Genocide Comes to Charlottesville

By Eli Lerdau and anonymous contributor

Two days ago, Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel and wanted war criminal, flew from D.C. to Monticello, just a short drive from Downtown Charlottesville. His visit comes on the heels of a closed-door series of meetings in Washington, with the goal of eventually reaching a ceasefire. That goal became clearly unachievable as he departed with no progress in ending the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Since October 7th, 2023, Israeli forces have killed over 50,000 Palestinians, razed entire cities, reduced Gaza’s infrastructure to rubble, and transformed the strip into what can only be called an open-air concentration camp. Yet in the shadow of Thomas Jefferson’s estate Netanyahu was treated not as a fugitive of justice but as an honored guest.

This visit marks the prime minister’s third trip to the United States since Trump’s return to power. It comes as whispers of the President being nominated for a Nobel peace prize have swirled, a grotesque notion in a year where peace has faded into a distant memory for America. However, if Netanyahu’s trip was meant to yield progress, it failed. No hostages were released, no ceasefire was declared, and the death did not end. As if to confirm this, special envoy Steve Witkoff abruptly canceled a planned diplomatic mission to Doha. Still, Netanyahu continues to dangle the possibility of a temporary ceasefire, a “60 day pause” as he says, so long as Hamas agrees to disarm and effectively surrender. But this is not a peace offer, it is a pacification demand. It is a ceasefire designed to strip Palestinians of the ability to defend themselves while permitting Israel to prepare the next stage of the occupation. 

Equally damning is the scandal surrounding the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), a joint Israeli-American operation now implicated in atrocities of its own. GHF distribution centers, allegedly humanitarian in nature, have instead become horr sites. Staffed by private military contractors, these sites have become the scenes of indiscriminate gunfire, executions of desperate civilians, and the theft of resources meant for the starving. Eyewitness accounts report unarmed Palestinians gunned down for approaching food convoys, by a “relief” program we fund. The administration's frustration seemed to be beginning to show, as Trump said earlier this week on the White House laws “I’m not happy with Israel.”

Protestors speak on the steps of the Rotunda this past spring against the University of Virginia's continued support of the genocide in Gaza. Photo credits: Eli Lerdau

And so Netanyahu came south, leaving behind the marble halls of power for the rolling Shenandoah hills. The visit to Monticello, first reported by The Times of Israel was a “special gesture,” from Trump, and serves as a signal that relations have been smoothed. But the visit is also indicative of the constant mockeries of justice held by this administration. Police helicopters flew low across the skies and a convoy of armored vehicles rolled through the streets, all to protect an international criminal with an active arrest warrant. 

An employee at Monticello told us that by 1:30 p.m., all staff were instructed to clear out the premises by 4:00. “It was a complete mystery to us, or me at least” said the employee who asked to remain anonymous. Jefferson’s home, where the foundations for American freedom and democracy were created, was emptied to make way for a man whose hands are soaked in the blood of tens of thousands. It is normal, we are told, for foreign dignitaries to tour historic landmarks. But this visit is different from others in its nature. It is a desecration of an American site. That Netanyahu, accused of crimes against humanity, should be offered a private tour of the very home of the man who wrote “all men are created equal” is a cruelty so stark it borders on the surreal.