USA Must Review Its Relations with Israel [Archives:2001/33/Focus]

Thom Tansey
United States of America
Israeli helicopters have again murdered innocent civilians. The gunships fired missiles into a Hamas office in the West Bank. Eight Palestinians were killed, including two young boys walking on the street outside. The so-called justification for this – and numerous other – outrageous attacks by Israeli gunships, and tanks, is that the Palestinians targeted by these helicopter attacks had committed terrorist attacks and were going to carry out other terrorist attacks. If this reasoning were based upon fact – which
I question – then why didn’t the Israel police and army simply arrest those suspected of terrorist activity and put them on trial? After all, most if not all of these alleged Palestinian terrorists were citizens of Israel. As such, they had a right to a trial to determine their guilt or innocence. And a right to be represented by an attorney. And to examine the evidence against them and offer their own evidence, including witness testimony. And if adjudicated guilty, they had a right to an appeal.
All of these basic human rights were denied the alleged Palestinian terrorists. They were simple executed without legal due process. Were any nation other than Israel to commit wanton slaughter like this against its own citizens and residents, there would be a cry of outrage by civilized nations around the world. Any other such nation would – rightly – be branded a terrorist nation. Economic and political sanctions would be imposed against that nation. As was done against South Africa in apartheid times.
I submit that Israel is itself a terrorist nation for these acts of brutality which its armed forces continue, day in and day out, year after year, to commit against its own Palestinian citizens and residents.
And I submit that apartheid has not left the civilized world once and for all. No, it simply moved – to Israel. The Israeli government continues to flood the Occupied Territories with Jewish settlers, an act which itself incites hostility and violence. Palestinians in these territories are treated as less than second class citizens by the Israeli government. There are harsh restrictions imposed upon the Palestinians on their freedom of movement, on their opportunities for employment and education.
The Palestinians are treated like POWs, like slaves, like lepers, by the Israeli government. Shame on the Israelis. After all, who should know more about human suffering, human degradation, human bondage, than the Jews?
America should take the lead and condemn Israel for what it is, a terrorist nation practicing apartheid and Nazism. The $3 billion in aid that the US sends to Israel every year should be discontinued. That money, being used in part by the Israeli government to settle more Jews in the Occupied Territories, should instead be used for schools, hospitals, jobs and businesses for the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories.
Economic and diplomatic pressure should be brought upon Israel to immediately: stop these murderous gunship and tank attacks against Palestinians who have not even been arrested let alone convicted, stop moving Jews into the Occupied Territories, allow the Palestinians the full rights accorded other Israeli citizens. Then, Israel should release the
Palestinians as a people from their status as a satellite “country.” The Baltic states have finally shed their Soviet satellite burden. So, too, should the Palestinians finally be allowed to drop their Israeli yoke and determine their own destiny as a people.
Apartheid, satellitism and Nazism have no place in the modern world.
And make no mistake about it, Israel is no friend to the US. Israel thumbs its nose at the US when we ask for concessions. The US would be far better off, especially in the Near East and the Middle East, to sever ties with Israel and establish ties with as many Arab nations as possible.
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