapons to Israel. Schumer, the most powerful Democrat in the Senate, has long identified as a staunch supporter of Israel.
During the last elections, Schumer received over half a million dollars in contributions from the Israel lobby and weapons manufacturers, including L3Harris, Lockheed Martin, and Honeywell International. While Gillibrand received fewer defense-related funds, AIPAC was her number one source of donations by far ($480,614) with additional pro-Isreal donors bringing her total contributions to $610,771.
It is no secret that in our politics, money is influential. Tracking campaign contributions from individuals, corporations, and lobbyists is a reliable roadmap to politicians’ priorities. Speaking from experience, I used to work for one of Washington’s most influential lobbying organizations that spent more than $86 million in 2024. When big money is involved, legislators listen.
Politics over peace
So, what happens when genocide is good for business? That is the reality we’ve witnessed. Palestine has long been a laboratory for testing weapons so they can be marketed as “battle-tested” to the rest of the world. But dropping bombs on people sheltering in tents is not a battle, it’s not a war; it is genocide.
Our politicians are complicit and content to continue with business as usual, even though they’ve had the institutional power to end this slaughter all along. If the Trump truce holds, we will begin to get a clearer picture of the true scale of devastation and human suffering we have allowed in Gaza.
If the ceasefire collapses, the president has given Israel his full backing to “finish the job.” Unless there is real public pressure to make it politically unacceptable to arm genocide, there will be no restraint in what comes next. The Block the Bombs campaign is one direct way we can pressure our representatives. Tragically, it is too late for far too many Palestinians, but without any accountability, where will it end?
In the words of Noura Erakat, a Palestinian American human rights lawyer, “there should be no end to genocide that sacrifices justice and accountability for its survivors. … The ceasefire is the beginning, not the end, because Palestinians deserve accountability.”
Editor’s note: The Beacon offered Reps. Joe Morelle and Claudia Tenney the opportunity to submit counterpoint guest opinion articles. Their communications directors did not respond.
Brennon Thompson is a Rochester resident and community advocate. He holds degrees in urban planning and international relations, and his professional work and scholarship has focused on the legacy of racial segregation at home and colonialism abroad. The views expressed here are his own.
The Beacon welcomes comments and letters from readers who adhere to our comment policy including use of their full, real name. See “Leave a Reply” below to discuss on this post. Comments of a general nature may be submitted to the Letters page by emailing [email protected].
Just another disingenuous and ill- informed screed against Israelis and world Jewry, ignoring the 10/7 genocidal attack on Israel and the Hamas creed of 1987 and 2017:
https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/doctrine-hamas
“Article 13:
Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement “
Also ignoring international law that forbids using civilians as shield.
Also ignoring that 2 million Arabs are citizens of Israel, a part of the diaspora of which Israel is claimed to be committing genocide.
Also ignoring the influence of Iran, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Yemen, Turkey, and Russia (and previously Egypt), in the centuries old attempts to destroy the people of the land of Israel and now the state of Israel.
As I have said previously, the anti Israeli progressives ignore the realities of war. Compare this to the defeat of Nazi Germany and Japan: should the US have sent food aid to the German and Japanese people during combat, should we have stopped at the Rhine River and asked a cease fire and truce, should we have not firebombed Germany and Japan to their knees?
Blind rhetoric is fine but worthless. Bring facts to your arguments of anti-Israeli, anti Zionist, anti Semitic rants.
Thank you once again, Brennon Thompson, for a brilliantly researched and well-written article that brings attention to the fact that corporations and politicians supported by AIPAC and weapons manufacturers are profiting from this genocide. Pointing out our Upstate New York complicity in funding this genocide brings the staggering loss of human life in Palestine to our doorsteps. It’s time that our tax dollars be directed to alleviating human suffering instead of dumping billions of dollars into the unconscionable slaughter of more than 68,000 people and creating an ecological crisis in Palestine.
Not justifying the over-reach of the Netanyahu strategy by any means.
However, the writer if this article is arguing for disarming the Israelis, with no consideration for the consequences of such a policy. We would have yet another Ukraine.
We can discuss the problem of the ham-fisted manner Netanyahu has operated but the solution the writer offers is fantasy.
James, a thought. How many Israeli workers are represented by a labor union? It’s 25% per capita, and that includes Arab Israelis. That’s more than the US.
How many workers are allowed to organize in Hamas controlled Gaza? Zero, nada, none.
Why? Because Hamas closed down the one union workers had. Hamas is a cancer and must be cut out. Many Germans starved and were collateral damage ending Hitler’s Final Solution.
Yes, it’s ugly and painful, but cancers just don’t go away.
https://libcom.org/article/palestinian-union-hit-all-sides
Yes, Hamas is a cancer and so are Neo-Nazis and ISIS and many others. You still cannot rationalize the murder of over 10,000 children. They were not collateral damage in the tunnels with Hamas. There are no rationalizations for this under International Law and War Crimes established after WW II. What it does guarantee is that their siblings and friends who survive will be another generation of terrorists, unless every child is killed. That is genocide and I’m not interested in justifications for genocide. There are other publications for sick organizations that discuss such things.
