After the condemnable Israeli assassination of Palestinian Resistance leader Ismail Haniyeh, it is clear that the genocidal regime is inviting a full-fledged response to strike at its breast.

The response that is set to follow is also a wake-up call for Washington, which has offered blatant support for the Israeli genocide and now demonstrates plausible deniability over Ismail’s martyrdom. Rising dissent within Congress has already exposed US doublespeak on Gaza and could take on a new intensity hereon.   

The facts speak for themselves. Scores of junior staff members recently stepped up their protests against Washington’s criminal complicity in the Gaza genocide, paving the way for the “Congressional Dissent Channel” – a website that enables Congressional aides to expose deepening political rifts within the US administration. Here’s why it matters.

First, the platform offers a snapshot of rising internal discords when it comes to Washington’s "Israel" policy. It is led by the same Congressional staff members who staged calls for an immediate ceasefire and refused to hear war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress. For long, the Biden administration has sought to arm the genocidal regime, shield it from international scrutiny, and turned a blind eye to brazen war crimes committed against innocent Palestinians. The launch of the Dissent Channel makes clear that the more Washington sponsors "Israel’s" atrocities, the deeper the divisions it suffers at home.

Washington and "Israel’s" criminal nexus against Gazans is also coming apart. Look no further than US Congressman Jamaal Bowman’s recent assertions. In a detailed piece for The Guardian, he castigated Washington for trying to portray itself as a leader in “peace, diplomacy, and human rights” while embracing the commander-in-chief of "Israel’s" genocidal war in Gaza. It is high time that the moral outrage over "Israel’s" mass slaughter campaign penetrates beyond measure and needs to be visible in every part of an administration that has deluded the public on Palestinian bloodshed.

Dissent should also focus on Washington’s indifference to Israeli warmongering, which has set the stage for a wider regional war. After all, Washington refused to even comment on "Israel’s" belligerent actions on Lebanese soil, including a strike on Haret Hreik in the Southern Suburb of Beirut. All this is a scathing indictment of America’s own ‘profile’ as a so-called mediator. It has only worked to protect occupation interests thus far and created a climate of injustice towards regional powers. It's time to call an end to it. “[The Congressional Dissent Group] is dedicated to changing the paradigm of U.S. support for the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza being carried out” by "Israel", states the organization.

Given these glaring hypocrisies, dissent towards the Biden administration and Congress is increasingly warranted. Kamala Harris is ready to take the reins but offers nothing beyond a change in “tone” on "Israel’s" genocide. This is despite the knowledge that the Israeli genocide has claimed nearly 40,000 Palestinian lives, and sustained belligerence looks set to spiral the Middle East towards a wider war. Dissent within Congressional ranks is also critical to expose US inaction on arms and financial support and bring facts to light through written letters, petitions, and social media activism. 

That is precisely what the Congressional Dissent Channel aims to accomplish. First, it is an attempt to resist unwarranted restrictions on freedom of speech amid the Gaza genocide. And secondly, it shows that Congressional staff members have no real opening to challenge falsehoods touted by pro-Israeli loyalists in Washington. All this comes as America shows condemnable indifference towards the martyrdom of celebrated Palestinian Resistance leader Ismail Haniyeh. It is thus a welcome step for likeminded Congressional staff members to publish memos that castigate Washington’s policy on Gaza, and reveal the extent of US subservience to the occupation.

Interestingly, the costs of supporting "Israel’s" criminal actions are also dawning on US lawmakers. Democrats are facing a shrinking vote bank, while the world’s self-proclaimed democracy is the subject of agony, resistance and rapid isolation in the Middle East. Pro-Palestinian protests are gaining significant traction, despite efforts by hardcore Zionist lobbyists to shut them down. The rapid decay of the American security establishment is clear for all to see.

As a result, a highly critical American public discourse sets up roadblocks to Zionist scheming in Washington. "Israel’s" condemnable adventurism in Lebanon and Iran has shown that the occupation entity was never really interested in ceasefire talks, or in valuing the sovereignty of regional powers. Now, a forceful and capitulating response awaits the occupation. One that can drive Washington’s so-called peacebuilding influence to the ground. 

Also, make no mistake: all this is the occupation’s own doing – it has opened up multiple fronts in the war, and still expects Congressional aides to peddle falsehoods on Israeli atrocities?

The Dissent channel is a telling reminder that contrarian perspectives will prevail. It also mirrors a deeper frustration in America over the government’s brazen endorsement of the Israeli genocide.