“Slaughter of civilians” – US pilots seek conscientious objection because of Gaza war

From the Palestine Chronicle editorial board

According to NBC, they both called Israel’s attack on Gaza a genocide and said the footage coming out of the region was distressing not only to them but to many Americans as well.

Two American pilots in the US Air Force are seeking conscientious objector status to reject their country’s support for the Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip, according to a report by NBC broadcaster published on Friday.

Senior US Airman Juan Bettancourt and active-duty US Airman Larry Herbert Jr. expressed their disappointment at their country’s unconditional support for Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip.

“After seeing footage of death and destruction in Gaza, senior U.S. airman Juan Bettancourt said he could no longer ignore the U.S. government’s role in the war, including its arms shipments, diplomatic reporting and intelligence,” the report said.

“I see thousands of innocent civilians being slaughtered and the whole world is watching through their smartphones,” Bettancourt said in the interview with NBC.

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Herbert himself was particularly shocked by the killing of six-year-old Hind Rajab by Israel last February. Hind’s body was found along with the bodies of five of her family members in a car surrounded by Israeli occupation tanks in the Gaza neighborhood of Tal al-Hawa.

The discovery came after an extensive search operation initiated by a distress call from the Palestinian Red Crescent while Israeli occupation forces were firing on the car in which she and her family were traveling.

“She looks almost exactly like my daughter, and that was something that was extremely difficult to comprehend: All of these children have hopes and dreams and are living what many of us are living and wanting to live, and it is completely unjustified to support what is happening,” Herbert was quoted as saying by NBC.

Israel has killed over 37,000 Palestinians in its genocidal war against Gaza, which began on October 7.

Herbert and Bettancourt, who enlisted in 2022, are currently applying for “conscientious objection due to U.S. support for Israel, a decision they say was reinforced by the ongoing war in Gaza.”

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According to NBC, they both called Israel’s attack on Gaza a genocide and said the footage coming out of the region is distressing not only to them but to many Americans.

Despite collective calls for a ceasefire, US President Joe Biden has offered Tel Aviv unconditional support. The two US officers hope that this could change.

“Bettancourt and Hebert said they hoped their actions would help shift U.S. policy away from supporting Israel during the war,” the report said.

Ongoing genocide

Israel, which is currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against the Palestinians, has been waging a devastating war against Gaza since October 7.

According to the Gaza Strip Ministry of Health, 37,551 Palestinians were killed and 85,911 injured in Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7.

In addition, at least 7,000 people are missing and are believed to be lying dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian and international organizations say the majority of the dead and injured are women and children.

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The Israeli war led to an acute famine, especially in the north of the Gaza Strip, and caused the deaths of many Palestinians, especially children.

The Israeli aggression also resulted in the forced displacement of nearly two million people from across the Gaza Strip. The vast majority of those displaced were forced to the densely populated southern city of Rafah, near the Egyptian border. It was the largest mass exodus from Palestine since the Nakba of 1948.

According to Israel, 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the flood relief operation in Al-Aqsa on October 7. Israeli media reported that many Israelis were killed by friendly fire that day.

(The Palestine Chronicle)