Lawmakers Pose With Netanyahu While Gaza Burns
September 17, 2025
This week, 250 state lawmakers from both parties boarded planes to Israel. Their trip was framed as a bipartisan gesture of “solidarity.” In reality, it was a propaganda tour — one that Benjamin Netanyahu eagerly used to polish his image and create headlines about “common heritage.”
Hours after those photos were snapped, Israeli tanks rolled into Gaza City.
The Ground Invasion of Sheikh Radwan
On Tuesday, dozens of Israeli tanks, bulldozers, and armored vehicles stormed Sheikh Radwan, one of Gaza City’s most densely populated neighborhoods before the war.
Most residents had already fled, but not all. Israel’s forces unleashed a wave of airstrikes before advancing — destroying homes, solar panels, water tanks, generators, and the limited internet infrastructure that had kept families connected to the outside world.
Thousands were displaced in a single day. Thousands more may be displaced tomorrow.
For some, there was no escape at all. After the IDF ordered residents to evacuate south, one family gathered their belongings and attempted to flee. On the road to safety, Israeli forces shelled their vehicle. The family — five children and women — were killed inside their burning car.
This is what Netanyahu wanted hidden behind carefully staged photos with American politicians.
American Lawmakers as Tools of Propaganda
Israel is not just waging a military assault on Gaza — it is waging an information war. Flying in hundreds of U.S. state legislators at the precise moment of a ground invasion is no accident. It’s a calculated strategy to create glossy images of bipartisan support, designed to drown out reports of genocide with photo ops and friendly headlines.
These lawmakers are being used as props in Israel’s campaign to sanitize war crimes and to reassure Americans that what is happening in Gaza is normal, defensible, even worthy of praise. Their presence gives cover to atrocities — turning elected representatives of the American people into spokespeople for ethnic cleansing.
U.S. Politicians Are Breaking Silence
Senator Bernie Sanders, after months of mounting grassroots pressure, finally called Israel’s assault by its true name: genocide.
“Over the last two years, Israel has not simply defended itself against Hamas. Instead, it has waged an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people,” Sanders wrote. “Many legal experts have now concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza… I agree.”
He is not alone.
Senator Chris Van Hollen acknowledged that the U.S. bears responsibility for enabling Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Gaza. And Ohio State Senator Beth Liston criticized the bipartisan Israel junket, saying lawmakers were being used as pawns in Israel’s propaganda war.
These statements matter. They pierce the carefully constructed illusion that Israel’s actions are justifiable, or that U.S. support is unanimous.
AIPAC’s Grip is Slipping
The reality is clear: Israel’s propaganda machine is faltering. AIPAC, which has spent decades buying silence from American politicians, is losing its grip. The more Israel escalates its attacks, the harder it becomes for U.S. lawmakers to look the other way.
Grassroots pressure is working. Activists, organizers, and everyday people are forcing this issue into the open. And for the first time in years, members of Congress and state officials are speaking out against U.S. complicity in genocide.
But it’s not enough to celebrate cracks in the wall. Netanyahu and AIPAC are still working overtime to rebuild their influence. That’s why it’s on all of us to keep pushing — to demand accountability, to support candidates who refuse AIPAC money, and to stand firm with the people of Gaza.
The Choice Before Us
As lawmakers pose for photos in Jerusalem, Palestinian families in Gaza City are being buried under rubble.
The choice for Americans is stark: Will we allow AIPAC and Israel to dictate U.S. foreign policy, or will we stand on the side of humanity, accountability, and justice?
The world is watching. And history will remember who stood silent — and who spoke up.
