Letter: US Munitions Produce Horrific Death and Destruction in Palestine
American 2000 pound joint direct attack munitions. Photo: PICRYL / Public Domain
Bombs. The US sells thousands of tons of bombs to Israel, bought with the financial aid we send to them. These bombs range from 250 to 2,000 pounds.
A New York Times investigation in December found that American 2,000-pound bombs were responsible for some of the worst attacks on Palestinian civilians since the war in Gaza began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.
The military aid to Israel is funded under a 2016 agreement known as a memorandum of understanding that committed the United States to giving Israel $38 billion in weapons over 10 years. Additionally, President Biden last month signed an aid package that will send about $15 billion in additional military aid. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, U.S. military aid to Israel has amounted to $216 billion since Israel’s founding in 1948.
When detonated, the bomb’s smooth skin shatters into razor-sharp fragments that can shred human bodies and unarmored vehicles alike. If one of the 2000 pound bombs struck the Cook Building in Amherst (northeast corner of Main Street and North Pleasant Street), it would completely disintegrate that building and everything in a 52 foot radius leaving an 11 foot deep crater, immediately killing everyone in that radius.
The “lethal area” would have a radius of 1214 feet; think of a circle encompassing north on North Pleasant Steeet just short of Hallock Street, west on Amity almost to Lincoln Avenue, and down Route 9 down to South Prospect Street; south on South Pleasant Street to the Amherst College Loeb Center; and east on both sides of Main Street down to Webster Street. Everyone in this area would be killed. There is more: damages would extend another 1430 feet, destroying Amherst High School, most of Amherst College and the residential area west of downtown as far as Cosby Street. Everyone in those buildings would be killed or severely injured.
This is what is occurring in Gaza every day, with our tax dollars and the blessing of the Biden administration, most, if not all Republicans in Congress, and many Democrats, including Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren. Jim McGovern voted against this additional lethal aid.
It is outrageous that anyone is accused of antisemitism who opposes this brutality; and Jews like myself of being self-hating.
Gerry Weiss
Gerry Weiss, a psychotherapist, was a member of the Amherst Select Board from 2004 to 2010 and a member of Town Meeting for 19 years.
PS. The Gazette has so far refused to print this letter, nor will the editor speak to me about it.