Allie Trionfetti is a member of the Rhode Island chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, an American Jewish anti-Zionist advocacy group. She lives in Providence.

On Nov. 20, the U.S. Senate voted against the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRD) — legislation introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders that would have blocked a $20-billion weapons shipment to Israel. For the first time in U.S. history, a weapons shipment to Israel had been challenged. The day after, the International Criminal Court (ICC)issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity. 

Much has happened in the weeks since — including Gallant’s welcome at the White House and Israel’s seizure and bombardment of sovereign Syrian land (480 strikes in 48 hours).

All of this is illegal and none of it would be possible without unwavering U.S. military aid and diplomatic cover. 

While the JRD did not pass, it garnered considerable Democratic support — but not from our Rhode Island senators. Shamefully, Rhode Island was the only New England state fully opposed to the JRD. Neither Reed nor Whitehouse found it critical to halt weapons sales to a country whose two highest-ranking leaders would face international arrest warrants less than 24 hours later. 

In a statement on his nay vote, Whitehouse described Netanyahu’s conduct as having “veered off course.” Israeli military operationshave killed over 44,800 in Gaza, includinghundreds of health and aid workers. Netanyahu’s clear “course” is one of ethnic cleansing, targeting medical, water and sanitation infrastructure necessary for life in Gaza. Whitehouse characterizes Israel as “a country that represents our values in a very dangerous neighborhood,” echoing racist, ethno-nationalistic sentiments that have been a driving force of American imperialism at home and abroad since our country’s inception. In this, Whitehouse is undoubtedly correct that Israel represents our values — but he considers this a point of pride rather than condemnation.

How dare Whitehouse offer this smug, indirect justification of Israel’s genocidal behavior. Israel’s war on Gaza killed more children in its first four months than were killed in four years of global conflict. Anyone who calls this scale of annihilation self-defense is willfully misinformed or deliberately partaking of propaganda. When that privileged ignorance falls among congressional leaders it is a stain of their complicity in these atrocities. 

The JRD was an historic intervention to uphold pre-existing federal laws. TheLeahy Law and Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act state that the Department of Defense may not provide equipment to any foreign security force that has committed gross human rights violations or prohibits delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance. Yet, U.S.-supplied bombs have been linked to war crimes in Gaza andLebanon. Reed released a November 2023joint statement with Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, saying that U.S. military sales to Israel “must adhere (…) to international humanitarian law, the law of armed conflict, and U.S. law.” Van Hollen and Schatz signed on to the JRD to abide by these laws and made good on their words; Reed did not. 

Reed and Whitehouse missed an opportunity to be part of an historic shift in U.S. policy. They failed to uphold international and U.S. law and the will of their increasingly disillusioned base. They must now amplify the International Criminal Court arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. When the court issued an arrest warrant for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin for war crimes in Ukraine, Senator Whitehousejoined a bipartisan group of senators who urged President Biden to support the investigation for the sake of accountability and justice. With Netanyahu, it should be no different. Our senators are running out of opportunities to match their policies with their proclaimed commitment to upholding international and U.S. humanitarian law. 

As a member of Jewish Voice for Peace-Rhode Island, a coalition of anti-Zionist Jews and allies, I am firm in my commitment to a full arms embargo against Israel. We are witnessing a genocide thatover 250 international human rights and aid organizations have corroborated in devastating detail. The JRD was not a call for a full arms embargo. It represented a tiny, crucial interruption in a massive flow of weaponry that has killed a population with the largest number of verified deaths among 5- to 9-year-olds. We demand to know how Whitehouse and Reed justify their votes against halting a single arms shipment to a pariah state whose leaders are facing arrests for war crimes and crimes against humanity and who are now seizing and bombing sovereign territory, expanding their horrific death toll and sowing escalatory chaos. 

Allie Trionfetti is a member of the Rhode Island chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, an American Jewish anti-Zionist advocacy group. She lives in Providence.

