It’s hard to draw any hope from the scenes of destruction and death in the Ukraine right now, but readers know I’m a glass half-full type so here I go.
Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine and the international response are an opportunity for Americans who care about Palestine. Many of us have cheered on the American sanctions. I certainly have. I want the Russian aggression to end, and refugees to be allowed to return.
And we know that the parallels to American and Israeli human rights violations are glaringly obvious. And they’re being pointed out.
Every time we’ve seen denunciations of attacks on Mariupol and Kiev, we think about American “shock and awe” unleashed on innocent Iraqis. Every time we hear justifications for Ukrainian resistance against a military occupation, we wonder, when did Palestinians ever get such grace from the mainstream media? And every time we see reporters nod in commiseration with Ukrainian refugees who can’t wait to get back to their homes, we think, what about the Palestinians? They’ve had this desire – and right – for more than 70 years. And when is that right ever honored in the mainstream press?
Of course the hypocrisy is bottomless. We can’t expect that to end any time soon.
What we can hope for is that the language of human rights will flourish, and the enlightened will see the glaring contradictions in U.S. foreign policy: justifying the bombings of urban neighborhoods in Gaza and Yemen while condemning the same conduct in the Ukraine. I’ve seen that these contradictions have triggered mockery and contempt for American foreign policy around the world, and in the Middle East.
I’m not cynical, I am hopeful – because I can’t remember a time when the ideals of pluralism, human rights, and international law have been more elevated in mainstream discourse. And I certainly can’t remember a time when, in essence, a global corporate and governmental BDS movement was not only contemplated, but mobilized in a matter of weeks. We cannot miss the challenge this poses to Israel’s apologists, or our opportunity to make the connections.
I am hopeful because there is now a strong but embattled discourse in the west that insists on naming apartheid in Israel. That discourse wasn’t nearly so prevalent ten years ago or thirty. Now it is established and it’s here to stay. It has won the campuses, it is aimed at Capitol Hill.
We have been a proud part of that discussion going back to the Iraq war, when the United States decided to destroy Baghdad to save it. We’ve made great personal sacrifices to promote that vision of human rights over 16 years, and we’re not going away.
Even as we mourn and protest the assault on Ukrainian civilians, we can say that we are consistent in our convictions. And affirm that this awareness will turn to Israel too.
Please give today to keep that vision strong as we continue the fight!
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From a Canadian friend:
Speaking of ‘hypocrisy’
Once again, Canada’s Trudeau government proves itself to be gutless and hypocritical when it comes to the expansionist/racist/ illegal/brutal occupier entity referred to as “Israel.”
Canada Fails To Explain Why It Rejects Israel ‘Apartheid’ Report – Palestine Online
Palestine OnLine, April 5/22,
“Canada’s minister of foreign affairs has confirmed that the government ‘rejects’ the findings of human rights groups which describe Israel as practising apartheid against the Palestinians. Mélanie Joly made her comments during a debate by Canada’s Foreign Affairs Committee. The debate has exposed once again the challenge that pro-Israel Western governments face in trying to respond to the consensus among leading international human rights group about Israeli apartheid.
“Not a single pro-Israel government has been able to provide a convincing explanation for rejecting the details of reports published by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and B’Tselem which have exposed the state’s apartheid regime. Officials have generally dodged questions on the reports, remarking tersely that they did not agree with the findings but failing to provide any reasonable explanation for opposing the same human rights groups that are cited regularly and relied upon by the West when they condemn countries other than Israel.
“’I know you will be aware of a report that Amnesty International brought forward recently on the state of the situation in Israel and Palestine,’ said Heather McPherson MP when addressing Joly in the debate. ‘I’m wondering whether or not you will be responding officially to that report and whether or not you will be commenting on it or meeting with Amnesty to discuss it.’
“Joly replied by saying that she is very much aware of the report. ‘Obviously I’m meeting with many NGOs, definitely including Amnesty International, and my team has done so. You know that the position of our government has always been that we are a friend and steadfast ally to Israel and a friend to the Palestinian people. At the same time, this report stated that Israel’s actions constitute apartheid. We reject that view.’ (cont’d)
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“When asked by McPherson if the minister would provide a rationale for why she rejected what the Amnesty report claims, Joly shot back, ‘I look forward to talking with Heather and her colleagues about this even more, and obviously talking with the different communities involved across the country.’ She pointedly did not answer the question.’
“The White House responded in a similar fashion when asked about the report. “'[We] reject the view that Israel’s actions constitute apartheid,’ said State Department spokesperson, Ned Price. Instead of explaining why the US rejected the report, Price suggested that the preservation of a self-declared Jewish state was a greater priority that trumped all other considerations, including, we must presume, whatever crimes are being carried out in order to maintain that state.
“’We think that it is important, as the world’s only Jewish state, that the Jewish people must not be denied their right to self-determination, and we must ensure there isn’t a double standard being applied,’ said Price as he basically defended by default Israel’s right to preserve a system of racist domination and control over its non-Jewish population.”
“Apartheid is a crime under international law akin to a crime against humanity.”
The constant reporting from Mondoweiss is making it harder and harder for members of the Establishment to bury their feelings of shame at their complicity in vast crimes against humanity. The steady progress, though slow, points to a coming tipping point. The change that occurs, sparked by the resistence in Palestine, will reverberate around the globe, and ultimately benefit all humanity.
Here’s an interesting report on the intersection of Israel and Ukraine, at “Consortium News”. The new developments began thusly.
“[Israeli] Foreign Minister Yair Lapid wrote: ‘It is impossible to remain indifferent in the face of the horrific images from the city of Bucha near Kyiv, from after the Russian army left. Intentionally harming a civilian population is a war crime and I strongly condemn it.'”
“Israel, Russia Clash Over Ukraine”
https://consortiumnews.com/2022/04/07/israel-russia-clash-over-ukraine/
“Consortium News” is a traditional independent news outlet committed to digging for the full facts and objective analysis.
To keep the issue focused on human rights, equality, the field on which success can be achieved, it will be especially useful to diminish the impact of what Israel calls “terrorism” or “pay to slay”, regardless of how misleading those characterizations they are. It may not be possible to persuade against or head off acts of violence, but it is in the interest of all, not to be accepting of or turn a blind eye to them, regardless of the source.