While politicians in the US are embroiled in Donald Trump’s seemingly endless wars, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs is pushing to end one that he did not start: the war in Sudan, which marked its third anniversary on April 15. The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa was one of its first members to meet with Sudanese refugees on the border of Chad when the war began, and three years later, she is using her role to rein in US allies fueling the violence in Sudan.
“It’s really hard to see how little attention this conflict is getting,“ says Jacobs, who is working to reintroduce a bill to prohibit US arms sales to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), believed to be the main backer of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), one of the two warring parties in this conflict. “We are the biggest seller of weapons to the UAE. The UAE is the biggest funder and armer of the RSF, which has been found by our State Department to have committed genocide.”
As the youngest Jewish member of Congress, Jacobs is also vocal in her opposition to much of what Israel and the Netanyahu government are actively doing to Palestinians - even if it costs her friends in her own community. She tells Mehdi that her work on holding Israel accountable for its war crimes has revealed the hypocrisy of many pro-Israel Jewish organizations in the US that claim to stand on the side of all Jewish people. “I had a [GOP] colleague of mine literally make an antisemitic joke about my nose, and barely a peep from these organizations.”
The wide-ranging discussion touches on some of the biggest stories today, including:
The UAE lobby in DC and how they “literally lied to” Jacobs’ face, according to her.
Why Democrats didn’t stop the war in Sudan under Biden’s presidency.
Whether the US should continue to send so-called defensive weapons to Israel.
How Democrats can earn back voter trust after greenlighting the genocide in Gaza.
The plan for a permanent end to the war with Iran.
Whether California House Democrat Eric Swalwell’s sexual misconduct was an “open secret” in Congress.
Paid subscribers can watch the full interview above to hear Mehdi press the congresswoman on why she hesitates to describe Israel’s actions in Gaza as a genocide. Free subscribers can watch a 3-minute preview. Consider becoming a paid subscriber to Zeteo to unlock the full interview.
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