On US Congressman Tim Walberg’s “Nagasaki and Hiroshima” solution for Gaza
The statement by US Congressman Tim Walberg that the US should treat Gaza “like Nagasaki and Hiroshima” expresses the homicidal criminality of the American ruling class as a whole.
Walberg, the Republican representative from Michigan’s 5th Congressional district, simultaneously reveals what is happening in Gaza and the logic of the US-Israeli genocide.
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Through January, Israel dropped 65,000 tons of bombs on Gaza, more than three times the power of the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. The majority of homes and buildings in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged. Upwards of 40,000 people have been killed, or two out of every 100 people. Hundreds of thousands face starvation.
This colossal war crime has only been possible due to the active support and collaboration of the imperialist powers, above all the United States and the Biden administration. The bombs used to level Gaza, along with intelligence used to target them, have been provided by the US.
Walberg added that the US “shouldn’t be spending a dime on humanitarian aid.” In fact, while Biden has made empty statements of concern about aid getting through, both the Democrats and Republicans voted to cut off funding to UNRWA, the main UN agency providing assistance to Palestiniains, amidst a developing famine.
The statement is also one of intent. In one form or another, the Israeli regime is pursuing a genocidal policy, the “final solution” to the Palestinian problem. Mass slaughter of defenseless men, women and children has been an openly declared policy by Israel since the outset. It is now entering a new stage with the planned offensive in Rafah.
For US imperialism, the genocide is seen in relation to the US-NATO war against Russia and the broader global war. Walberg explicitly connected the two. “The same should be in Ukraine,” he said, “defeat Putin quick.” All aid to Ukraine should be “to wipe out Russia—if that’s what we want to do.”
In announcing the Socialist Equality Party’s election campaign, SEP National Chairman David North remarked, “The deliberate use of tactical and strategic nuclear weapons—which was rejected for decades as synonymous with madness—is now being ‘normalized’ as a legitimate component of imperialist geopolitical strategy.”
US officials have repeatedly stated that they will not be “deterred” from pursuing war against Russia until complete victory, even if it risks nuclear war. An article in the New York Times recently reported that US officials had calculated in October 2022 that there was a “50-50” chance that the war with Russia would lead to a nuclear exchange.
Walberg’s statements express the essentially fascistic outlook of American imperialism. It is a warning to the working class of the entire world. The level of violence inflicted on the Palestinians is meant to set a precedent for the repression of all opposition to the corporate-financial oligarchy, internationally and at home.
Opposition to the genocide must be developed as a fight against US-NATO imperialism. This requires the mobilization of the working class against the capitalist ruling elite and its normalization of genocide and nuclear war.
In its election campaign, the Socialist Equality Party is fighting to develop a political leadership in the working class, connecting the fight against war with the fight against inequality, exploitation and the capitalist system. This is the basic and urgent task.
