The U.S. abstention in the vote on a UN Resolution
condemning Israel for its settlement policies has drawn criticism
from Trump, Republicans and pro-Israel organizations. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu charges was
the result of a conspiracy against Israel.
It’s time to get real and face the facts. Netanyahu and many hard-line right-wing Israelis
don’t really want a 2-state solution. Their
ultimate aim is incorporation of the Jerusalem and the West Bank into the state
of Israel. Israeli lawful and unlawful expropriation
of Palestinian land and new Israeli settlements on the West Bank is a constant,
ongoing process. Israel intends to
fulfill its destiny to restore the state of Israel to its biblical
boundaries. This includes Judea and Sameria
on the West Bank. The West Bank is not
part of the original Israel and was captured by the Israelis in the 6-day War. The occupation of the West Bank is unlawful under
international law and U.N. Resolutions. The plan of those who want to make the
occupation permanent is to move slowly but steadily and stay the course. Eventually there will be so many Israelis living
in the West Bank, and so few Palestinians that restoring the Palestinians will
become impossible. The Viet Cong and
North Vietnam waited us out in the Viet Nam war. This is the same strategy. As long as it has
U.S. backing, and no catastrophic sanctions, the occupation will become
permanent. See
For better or worse, Israel is the U.S.’s only reliable ally
in the Middle East. There is a very
strong pro-Israel lobby and much support in Congress. Trump has made statements that he will be
much more pro-Israel than Obama.
Although there is blame on all sides of the issue, too many people and
politicians wink at what is going on in Palestine. The injustice feeds radical
Islam. For many, the Palestinians in
occupied territory are disposable, and must not stand in the way of Israel’s
manifest destiny
“But for the 42% of Israelis who no longer believe in two
states, the status quo must be regarded as the permanent status (omitting the
even more shocking “policy” of population transfer, aka ethnic cleansing). Thus
we must ask anew what, if anything, differentiates the occupation from
apartheid.” . . .
“The
most important difference between the occupation and apartheid is duration. For
two-state Zionists, the status quo in the West Bank is temporary, and thus
cannot be truly analogized to apartheid, which was intended to be permanent.
(Of course, the occupation has now lasted 49 years, more than the 46 years of
apartheid.) The occupation is unjust, but it is meant to come to an end once
both sides’ concerns about security, borders, autonomy, water, justice and so on
are addressed. And of course, as to why that hasn’t happened, there’s blame
enough to go around on
all sides.” .
Even
within nominally autonomous “Palestine,” ultimately the Israeli military holds
sovereignty. It can go wherever it wants, regulate travel, allocate resources.
While Palestine governs itself from day to day, in cases of conflict the
Israeli military holds nearly all the power even in areas of supposed
Palestinian autonomy — let alone the vast swaths of the West Bank under full
Israeli control.”
“In 2010, Israel’s then-defense minister, Ehud Barak, explicitly warned that Israel would become a permanent “apartheid” state if it failed to reach a peace agreement with Palestinians that creates their own sovereign nation and vests them with full political rights. “As long as in this territory west of the Jordan River there is only one political entity called Israel, it is going to be either non-Jewish, or non-democratic,” Barak said. “If this bloc of millions of Palestinians cannot vote, that will be an apartheid state.”
Honest observers on both sides of the conflict have long acknowledged that the prospects for a two-state solution are virtually non-existent: another way of saying that Israel’s status as a permanent apartheid regime is inevitable. Indeed, U.S. intelligence agencies as early as 45 years ago explicitly warned that Israeli occupation would become permanent if it did not end quickly.
All relevant evidence makes clear this is what has happened. There has been no progress toward a two-state solution for many years. The composition of Israel’s Jewish population — which has become far more belligerent and right-wing than previous generations — has increasingly moved the country further away from that goal. There are key ministers in Israel’s government, including its genuinely extremist justice minister, who are openly and expressly opposed to a two-state solution. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has himself repeatedly made clear he opposes such an agreement, both in words and in deeds. In sum, Israel intends to continue to rule over and occupy Palestinians and deny them self-governance, political liberties, and voting rights indefinitely.”
“This week, with its fresh new $38 billion commitment in hand, the Israeli government announced the approval of an all new settlement in the West Bank, one that is particularly hostile to ostensible U.S. policy, the international consensus, and any prospects for an end to occupation. The new settlement, “one of a string of housing complexes that threaten to bisect the West Bank,” as the New York Times put it this morning, “is designed to house settlers from a nearby illegal outpost, Amona, which an Israeli court has ordered demolished.” This new settlement extends far into the West Bank: closer to Jordan, in fact, than to Israel.” https://theintercept.com/2016/10/06/u-s-admits-israel-is-building-permanent-apartheid-regime-weeks-after-giving-it-38-billion/
Unfortunately, anyone who criticizes the occupation is labeled anti-semitic, anti-Israel, etc. I expect to get that label. I support the state of Israel within its ORIGINAL boundaries. A majority of Israelis support a two-state solution. These propaganda techniques allow avoidance of the real issues. Israel has legitimate security concerns, but that does not excuse this occupation.
Bat guano. Israel won the West Bank fair and square in 1967.
ReplyDeleteI have a vivid memory of Abba Eban's comment in the UN: "There are three million Jews. There are 200 million Arabs. Is the distinguished delegate from Egypt trying to say we surrounded them?"
Losers generally have a problem facing reality. In the used-to-be, they didn't get mulligans.
Art
Ever heard of the concept of rule of law? How about the concepts of property rights and human rights? The Soviet Union won the Crimean peninsula recently fair and square. Does that justify the invasion?
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