There was a vote on a United Nations resolution that calls
for an investigation of human rights violations in Gaza. Just in the last month alone, it is
estimated that more than one thousand Palestinians have been killed and
thousands more injured. This
includes many civilians, including children, who are not engaged in fighting.
The U.N. resolution passed with 29 nations favoring it,
along with 17 abstentions. There
was one “no” vote though. That
belongs to the U.S. government.
This should not be surprising, considering that U.S.
politicians are in the back pocket of the Israeli lobby. It sometimes seems as though U.S.
politicians in Washington DC are trying to represent Israel more than the U.S.
This “no” vote is also not surprising considering the U.S.
government is responsible for hundreds of thousands of innocent deaths just in
the last 12 years, from Iraq, to Afghanistan, to Libya, and elsewhere. And we also can’t forget about the
detention centers and torture.
The U.N. resolution condemned all violence against
civilians, including the killing of two Israeli civilians from rocket fire.
Still, the pro-war politicians in the U.S. will not condemn
violence if it is committed by one of their own, which includes Israel.
Stop the Police State
Violence rarely solves anything. Violence usually just leads to more violence. Will this madness ever stop?
Of course it is wrong and criminal for Palestinians to
launch rockets into Israel. Even
if these people are desperate, it is no excuse. Not everyone living in Israel is guilty of abusing
Palestinians. Many Israelis even
oppose the policies of their own government.
The Israeli government is wrong and criminal for the bombs
they drop. The actions are not
defensive, despite the rhetoric.
It is only defensive if the bombs and other weapons are being deployed
on those directly responsible for the initial attacks.
In the U.S., if a criminal runs in to a crowded building,
the police don’t just drop a bomb on the building to kill the criminal while
calling all of the other deaths collateral damage. They don’t do this because it would be seen as wrong. Americans don’t want to live in such a
society.
It is just as wrong in Gaza. When innocent young children are dying, we can’t just write
this off as collateral damage.
These children didn’t launch rockets. In most cases, their parents didn’t launch rockets either.
One thing that most Americans don’t realize is that Israel
is a police state. But it is a
particularly bad police state because it specifically targets one group of
people, which is the Palestinians.
While some people talk of a police state in the U.S., it is
nothing compared to what goes on in Israel. Palestinians really are treated like third-class citizens. They cannot travel about freely. They are searched at checkpoints. They are not allowed to travel on
certain roads during certain times.
They truly live in a police state that is worse than most Americans can
imagine. Yet the American people fork
over their tax money to be sent over to Israel, all in the name of good and
justice.
The only way that violence is going to be reduced in the
region is for more liberty to prevail.
This means that the Israelis must demand that their government stop
abusing the rights of others. It
means a much smaller government and a much less militaristic government. It means allowing people to be free.
There will never be 100% security one way or the other. There are always risks. But as long as there is a police state
in Israel, there is going to be continued violence from disgruntled people.
The U.S. government should immediately stop all foreign aid
to all sides. The Israeli state
must stop bombing people and it must stop its vicious police state. Humanitarian aid should be allowed to
enter. It should be voluntarily
funded.
We must condemn violence in all aspects on all sides, unless
it is self-defense only against the individuals initiating the violence. If the Israeli state is severely
diminished in power, then I believe it is possible that Israelis and
Palestinians can one day live in peace together.