What Many Americans Don’t Realize
By Wendy W. Campbell
A fact about Israel that is commonly hushed up in American media and by American politicians is that Israel is an ethno-religious state, with segregation being a core value. Americans are routinely inundated with myths about Israel. It is often claimed, for instance, that Israel is "the only democracy in the Middle East", though at that point the analysis usually ends. Pro-Zionist partisans never quite get around to mentioning that the state of Israel is a democracy for Jews and Jews only; just as the Apartheid state of white South Africa was a parliamentary democracy for people of European descent only. For Israel, the religious 'fig leaf' is Judaism, but the conflict between Jew and Arab may just as fundamentally be about ethnic/racial identity.
Pro-Israel Zionists, both Jewish and Christian, invariably claim that "everyone can vote in Israel", yet they fail to mention that no one may seek public office in Israel if they plan to challenge that country's unique status quo. If an Israeli wants to run for office on the platform that the Jewish state should be transformed into a secular, democratic nation with equal rights for all of its citizens regardless of religion, race or sex, then that candidate is prohibited from running. In the Jewish state, promulgating universal ethnic equality is against the law.
Adding to this unbalanced cultural equation is the unique role played by (Jewish) religious parties. The separation of 'church and state'' is unknown in Israel. To accommodate that country's special aspirations, fundamental American values are set aside.
Few Americans are aware of the fact that 92% of the land in Israel is reserved for the exclusive use of Jews. Then remaining 8% is allotted for non-Jews, though they make up 20% of Israel's population. Israel's 'Right of Return' assures automatic Israeli citizenship to any Jew in the world. Meanwhile, Arab gentiles born in Israel are second class citizens. Worse still, those Arabs who fled or were expelled at Israel's founding (or in subsequent wars) are forbidden to return. Why? They're not Jewish. Few Americans are aware that "Israeli settlements" in the Occupied Territories are reserved for Jewish Israelis only. The roads servicing these settlements are also reserved only for Jews. Adding to this insult are laws requiring Israeli Arabs to have license plates denoting their 'non-Jewish' status. Meanwhile, Jewish 'settlement building' continues on historically Arab land. Americans are footing the bill. The whole world is watching.
Israel actively works to manipulate the demographic profile of its citizens in an effort to maximize that nation's Jewishness. How do these policies affect their Christian and Muslim minorities? Few ask and few know, at least in America. Concerns of this kind somehow don't register on the political radar screen in America, even though policies of this kind would be judged as discriminatory and illegal in American courts.
In fact, few Americans realize the dubious circumstances behind the creation of Israel in 1948. Suffice to say, Arab lands were turned over to European Jews without Arab consent or fair compensation. We in America have been paying a price ever since.
But the world has changed. Ethnic cleansing is no longer 'kosher', no matter who's doing it. Yet the brutal campaign continues. Though advertised as 'self-defense', the ideal of Zionism has a chauvinistic basis which is impossible to conceal. Thus the guiding philosophy of Zionism is itself on 'life support', ie. US tax dollars. But for how much longer can this last? Only the unmatched influence of the Pro-Israel propaganda machine is keeping the patient alive. But the truth about Israel is leaking out, little by little, and is actually starting to flow.
Anti-Zionists and anti-Israel activists want to see the transformation of Israel from a Jewish supremacist state to a secular democracy with equal rights for all regardless of religion, race or sex. Israel remains however a declared "Jewish state" with no constitution and no tradition of equal rights for all before the law. Presently, the number of people (Americans, Israelis and Palestinians) committed to achieving an American-style democracy there are small, however their numbers are growing.
The opinion of the American people is vitally important to the survival of Israel as a Jewish state, and that is why the truth is continually distorted. Vehicles of deception include American media, corrupt U.S. politicians, and the many Zionist sympathizers who want to not only maintain a Jewish state, but create an even larger, more menacing 'Greater Israel'. Therefore, news about Israel in the US media is processed, with the end product being propaganda and prevarication. Otherwise, Americans might be tempted to demand the kind of equality and human rights protections in Israel that we demand for modern democracies elsewhere.
Today, America's Constitutional values are being turned on their head to serve the Jewish state. Our government's unconditional support for Israel is contrary to America's Constitutional commitment to equal justice before the law. America's 'special relationship' with Israel surely harms our relations with many of our trading partners in the Arab world, not to mention our standing as a democratic nation committed to justice and fair play.
The UN has loudly condemned Israel's "security fence", also known as the “Apartheid Wall” by human rights activists,in the Palestinian Territories. This fence incidentally is twice as high as the Berlin Wall, and projected to be at least four times as long when completed. Guess who's paying for it? Yes, once again, American tax dollars.
Concerning the UN condemnation of the wall, the only four nations out of step with the rest of the world’s opinion were: Israel (of course), the United States (sigh) and the Marshall Islands and Micronesia (virtual political colonies). In any normal, political context, this would be called a landslide defeat for the Israel-American alliance. Except that this unholy alliance is not within the boundaries of a 'normal, political context'. Due to the extraordinary diplomatic prowess of the pro-Israel establishment, and the tireless efforts by pro-Zionist spin doctors, Americans are confused about why our government is taking its clues from a foreign power. It's a repeat performance of Israel's ever-present power, chutzpah and self-righteousness, with America playing the supporting roles of the bully’s buddy, banker and bodyguard.
Oh, and let's not forget to include the vital element of rank, American hypocrisy.
The genesis of this political anomaly are unique domestic pressures, namely, the Israel lobby. The untold billions spent by every government since Lyndon Johnson, who aided in the covering up of Israel’s attack on the USS Liberty ship in 1967 in which 34 Americans were killed and over 100 were wounded, is a clue to its power. America is now viewed as less of an honest 'peace broker' in the region, than the backer of Israeli aggression, the silent partner in crime. The events of 9-11 are an indicator of America's great political failure. It is time to break free from Israel's clutches and reverse our nation's regressive, imperialistic course.
The Arab people were not our enemies until pro-Israel supporters made U.S. foreign policy synonymous with the Jewish state's agenda. Arab countries have oil to sell, and we need that commodity, and can very well buy it without resorting to aggression. The spoiler in this economic alliance is Israel's desire to dominate that region, using American power.
A reversal of U.S. policy towards Israel is past due. Let us also work toward transforming Israel into a modern, secular American-style democracy with equal rights for all regardless of religion, race, or sex. This is the only effective strategy to eliminate terrorism, both Israeli and Arab, as well as the U.S. military terrorism currently being hoisted on the Iraqis on behalf of Israel. |
