Are US Troops Helping in Israel’s War on Gaza?

Questions About Israeli Use of US Weapons May be Overshadowed by Reports of Direct US Involvement

According to respected London-based Arabic language newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi, the United States deployed troops to the Egypt-Gaza border weeks ago, at Israel’s behest, and the Army Corps of Engineers is currently helping the Israeli military unearth the tunnels used to smuggle both weapons and goods from Sinai into the blockaded strip.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich joined the chorus of outrage in the wake of yesterday’s Israeli attack on a United Nations girls’ school in the Gaza Strip refugee camp of Jabalya, expressing concern that the Israeli offensive (using US weapons) may violate provisions of the Arms Export Control Act on 1976.

To that end, Kucinich has written to outgoing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to express his concern and call for a Presidential examination and a report to Congress on Israel’s use of American weaponry in the Gaza Strip. The Congressman (and 2008 Presidential hopeful)’s concerns may well be only the beginning of the story of America’s role in the Israeli attacks on the strip.

While there has been no independent confirmation of al-Quds’ report, direct American involvement in a war which has killed over 700 Gazans and injured thousands of others would no doubt be the sort of thing the American public will feel at least warranted a mention. Finding out nearly two weeks in through a London newspaper simply is no substitute for hearing it from the outgoing horse’s mouth.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.