Rep. Adam Smith Calls For Embargo On “Certain Offensive Weapons” Almost 700 Days Into Israel’s Genocide in Gaza

Infamous war hawk Rep. Adam Smith has oversaw, funded, and defended Israel’s genocide in Gaza for almost 700 days. But, with the blood of at least 60,000 Palestinians on his hands, Smith posted a statement earlier this week finally conceding that maybe the U.S. government should withhold weapons enabling the annihilation of an entire people. I would say Smith was visited by three ghosts this weekend, but that seems too generous given the fact that he’s still not calling for a total arms embargo — just stopping the sale of “some offensive weapons systems.”

In his statement, posted to Twitter on Tuesday morning, Smith said Israel should implement a ceasefire in Gaza, ramp up the flow of humanitarian aid, stop the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, and make serious moves to quell the violence in that region. He urged President Donald Trump to make these demands of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and the rest of his administration along with an ultimatum. 

“If Israel does not take these steps, I believe it is time for the United States government to stop the sale of some offensive weapons systems to Israel as leverage to pressure Israel into taking these actions,” Smith said. 

Smith did not specify the exact arms that the U.S. should withhold and to what extent. That is because he is a weasel. He also did not propose any legislation. That is because he is a coward. A weasel and a coward and the recipient of almost half a million dollars from pro-Israel lobby groups and another $900,000 from the defense industry. 

While many online noted that Smith said too little, too late, some acknowledged the hard work of the anti-war movement for creating the pressure to elicit from Smith a call for even a halfway arms embargo. 

As Smith noted in his statement, he’s opposed efforts to block weapon sales to Israel in the past. He did not give protesters any credit for his change of heart, instead he said Israel has weakened its enemies — Hamas, but also Hezbollah and Iran — so much that they really don’t even need weapons. 

“These are very positive developments that might not have happened if the US had reduced its support to Israel prior to them occurring,” Smith wrote. “But these developments also mean that Israel faces little if any risk to its security if the US blocks the sale of some weapons now.”

Smith said he also opposed this move in the past because it could “embolden” Hamas to keep fighting. He slung some mud at “various international groups” for “empowering” Hamas by placing all the blame on Israel. But Smith argued that Hamas won’t back down and it is not a feasible goal to wipe the group entirely. 

He suggested instead: “It is time to pressure Hamas by working with alternative Palestinian leadership to rebuild Gaza and give the Palestinian people some hope for their future. I am not naïve that this approach is somehow guaranteed to work, but simply continuing the war has clearly failed to completely eliminate Hamas or gain the return of the hostages. It is

time to try something else.”

He gave a quick, two-sentence nod to the devastation in Gaza, carefully casting doubt on reports from the ground. Then he pivoted to arguing that a ceasefire might help Israel’s image — a staggering reduction of mass death to a PR concern.

“I also believe that if Israel does not end the war in Gaza, they run the risk of being ostracized globally in a way that is a far greater threat to the long-term security of Israel than anything

their adversaries are now capable of doing,” Smith said.

It is here in Smith’s obvious projection that he reveals the true motives behind his statement.  Smith hitched his wagon to Israel. But the tides of broader public opinion are turning and they’re turning fast. More and more people have registered their disgust with Israel’s actions and the elected leaders who have enabled them. The genocide has not changed. The politics have. Now Smith runs the risk of being ostracized politically. And not a moment too soon.