The United States needs a new Israel
policy
Israel has every right to defend itself." Whenever the Israeli government uses its full force on rocket attacks from Gaza, the same words are heard from every Democratic or Republican government. Let's make it clear that no one is saying that Israel has no right to defend itself or its people.
So why are these words repeated over and over again after every war for years? Why the question is never asked whether the Palestinian people have any rights or not? Why do we take notice of violence in Israel or Palestine only when rockets are fired at Israel (of which only 1% explode? All other rockets are destroyed in mid-air under Israel's defense system).
In these moments of crisis, the United States must immediately force a ceasefire on both sides. We must also understand that while rockets are not acceptable to the Israeli population, they are not the cause of the current conflict.
Palestinian families living in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood
of Jerusalem are in constant danger of being evicted from their homes at any
moment. Israel has developed a legal system that supports its forced
evictions in every way. Over the past few weeks, extremist settlers have
stepped up efforts to forcibly evict these Palestinians.
Unfortunately, this process of eviction is part of a system
of political and economic exploitation. Over the years, we have seen the gulf
of Israeli
political and economic oppression deepen in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The siege of Gaza, home to more than two million Palestinians, is unacceptable.
More than 70% of young people are unemployed and look disappointed with their
future.
We have also seen Netanyahu's government pursue a policy of
walling off and embarrassing the Palestinian people living in Israel.
She is pursuing a policy of settlement in such a way that the very idea of
two states are shattered. It has also passed laws that widen the gulf of
injustice between Palestinians and Jews living in Israel.
No one is justifying the attacks on Israel, nor is it
possible to justify the Palestinian Authority, which has long held elections
there, but how can this fact be ignored? In Israel and Palestine,
only Israel
exists as an independent state, and instead of establishing law and order and
justice there, it is engaged in consolidating unjust and undemocratic control
there.
Learn More: The dream of world peace, the test of the American Democrats
Incumbent Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has ruled Israel for the past ten years. During this time they have taken every possible step to promote aggressive and authoritarian nationalism in Israel. In a bid to cling to power and avoid corruption cases, Netanyahu has included the extremist political party Jewish Power Party, led by Atmar Ben Guer, in his government. Tragically, the streets of Jerusalem are being attacked by racist elements who are currently part of the ruling party.
These dangerous trends are not new to Israel. We have seen such authoritarian nationalist movements emerge and flourish all over the world, in Europe, in Asia, in South America, and even in the United States. Instead of providing prosperity, peace, and justice to the majority, these movements were used to keep a few corrupt people in power with the help of racial hatred. He had the support of the most powerful man in the White House for the past four years.
At the same time, we
are seeing a new generation of activists who want to build a society based on
values such as human needs and political equality. When George Floyd was
assassinated in broad daylight in the United States last summer, we saw the
same activists active on the streets of the United States. We have seen them
do their work inside Israel as well. We have seen the
same people performing their duties in the Palestinian territories.
Now that the election process in the United States has been
completed, a new president has entered the White House. We can say for sure
that they need to take a new approach to the whole world. An approach based on
high values such as justice and democracy. On the one hand, it should help
poor countries that are in urgent and desperate need of the vaccine. This
approach should also help countries around the world that are currently
grappling with the world's greatest threat to climate change. They are engaged
in a war against democracy and human rights around the world. The United States
should sponsor a movement to promote cooperation with these countries rather
than become part of the conflict.
In the Middle East, where the United States provides 4 billion a year in financial aid to Israel, we cannot apologize for the undemocratic and racist behavior of the government of the right-wing political party Netanyahu.
Learn More: US policy on Palestine and Israel
We need to change our strategy and adopt a balanced and fair
approach. An approach in which the United States can proudly raise its hand and
work to strengthen international law to protect civilians. There is also a need
to review existing US laws so that US military aid is not used for human rights
abuses. In this approach, it should be borne in mind that Israel has every right to
live in peace and security, but this right is equally available to the
Palestinian people.
The United States will play its full public role in helping
the people of Israel and Palestine shape their future. If the United States
wants to be an effective voice for global human rights, we need to follow
global human rights standards even in the face of political difficulties. We
must realize that the Palestinian people have rights and that the lives of
Palestinians are precious.
