As of late Friday the ceasefire in Gaza seems to be holding, if tentatively. While we should be pleased that this round of fighting appears temporarily on hold, we must realize that without changes in US foreign policy it is only a matter of time before the killing begins again.
It feels like 2009 all over again, which is the last time this kind of violence broke out inGaza. At that time over 1,400 Palestinians were killed, of which just 235 were combatants. The Israelis lost 13 of which 10 were combatants. At that time I said of then-President Bush’s role in the conflict:
“It's our money and our weapons. But I think we encouraged it. Certainly, the president has said nothing to diminish it. As a matter of fact, he justifies it on moral grounds, saying, oh, they have a right to do this, without ever mentioning the tragedy of Gaza…. To me, I look at it like a concentration camp.”The US role has not changed under the Obama administration. The same mistakes continue. As journalist Glen Greenwald wrote last week:
"For years now, US financial, military and diplomatic support of Israel has been the central enabling force driving this endless conflict. The bombs Israel drops on Gazans, and the planes they use to drop them, and the weapons they use to occupy the West Bank and protect settlements are paid for, in substantial part, by the US taxpayer…”Last week, as the fighting raged, President Obama raced to express US support for the Israeli side, in a statement that perfectly exemplifies the tragic-comedy of US foreign policy. The US supported the Israeli side because, he said, "No country on Earth would tolerate missiles raining down on its citizens from outside its borders.” Considering that this president rains down missiles on Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and numerous other countries on a daily basis, the statement was so hypocritical that it didn’t pass the laugh test. But it wasn’t funny.
US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton traveled to Tel Aviv to meet with Israeli prime minister Netanyahu, but she refused to meet with elected Palestinian leaders. Clintonsaid upon arrival in Israel, “America's commitment to Israel’s security is rock-solid and unwavering.” Does this sound like an honest broker?
At the same time Congress acted with similar ignobility when an unannounced resolution was brought to the House floor after the business of the week had been finished; and in less than 30 seconds the resolution was passed by unanimous consent, without debate and without most Representatives even having heard of it. The resolution, H Res 813, was so one-sided it is not surprising they didn’t want anyone to have the chance to read and vote on it. Surely at least a handful of my colleagues would have objected to language like, “The House of Representatives expresses unwavering commitment to the security of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state with secure borders...”
US foreign policy being so one-sided actually results in more loss of life and of security on both sides. Surely Israelis do not enjoy the threat of missiles from Gaza nor do the Palestinians enjoy their Israel-imposed inhuman conditions in Gaza. But as long asIsrael can count on its destructive policies being underwritten by the US taxpayer it can continue to engage in reckless behavior. And as long as the Palestinians feel the one-sided US presence lined up against them they will continue to resort to more and more deadly and desperate measures.
Continuing to rain down missiles on so many increasingly resentful nations, the US is undermining rather than furthering its security. We are on a collision course with much of the rest of the world if we do not right our foreign policy. Ending interventionism in the Middle East and replacing it with friendship and even-handedness would be a welcome first step.
Great article by RP. When the US stops its mindless underwriting the Israeli occupation of Palestine as well as ongoing Israeli belligerence to its neighbors, watch how quickly peace breaks out.
ReplyDeleteForeign policy is conducted not with national security as its objective, but as a pretext for further entrenching the state in all aspects of our lives. After all, why would we need a gigantic military (and the massive spending needed to fund it), the reckless and unconstitutional surveillance, or the growing police state if we minded our own business?
ReplyDeleteIt should be obvious by now that there are select groups that profit handsomely from the national security state. The fact that the country is being bankrupted or that our incessant meddling in foreign affairs makes us all considerably less safe is not even considered.
The good news is that when the dollar implodes, all this nonsense stops practically overnight.
I give this post 2 comments, max, before it descends into recriminations about "anti-semitism". And this counts as one.
ReplyDeleteWell, you missed.... But give 'em time.
ReplyDeleteIf he had only mentioned Max Keiser...
Hahah damn!!! Works everytime, just not this time...
Delete"It feels like 2009 all over again, which is the last time this kind of violence broke out inGaza. At that time over 1,400 Palestinians were killed, of which just 235 were combatants. The Israelis lost 13 of which 10 were combatants. At that time I said of then-President Bush’s role in the conflict:"
ReplyDeleteUhhhhh.....Bush was president in 2009?
Yeah, the incident broke out at the beginning of January, 2009, when Bush was still in office. Obama was not yet sworn in.
DeleteFor all of Ron Paul's sensibility on noninterventionist foreign policy, this particular position is a loser with the American people. Few Americans would support pulling the dollars of "aid" from Israel, the only bastion of reason and other Western values in that part of the world. In this, libertarians and Objectivists routinely fail to articulate a broader solution about how to advance real progress based on individual freedom and peace. It's just the usual name-calling and criticism, and Paul leaping to a policy conclusion that is one of the least likely to see the light of day. For all the faults of the Israelis, there are right and true values to be defended there.
ReplyDelete