Scott Horton, a veteran anti-war analyst, delivered a scathing critique of America’s unwavering backing for Israel amid its military campaign in Gaza, labeling it complicity in genocide and ethnic cleansing that has claimed over 58,000 lives.

SCOTT HORTON: U.S.-Backed Israel MURDERS Over 50,000, Including Thousands of Children, in Gaza Slaughter pic.twitter.com/unOKsK0ktP

— National File (@NationalFile) July 14, 2025

Why it matters: Horton’s speech highlights the growing divide in U.S. foreign policy discourse. Critics argue that American aid supports atrocities and risks isolation and retaliatory terrorism, while supporters see it as vital for supporting allies against threats such as Hamas. Meanwhile, international investigations into genocide claims may impact alliances and domestic politics.

Driving the news: In his speech, Horton accused Israel of supporting “the most criminal regime on the planet,” using biblical references to justify mass killings and property theft in Gaza. He pointed to deliberate cruelty under military strategies and advanced technology, calling for an end to U.S. involvement and a focus on “America first.”

• Over a year and a half into the conflict, Gaza’s death toll has surpassed 58,000, including thousands of children, with Israel’s actions described as an ethnic cleansing campaign aimed at eradicating Palestinian society.
• Israel employs the Dahiya doctrine, deliberately destroying cities, infrastructure like waterworks, hospitals, and schools to drive Palestinians out, explicitly targeting societal records for land ownership.
• AI programs like Lavender select targets, with a related system (“Where’s Daddy?”) timing strikes when suspects are home with families, leading to high civilian casualties.
• More journalists have been killed in Gaza than in all wars since Vietnam combined, seen as a tactic to suppress coverage of atrocities. Source
• Rescue workers rushing to aid dying children are targeted with tank fire, as evidenced in incidents like the killing of 15 aid workers in Rafah. Source
• Starving Palestinians are lured into ambushes with food promises and machine-gunned; toddlers and pregnant women face sniper fire for “sport” due to boredom.
• Civilians are buried alive in rubble, used as human shields under the “Mosquito Protocol,” where Palestinians—including women, children, and elderly—are forced to clear buildings and tunnels as a “sub-army of slaves.”
• Captives endure gang rape and torture to death in detention facilities, with one reported case at Sde Teiman involving severe injuries and sparking arrests amid protests defending the soldiers.
• The U.S. violates Geneva Conventions and domestic laws by providing jets and bombs, enabling these acts, while Israel threatens war with Iran.
• Such support invites revenge attacks on Americans, akin to September 11th, recent incidents in Washington, D.C., and Boulder.

Catch up quick: Scott Horton, director of the Libertarian Institute and host of the Scott Horton Show, has consistently criticized U.S. interventions. He sees the Gaza conflict—triggered by Hamas’ October 2023 attack—as part of ongoing tensions from occupation and displacement. Israel’s actions have devastated Gaza, displacing nearly 2 million people, with accusations of war crimes from organizations like Amnesty International, though Israel claims self-defense against militants. Horton argues that America’s involvement continues violence without any strategic benefits.

The intrigue: Horton’s invocation of “Amalek“—a biblical enemy cited by Israeli leaders like Netanyahu to frame Palestinians as existential threats—reveals how ancient texts are weaponized in modern rhetoric, drawing genocide comparisons at the International Court of Justice. Meanwhile, AI-driven targeting, with error rates up to 10% and permissive collateral damage rules (up to 20 civilians per junior militant), exposes a chilling automation of warfare rarely scrutinized.

Between the lines: Beneath the rhetoric, U.S. complicity—through billions in aid—ignores legal bans on supporting war criminals, risking escalation with Iran and perpetuating a cycle where American security suffers from blowback. Israel denies systematic abuses like human shields, claiming isolated incidents under investigation, but reports suggest widespread practices despite court bans.

What they’re saying:

“For more than a year and a half, the world has watched as America has backed the most criminal regime on the planet, Israel, as it has murdered more than 50,000 people, including thousands of children, and all in the name of exterminating Amalek,” Scott Horton said in his speech.

“They gang rape and torture captives to death in their dungeons,” Horton added, highlighting detention horrors.

Israeli officials reject genocide labels, with legal teams arguing at the ICJ that operations target Hamas, not civilians, and lack intent for extermination. “The charge of genocide is levelled incorrectly,” said Israeli lawyer Malcolm Shaw.

The bottom line: Horton warns it’s not too late to cut U.S. support, averting further atrocities and revenge attacks, but continued aid ties America to Israel’s actions—as the IDF admits they “literally could not do it without us”—potentially inviting more global backlash and domestic reckoning.