Aaron Bushnell, an aviator serving in the US military, set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington to protest against the genocide in Gaza. After the incident, it was announced that Bushnell passed away in the hospital where he was treated. Another person had previously set themselves on fire in Atlanta, but Bushnell's act was more attention-grabbing. This was due to the shocking statements Bushnell made before the act. However, it can be said that these statements were not pursued. There are even those who openly stated that they were uncomfortable with discussing Bushnell's act.
It had been reported in the press that before his act, Bushnell had provided very important information to one of his friends about the US military entering the tunnels in Gaza. According to a news article dated February 28, 2024, by Anadolu Agency, Bushnell told one of his friends that he had seen documents showing the US military's involvement in the genocide in Palestine and the entry of US soldiers into the tunnels. After mentioning the presence of US troops in Gaza, Bushnell also added that "they had killed many Palestinians there."
It cannot be said that Bushnell's claims are baseless. It also does not seem easy to claim that the mental balance of this soldier, like many others who sacrifice themselves in the US, was not sound. The soldier's statements are quite consistent within themselves and also correspond directly to historical and factual truths. Therefore, what this soldier said cannot be devalued. Perhaps they can divert attention from it. It is also not possible to cover up Bushnell's statements about the US military killing many Palestinians in Gaza. After the attacks on Gaza by Israel, the US administration had declared that it would support Israel in every aspect. This support also included endorsing Israel's ground operations in Gaza. As it will be remembered, Lieutenant General James Glynn, who had taken part in the attacks on Fallujah in Iraq, was sent to Israel to plan the ground operation in Gaza. James Glynn was not going to manage American soldiers serving in Israel but their commanders. This is very important in revealing the dimensions of the US's military support to Israel. It is not known how many commanders have participated in the attacks on Gaza from the US, how many soldiers have been officially or unofficially deployed. Aaron Bushnell revealed a little bit of the veil over this unknown. It is extremely important to reveal this kind of information.
As is known, the atrocities committed by the US military in Iraq could not be covered up, and some documents were scattered around. When these documents were published, there was upheaval in Turkey as well. As will be remembered, many journalists, intellectuals, opinion leaders, etc., from Turkey also believed that the US and the UK were bringing democracy to Iraq and were excited to stand against Saddam. However, there was no end to the dirty murders committed by the US military in Iraq, and these were of a nature that would embarrass all humanity. It should not be forgotten that there were also those who were worried about the shaking of the image of the US when these documents were scattered around. The murders committed by the US and British armies, and in this context, the Australian army, in Afghanistan were also horrifying. This is also valid for Gaza. It is known that there is also a presence of the British army in Gaza. It is not difficult to guess that not only weapons but also ammunition were sent to Israel from the bases located in the Republic of Cyprus.
It was seen from the beginning of Israel's attacks on Gaza that the UK and the US were involved in the events. Attempts were made to bring up the fact that the involvement of these countries in the attacks on Gaza could not be reduced to Jewish history and the relationship of Europeans with Jews. Such approaches also sidelined the superhuman resistance of the Palestinians. In the time that has passed, the resistance of the Palestinians not only disrupted the regional calculations of the UK and the US but also collapsed the Western story in Gaza, which had been going on for about two hundred and fifty years. As Palestinians resisted, the most powerful philosophers of the Western story also came face to face with humanity in a different way. Undoubtedly, these were reflections of the military support of the UK and the US in different fields.
Western philosophers had managed to legitimize the massacres in Fallujah under the guise of democracy. But today, the people of Gaza are not offering them a new guise.
