Secretary Kristi Noem announced: “Drones represent the new frontier of American air superiority. Under President Trump, we are entering a new era to defend our air superiority to protect our borders and the interior of the United States.” In other words, the U.S. government will be using drones to monitor people within the borders but also within the interior.
Drones have been used by the Israeli military to monitor and target Palestinians within their homes and communities for years. Drones have been used to target Palestinian civilians and journalists with lethal consequences. Drones have contributed to the present genocide in Gaza and the West Bank.
Yesterday, the FBI invaded the home of a journalist who worked for the Washington Post and took her laptop and other personal items in retaliation of a story she wrote about a government whistleblower. There has been some outrage by corporate media outlets over the violation of First Amendment rights and protections.
Where was the outrage by corporate or even local media outlets when journalists in Gaza were targeted and killed by the IDF? Over 200 journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 2023.
Our country has become more militarized over the course of many years. Many police and ICE personnel have been trained in Israel by the Israeli Defense Force. IDF soldiers often wear masks to cover their face in the West Bank, and arrest and detain Palestinians without cause — sound familiar?
Our government distributed immediate propaganda following the shooting of Renee Good and have stated the ICE agent has immunity from prosecution. Americans killed by settlers and the IDF in the West Bank have received no justice. Israel says they will investigate but there are never any charges.
In 1967, over 30 sailors and personnel aboard the USS Liberty were killed when Israel bombed and torpedoed that vessel. Israel was never held accountable. Even though we send billions of dollars in military aid to Israel, our government gives Israel immunity from war crimes and for the murder of Americans committed by the IDF (such as Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh or Turkish-American peace activist Aysenur Eygi) and Israeli settlers (such as Palestinian-American Sayfollah Musallet from Florida who was visiting family in the West Bank).
We are all Palestinians now. When we ignore the plight of others that is propagated by our own government, we have no one to blame but ourselves because our citizens continue to elect individuals who toe the line and do not care about human rights. People complain that we are losing our civil liberties. Since 1948, we have justified the loss of civil liberties for the Palestinians. Before that, we justified the theft of land and the massacre of the Indigenous people of America. What is happening in America has been called the boomerang effect and it is apropos.
Donna Pare lives in Stratham.