American writer says US trying to limit public exposure to growing Pro-Palestine protests/Biden signed off on Gaza genocide from day one

Tehran, Qodsna - John Steppling made the remarks in an exclusive interview with the Qods News Agency, ruling out speculations about the US administration’s frustration on what is going on in the Gaza Strip, noting that Washington signed off on Gaza genocide from day one.

Asked about the effects of the campus protests across the United States, Steppling said: “The protests are having a surprisingly significant impact, I think. The Democratic National Committee is already changing much of the convention (in Chicago) to limit public exposure to the protests. Ironic the convention is in Chicago, as it was in 1968 at the height of the antiwar protests against the Vietnam war. The protests so far lack the articulate politics of the 68 era protesters (Abbie Hoffman, Dave Dellinger, Jerry Rubin et al). There is a dearth of politically astute critics among the youth right now. The best voices on Palestine, Miko Peled and Norman Finklestein and Jonathan Cook and Illan Pappe are older, but I think we will see new voices emerge. I have heard comments from protesters on various campuses which are very sharp and clearly unafraid. The protests will continue to grow. The police cannot arrest EVERYONE...so what then?”

Referring to the US administration’s tactics to stop the spread of the protests, he said: “The US government, in total, is far more worried about the protests than they are about voters, actually. But the US is a very corrupt electoral system. So, the impact is felt in a sort of aggregate cultural way. Media is doing back flips to hide voices of dissent and constantly reiterate Israeli talking points about antisemitism, about the now discredited Oct 7th atrocity stories regards Hamas, and there is a lot of effort spent to make the IDF appear heroic. But all of it is cancelled the second a new video of dead children appears. Often dozens of dead children. I think the US doesn't quite know what to do with such horrific images.”

He also pointed to US President Joe Biden’s political future amid the presidential election in the country, arguing: “Now, there is an impact regards the upcoming election. It’s not nothing. First, there is a narrative being constructed in real time that Biden is frustrated with Netanyahu. This is nonsense. Biden signed off on this genocide from day one. He signed off on Zionist occupation and land theft from his first day in politics. He is an ardent pro Zionist. His cabinet appointments are nearly all Zionists.”

The analyst concluded: “So, the protests matter. And that is why you are seeing such a heavy-handed crackdown by police. The US has a lot of problems besides the genocide in Palestine. Homelessness is at unprecedented levels. I'm not sure the real numbers have even been compiled. Infrastructure is decrepit and badly overdue for repairs. And nobody can afford to live. The country is getting desperate.”