Get the US Out of Israel
by Seth Sandronsky
April 24, 2002
As a Sacramentan of Jewish parents, I support peace here and in the
Middle East. But there’s a contradiction to my position: I’m an American
citizen whose tax dollars supply weapons of war to Israel in its decades-long
conflict with the Palestinians. My daily labor is a small part of the tax base
for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. If I remain silent, my silence offers
consent to the current situation. That can’t be.
Please
consider this about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: No, it’s not the
histories and the hostilities of the two sides; rather, it is relevant facts
about the victims and victimizers there. Israelis and Palestinians aren’t
separate races or tribes. They are members of a single race--the human race.
Both peoples have unique interests and talents. They share the ability to laugh
and cry. They are birthed and die.
In
the Middle East and elsewhere on our planet, humanity shares far fewer
differences than similarities. Call me a humanist, perhaps. I sit accused.
Regarding
the horrible escalation of violence in Israel and Palestine, here are my two
peace proposals, subject to debate. Please note that criticism of Israeli
policy is not anti-Jewish, no more than being critical of U.S. policy is being
anti-American.
One,
cease U.S. shipments of weapons to Israel. By now, it should be clear that
there is no way U.S. arms sales can solve this conflict.
Two,
end the U.S. policy of approving the expansion of Israeli settlements in the
occupied Palestinian territories. This ongoing land-grab facilitates the
hostilities. It is unrealistic to expect Palestinians to accept such
expropriation. Would you? Israelis can’t be free if Palestinians live nearby in
dispossessed misery. Israeli military forces try to enforce such relations.
This spurs Palestinian resistance as sure as night follows day.
To
understand violence on all sides is not to excuse it. Innocent Israeli and
Palestinian victims share a bitter fate. Such bitterness is nurturing this
Middle East conflict. It can and may get much worse, with far-reaching effects
that can’t be seen.
There’s
still time left for us to halt this human catastrophe. Americans of good
conscience must demand solutions for a peace based on justice for all in the
Middle East. The Jewish people survived the Spanish Inquisition and the Nazi
Holocaust. Now, some of their descendants are waging a war against Palestinians
that negates our legacy of liberation from oppression. Not in my name. DV
Seth Sandronsky is a free-lance writer based in
Sacramento, CA
email: ssandron@hotmail.com