Taking advantage of the U.S. election year, Ariel Sharon announced the construction of some 600 new homes in the illegal West Bank settlement of Maale Adumim, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, in direct contravention of every agreement the Israeli government has signed since Oslo. This, of course, comes as a surprise to no one who is familiar with Israeli policy, as settlement construction, and the expropriation of Palestinian land and destruction of Palestinian homes which it requires, has been ongoing since 1967, regardless of anything which any Israeli government official might say to the contrary.
I visited Maale Adumim when I was in Israel and Palestine last year. Here's a picture of what Ariel Sharon refers to as "natural growth." Not pictured are the huge swimming pools which settlers build for themselves in one of the most water-scarce regions in the world.
I don't know how I can say this any more clearly: these settlements are, in addition to being illegal, illegitimate, and immoral, directly contradictory to Israel's security. The bitterness and hatred which they create among the displaced Palestinian population is immeasurable. There is no strategic reason for them other than to facilitate the annexation of Palestinian land, and, in the case of Maale Adumim, to consolidate Israel's control over Arab East Jerusalem.
Furthermore, there is simply no moral, legal, or strategic justification for the U.S.'s consistent acquiescence to Israel's blatant expansionism, other than, I suppose, electoral politics, which Sharon is exploiting.
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2 comments:
You have a point in that the US has been supporting Israel for some time and help implement some of its worst policy decisions. But how about the bushel of Arab millionares that don't offer a hand to Palestinians, the people who are tiring of the killing of innocent Arabs who are the victims of suicide attacks. The women who are subjegated by their own "people" in the name of their god. Children who are taught to strap on bombs to kill other children. But it's all the Jews.
The Israeli's are far from being saints but they have always reacted to terror not acted against Arabs, remember there are Israeli Arabs who are proud of their citizenship. I guess they're sell outs.
Keep blogging!
Combat Doc,
If you read further in my blog you'll see that I spare Arafat no criticism, and I also agree that Arab governments should have done more to improve the situation of the Palestinian people. But it's ridiculous to assert that corruption on the part of Arafat and others somehow exonerates or mitigates Israel's criminal occupation and brutal oppression of the Palestinians.
Your claim that Israel has "always reacted to terror not acted against Arabs" is simply false. I doubt anyone who would make such an absurd claim would be interested in examples, so I won't bother.
Finally, please don't conflate "Israel" with "the Jews." Judaism as a philosophical and faith tradition is much broader and richer than just the political entity of Israel, and my criticisms here are aimed exclusively at Israeli government policy and not at any ethnic or religious group.
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