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RI senators missed historic moment to block weapons to Israel | Opinion

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RI senators missed historic moment to block weapons to Israel | Opinion


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).

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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. 

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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.



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Rhode Island

Married couple from R.I. identified as victims in fatal Swansea crash

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Married couple from R.I. identified as victims in fatal Swansea crash


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The two victims were identified as a husband and wife from Rhode Island, local officials said.

A Rhode Island husband and wife in their 50s were identified as the two people killed in a Swansea car crash Friday night.

Carlolyn Carcasi, 54, and James Carcasi, 53, of Bristol, Rhode Island, were killed in the Feb. 27 crash, the office of Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn said in a press release Monday.

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The crash occurred at the intersection of Route 136 and Route 6 in Swansea, Quinn’s office said.

Police in Cranston, Rhode Island identified the driver who allegedly hit the couple as Demitri Sousa, 28. Sousa allegedly shot and killed a man in Rhode Island nearly four hours before the crash, Cranston police said.

At around 12:18 a.m. Friday, Swansea police spotted Sousa’s Infiniti barreling down Route 6, Swansea officials said previously.

The couple was driving southbound on Route 136 when the Sousa crashed into the side of a Subaru Ascent. Both cars had “catastrophic damage,” and the Subaru was engulfed in flames, Swansea fire and police officials said. 

Both occupants of the Subaru were declared dead at the scene, Swansea officials said.

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Sousa was transported to a local hospital, where he is being treated for serious injuries. He is expected to live and will be held in Cranston police custody until he is medically cleared, police said Sunday.

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Women’s Fund of Rhode Island, leaders celebrate Women’s History Month with panel event

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Women’s Fund of Rhode Island, leaders celebrate Women’s History Month with panel event


Women’s Fund of Rhode Island and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed celebrated Women’s History Month in Cranston with a panel discussion on Monday.

The event was held at the Cranston Public Library at 9 a.m.

Reed and other leaders of WFRI hosted a panel discussion with women leaders in environmental and agricultural advocacy, education, community resilience, housing, finance, workforce development, and more, officials said.

Women’s Fund of Rhode Island and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed celebrated Women’s History Month in Cranston with a panel discussion on Monday. (WJAR)

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“Women have played a critical role in this process, most often without any recognition,” Reed said. “Today’s panel brings together an extraordinary group of women who are addressing the challenged of sustainability from various angles and I want to thank you all for your great efforts.”

The panelists highlighted their experiences, shared insights and tips on lifting up women’s voices, provided strategies for sparking change and more.

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According to officials, some of the panelists included Executive Director of the Rhode Island Food Policy Council Nessa Richman, Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives at Rhode Island College Kim Bright, Newport Housing Authority Executive Director Rhonda Mitchell and more.

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Man allegedly kills man in R.I. before causing car crash that killed 2 in Mass.

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Man allegedly kills man in R.I. before causing car crash that killed 2 in Mass.


Local News

“On behalf of the Cranston Police Department, I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Javon Lawson and the two individuals who were killed in the crash in Swansea,” Col. Michael J. Winquist said.

A Seekonk man is accused of murder after he allegedly shot and killed a man in Rhode Island before causing a car crash in Swansea that killed two people last week, police said.  

Demitri Sousa, 28, is charged with murder, using a firearm while committing a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license, the Cranston Police Department said.

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The shooting occurred Thursday night in Cranston, police said in a press release.

That night, Sousa allegedly arrived at the Cranston home of Javon Lawson, 35. Sousa began banging on the side door of the home, police said. 

When Lawson approached the door, he was hit by gunfire from outside, police said.

First responders transported Lawson to the Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Cranston police said.

“Based on the preliminary investigation, the motive is believed to be a dispute between the suspect and the victim over a mutual female acquaintance. Detectives are continuing this investigation to gain more insight, as well as to collect and analyze evidence,” Colonel Michael Winquist, Chief of Cranston police, said in an emailed statement to Boston.com.

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Neighbors gave police video footage that “showed a male subject wearing dark clothing and a mask walking toward the residence moments before the shooting and fleeing immediately afterward,” Winquist said.

The suspect was also seen running to a white Infiniti sedan which then drove off, the Cranston police chief said.

Shortly after the shooting, a license plate reader captured the vehicle driving southbound on Route 10, and then later in Fall River and Westport, Massachusetts. The sedan’s license plate was registered in Sousa’s name, Winquist said.

At around 12:18 a.m. Friday, Swansea police spotted Sousa’s Infiniti barreling down Route 6, Swansea officials said.

Just moments later, Sousa allegedly “crashed into the side of another vehicle, a blue 2022 Subaru Ascent that had been traveling southbound on Route 136,” Swansea Police Chief Mark Foley and Fire Chief Eric Hajder said in a joint press release.

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Both vehicles had “catastrophic damage,” and the struck car was engulfed in flames, the Swansea officials said.

The driver and passenger of the hit car — a man and a woman — were declared dead at the scene, they said.

“Swansea Police had been alerted to be on the lookout for the suspect vehicle. However, Swansea Police were not involved in the pursuit and were not pursuing the vehicle at the time of the crash,” the Swansea chiefs wrote. Swansea official have not announced charges related to the fatal crash.

Sousa had been driving the Infiniti and appeared to be suffering from serious injuries, Winquist said. Inside the car, police found a pistol and “additional .22 caliber ammunition was recovered” from Sousa at Rhode Island Hospital, Winquist said.

Police arrested Sousa and transported him to Rhode Island Hospital. Sousa is expected to survive, Winquist said. Sousa will be held in Cranston police custody until he is conscious and medically cleared, Winquist said.

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“On behalf of the Cranston Police Department, I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Javon Lawson and the two individuals who were killed in the crash in Swansea,” Winquist said.

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