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As of late
Friday the ceasefire in Gaza seems to be holding, if tentatively. While we
should be pleased that this round of fighting appears temporarily on hold, we
must realize that without changes in US foreign policy it is only a matter of
time before the killing begins again.
It feels
like 2009 all over again, which is the last time this kind of violence broke
out in Gaza. At that time over 1,400 Palestinians were killed, of which just
235 were combatants. The Israelis lost 13 of which 10 were combatants. At
that time I said of then-President Bush’s role in the conflict:
“It's
our money and our weapons. But I think we encouraged it. Certainly, the
president has said nothing to diminish it. As a matter of fact, he justifies
it on moral grounds, saying, oh, they have a right to do this, without ever
mentioning the tragedy of Gaza…. To me, I look at it like a
concentration camp.”
The US
role has not changed under the Obama administration. The same mistakes
continue. As journalist Glenn Greenwald wrote last week:
"For
years now, US financial, military and diplomatic support of Israel has been
the central enabling force driving this endless conflict. The bombs Israel
drops on Gazans, and the planes they use to drop
them, and the weapons they use to occupy the West Bank and protect
settlements are paid for, in substantial part, by the US
taxpayer…”
Last week,
as the fighting raged, President Obama raced to express US support for the
Israeli side, in a statement that perfectly exemplifies the tragic-comedy of
US foreign policy. The US supported the Israeli side because, he said,
"No country on Earth would tolerate missiles raining down on its
citizens from outside its borders.” Considering that this president rains down missiles on Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and
numerous other countries on a daily basis, the statement was so hypocritical
that it didn’t pass the laugh test. But it wasn’t funny.
US
Secretary of State Hilary Clinton traveled to Tel Aviv to meet with Israeli
prime minister Netanyahu, but she refused to meet with elected Palestinian
leaders. Clintonsaid upon arrival in Israel,
“America's commitment to Israel’s security is rock-solid and
unwavering.” Does this sound like an honest broker?
At the
same time Congress acted with similar ignobility when an unannounced
resolution was brought to the House floor after the business of the week had
been finished; and in less than 30 seconds the resolution was passed by unanimous
consent, without debate and without most Representatives even having heard of
it. The resolution, H Res 813, was so one-sided it is not surprising they
didn’t want anyone to have the chance to read and vote on it. Surely at
least a handful of my colleagues would have objected to language like,
“The House of Representatives expresses unwavering commitment to the
security of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state with secure
borders...”
US foreign policy being so one-sided actually results in more loss of life
and of security on both sides. Surely Israelis do not enjoy the threat of
missiles from Gaza nor do the Palestinians enjoy their Israel-imposed inhuman
conditions in Gaza. But as long asIsrael can count
on its destructive policies being underwritten by the US taxpayer it can
continue to engage in reckless behavior. And as long as the Palestinians feel
the one-sided US presence lined up against them they will continue to resort
to more and more deadly and desperate measures.
Continuing
to rain down missiles on so many increasingly resentful nations, the US is
undermining rather than furthering its security. We are on a collision course
with much of the rest of the world if we do not right our foreign policy.
Ending interventionism in the Middle East and replacing it with friendship
and even-handedness would be a welcome first step.
Ron Paul
Full Transcript via Campaign
For Liberty
Full video of Paul's address, courtesy of C-SPAN, is
posted here:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/11/ron-paul-departs-with-our-c...
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