Rhode Island’s governor announced Friday that a state health care system was targeted in a cyberattack that may have resulted in personal information being stolen.

RIBridges, part of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, is described by the agency as “a state-of-the-art eligibility system” used to determine if residents are eligible for state programs and Medicaid, and to connect them with other health care options.

Gov. Dan McKee’s office said Friday that RIBridges’ computer system was hit with a breach.

“On December 13, 2024, the State was informed by its vendor, Deloitte, that there was a major security threat to the RIBridges system,” the state said in a statement. “In response, we have proactively taken the system offline so that the State and Deloitte can work to address the threat and restore the system as quickly as possible. Additionally, Deloitte confirmed that there is a high probability that a cybercriminal has obtained files with personally identifiable information from RIBridges.”

The state noted that RIBridges manages Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), Rhode Island Works (RIW), Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS), General Public Assistance Program (GPA), and health coverage purchased through HealthSource RI.

NBC affiliate WJAR reports that the system, previously called UHIP, was launched in 2016 under former Gov. Gina Raimondo and had a rocky rollout, resulting in a major backlog.

Rhode Island officials say people whose information may have been compromised will receive letters in the mail instructing them how to access free credit monitoring. They added that a dedicated call center would be available beginning Sunday, but they have not yet released a phone number.

More information is available here.

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announces the permanent conservation of 38.27 acres of Atlantic White Cedar forest in Tiverton. The protected land, part of the Pocasset Cedar Swamp off Bears Den Road, represents a globally imperiled forest species under threat from sea level rise.

The conservation effort is a partnership between DEM, the Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust, and Bally’s Corporation. The land holds significant cultural and sacred value for the Pocasset Wampanoket Tribe of the Pokanoket Nation, the ancestral people of the greater Tiverton and Fall River area.

“This land is significant as the ancestral heartbeat of the Pocasset Pokanoket people,” said Chief George Spring Buffalo, Chairman of the Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe of the Pokanoket Nation. “This is the site of King Phillip’s War, one of the most devastating conflicts to native people in American history. We will create trails, explore the lands, and discover what our ancestors left us there. DEM was an honest partner through this process, and we’re looking forward to more collaborations with them.”

The Pocasset Cedar Swamp was the site of The Battle of Pocasset Swamp during King Phillip’s War, where both Sachem Weetamoo and King Phillip (Chief Metacomet) fought.

Atlantic White Cedar forests have faced extensive commercial harvesting, now comprising only a small percentage of forest cover in the region. Over the past century, these forests along the Atlantic seaboard have been considerably degraded and reduced.

“We are excited to be working in partnership with the Pocasset Pokanoket Tribe and believe firmly in this project and the public benefit of protecting the Pocasset Cedar Swamp,” said DEM Director Terry Gray. “Rhode Islanders are proud to be a diverse people, with diverse cultures and we celebrate our tribal communities.”

The purchase price for the nearly 40-acre property is $60,000. A $40,000 grant committed in 2022 through DEM’s competitive Local Open Space Grant Program plays a crucial role in financing the project. Funds for this program come from voter-approved Green Economy Bonds.

The Local Open Space Grant Program has protected nearly 1,700 acres statewide over the past five years. Almost every town in Rhode Island has received funding through the program, with over 200 grants administered since 1990, thanks to voter-approved bond measures.

This conservation effort aligns with broader initiatives to protect endangered habitats and support tribal rematriation efforts. The Atlantic White Cedar forest’s preservation not only safeguards a rare ecosystem but also returns culturally significant land to its ancestral stewards.

The Pocasset Cedar Swamp project demonstrates the potential for collaboration between state agencies, tribal nations, and private corporations in land conservation efforts. It sets a precedent for future initiatives that combine ecological preservation with cultural heritage protection.

For more information on DEM programs and initiatives, interested parties can visit www.dem.ri.gov or follow the department on various social media platforms.