In the past, the illegal occupation of Palestinian territory and Israel's efforts “to dominate, expel, starve and humiliate an entire people” as front-line Israel soldiers who refuse to participate in the occupation describe it, was something that was tangential to U.S. interests. The usefulness of Israel as a military ally in the oil-rich region was more important than ending the occupation of Palestine.
Alexander Haig, the Secretary of State of the USA under President Ronald Reagan's administration described Israel as our “unsinkable aircraft carrier.” But now, the one-sided “special relationship” of the United States with Israel is the root cause of terrorism against the United States. Rather than rushing to pass the Anti-Palestinian dfemaTerrorism Act of 2006, it is time for the United States to reevaluate its relationship with Israel.
Israel, a country the size of New Jersey, has been receiving 25% to 30% of U.S. foreign aid for decades. This tiny country has been receiving as much foreign assistance as sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean combined. This funding has made the United States taxpayer the underwriter of the occupation of the Palestinian Territories.
And, this occupation is not just illegal – it is brutal. The killing of civilians, the assassination of political leaders, the destruction of fruit orchards, the ploughing of homes, routine mass searches of the population, the separation of Palestinians from water and medical supplies, the inhuman and uncivilized building of ugly high walls, putting big blocks of cement to create barriers for the Palestinians to move around and segregating them, the separation of farmers from their fields and the division of towns with the security wall – all combine to make this over forty-year occupation among the harshest in the world.
It is so ugly that hard-line pro-Israel forces work hard to prevent the U.S. taxpayers from knowing these facts Sadly, this occupation is not only 'starving and humiliating' an entire people it is making Israel weaker, less secure and more hated around the world.
Alexander Haig, the Secretary of State of the USA under President Ronald Reagan's administration described Israel as our “unsinkable aircraft carrier.” But now, the one-sided “special relationship” of the United States with Israel is the root cause of terrorism against the United States. Rather than rushing to pass the Anti-Palestinian dfemaTerrorism Act of 2006, it is time for the United States to reevaluate its relationship with Israel.
Israel, a country the size of New Jersey, has been receiving 25% to 30% of U.S. foreign aid for decades. This tiny country has been receiving as much foreign assistance as sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean combined. This funding has made the United States taxpayer the underwriter of the occupation of the Palestinian Territories.
And, this occupation is not just illegal – it is brutal. The killing of civilians, the assassination of political leaders, the destruction of fruit orchards, the ploughing of homes, routine mass searches of the population, the separation of Palestinians from water and medical supplies, the inhuman and uncivilized building of ugly high walls, putting big blocks of cement to create barriers for the Palestinians to move around and segregating them, the separation of farmers from their fields and the division of towns with the security wall – all combine to make this over forty-year occupation among the harshest in the world.
It is so ugly that hard-line pro-Israel forces work hard to prevent the U.S. taxpayers from knowing these facts Sadly, this occupation is not only 'starving and humiliating' an entire people it is making Israel weaker, less secure and more hated around the world.
