Dear Editor,
Accountability is a foundational pillar of government that ensures political leaders are fulfilling their duties honorably and legally. As a 14-year-old student from Waterbury observing the world’s political actions today, what frightens me most is the federal government’s lack of accountability. This is especially highlighted in the conflicts in the Middle East.
The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, requires that any security assistance or arms provided by the United States to any country must advance internationally recognized human rights and avoid identification of the United States with any violations of those rights. The act prohibits assistance to any government that engages in a consistent pattern of human rights violations.
The United States’ continued military and financial support of Israel despite actions in Gaza that the United Nations’ own commission of inquiry has concluded constitute genocide, and its military actions in Lebanon, suggests a violation of this policy. To uphold the ideals our country was founded on, we must hold the government to its own laws and policies. That is why Senate Resolution 797, introduced to the U.S. Senate by Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., is so important. This resolution requests a report on Israel’s human rights practices, and questions whether the United States should continue supporting it.
Since this is a privileged resolution, Welch can force it to a floor vote, which he has not done yet. It is extremely important to me that my senator sees this resolution through, because the obscene acts being committed against innocent people of Gaza and Lebanon are unacceptable and should not be supported by the U.S. This is not just a morally driven opinion, but a fact that, under law, the United States cannot assist governments that continually commit human rights violations.
From a young age, children have been given rules to follow and expected to abide by them. It is only right that the federal government is held to these same standards.
Zoya Bianchi
Waterbury, Vt.
