Three weeks ago, Israeli forces shot an American teacher from New Jersey. In the aftermath, Amado Sison told me that while Palestinians showed him “so much warmth and love,” he has heard little from his own government. This despite President Joe Biden declaring in February that “If you harm an American, we will respond.”
Sison, a pseudonym he uses for his safety, was in the occupied West Bank to demonstrate against illegal Israeli settlement activity when he was shot. A State Department spokesperson told me they are aware of “reports involving a US citizen in the West Bank and are in contact with local authorities to gather more information,” adding: “we are greatly concerned when any US citizen is harmed overseas and work to provide consular assistance.” Neither the White House nor any of his home-state lawmakers have reached out.
Ok, I’ll play the devil’s advocate.
He wasn’t there for his family, or in any sort of journalistic capacity. He was there to protest.
Sure. Fine. Protest. I support your right to do so, and in this case I support your cause. However, the US government cannot chase down every rogue citizen that jumps into active conflict because of their bleeding heart. If this had been someone on vacation before the violence started then it would be different. This man was there to stir up shit. That’s the risk he took. No one in any government position told him as he was leaving, “don’t worry, we got your back.” He walked into an active conflict and he got shot. He’s lucky that’s all that happened. Fuck around. Find out. Sure, sometimes the circumstances call for fucking around. That doesn’t mean you don’t get the other part.
Just a couple weeks ago, another “moderate” who DEFINITELY supports the cause was complaining about anti-genocide protesters making him late for work, saying that they need to “do it in Tel Aviv or shut up”.
And here you are, DEFINITELY supporting the cause while saying that this guy did it to himself by “stirring shit up” because he made his opposition to the atrocities heard too close to the snipers of the genocidal occupation force. In a Palestinian-owned part of the West Bank.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that NEITHER of you REALLY support the cause or the protesters out there representing everyone who does…