All excellent arguments, but Pro Palestinian acolytes fail to recognize A. history of the region and B. the 1987 and 2017 Hamas manifesto.
The first goes back to 1929 when Arabs attacked and murdered their friends and neighbors in Jerusalem precisely because they were Jews. There is no doubt that Netanyahu has needlessly inflamed relations but this does not negate 3000 years of history.
The second, Hamas credo and what they have taught two generations of Arabs in Gaza declares death to the state of Israel and to all Israelis and the end to western civilization.
A sober approach requires knowledge. I do not argue President Eisenhower’s warning but Israel has been fighting for its existence since 1948 and Jews for thousands of years. We do not seem to know that Iran has continued to attempt supplying weapons to Hamas through Syria, Hezbollah continues to prepare for war, and the Houthis continue the assault on Israel.
Simply, ignorance is dangerous. If one wants the Bills to defeat the Chiefs, that defines your animosity towards one party. Why is the Pro Palestinian movement then, which has not defined who Palestinians are and has been brainwashed by such movements as BDS and WOL, not then against the state of Israel and Israelis? 1200+ dead Jews means nothing to this world it appears.
I suggest the author and others read the Hamas Charter before making ill informed comments.
https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/doctrine-hamas
If Israel were to disarm it would be slaughtered. Whoever believes that Israel should disarm is in a fantasy world.
What is not confusing Gary is the money from AIPAC. They will give money to those that support Netanyahu and the extreme right-wing views in Israel regardless of what positions they take on most other issues.
Irregardless of the animosity towards Netanyahu and the extremists Israelis, and no matter what they have done to incite 10/7, the war to end the state of Israel is real and cannot be denied in Iran, the West Bank, Lebanon, Gaza, and now again in Jordan which is again promoting anti Israeli sentiment.
Stopping this conflict with the opportunity to again attack Israel is not a tenable answer even in the short term. This is tantamount to the US forces stopping at the Rhine River in 1945 and saying: “let’s make nice now.”
Very important information thanks to Brennon Thompson. The US is the largest weapons manufacturer and exporter in the world. There is big money in selling killing machines. The war profiteers fund our politicians campaigns. Is it any wonder that we have governmental policies which are genocidal? The moral compass seems to be broken and this allows vested interests to engage in homicidal behavior which damages the well being of all of humanity.
Thank you to the author for a thoughtful, well-researched article with a clear call to conscience.
Disconnected from reality…
It’s a hard knock world kiddo, full of bad actors, scoundrels and Islamic terrorists who would just as soon kill you as say howdy partner.
Did Israel go too far?
Maybe, maybe not when one considers the reality of the existential threat. How far is too far when someone is hell bent on killing you?
I don’t know and neither does the writer.
This article is an example of growing antisemitism and/or anti State of Israel sentiment throughout the world. The State of Israel is constantly fighting for their survival yet many countries, media, groups, and individuals accuse Israel of genocide instead of self defense. Reportedly a majority of Palestinians supported the October 7th, 2023 genocide of Jews. Many are for the total elimination of the State of Israel. 20 years ago Israel gave control of Gaza to the Palestinians so they could thrive socially and economically. However, they allowed Hamas to unleash another Holocaust like horrible massacre. Hamas broke Trump’s truce. Hopefully, the truce and peace will prevail.
Yes, if only the US would disarm the world would be all rainbows and lollipops.
If Israel would just disarm Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamist terrorists would stop insisting Israel should be stricken from the face of the Earth.
Who knew it would be so simple?
If your wife or daughter were raped and murdered or your baby put in a microwave and roasted you would think differently. Wake up to the facts, HAMAS used the Palestinian people as shields. HAMAS killed all those people.
Agreed, whether it’s this issue or so many others, the root cause of this is the amount of money it takes to run a political campaign and it’s corrosive influence.
Until we get that straight these symptoms will always be with us.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson, for a fact-based article that also incorporates my number one rule, follow the money. The big money from AIPAC mostly comes from the very rich and the extreme right. Interestingly and according to exit polls from the last election, American Jews voted about 70% for Dems/liberals as usual. Only Black women and men were at higher percentages.
The bombing of schools, hospitals, and homes that have killed 20,000 children should never be tolerated regardless of who is doing the killing.
James, so what to make of the disconnect between the very rich and extreme right and American Jews, Blacks and women who tend to be left of center?
I believe that disconnect has always been there and is used to divide people by race, ethnicity, religion, and other things to maintain their wealth and power. I believe most voters vote for their self-interest and policies they believe are right for America, whether or not that is really the case.
The disconnect I’m referring to is the statement that the extreme right is funding the campaigns of so called war-hawks.
Morelle, a left-center Democrat, is mentioned in this article, is supported primarily by ” Jews..Dems/liberal…Black women…” traditionally Democratic voters.
That’s what’s confusing.
Got it, I see what you’re saying about who supports AIPAC. And they do for different reasons, some good, some not so good, (like anticipating the Apocalypse and return of the Man-god.).
But we’re stuck with supporting a liberal democracy or a theocracy which classifies people into one of three categories.
Two of which you don’t want to be in.