The human-rights tragedy in Gaza
Lencer | Wikimedia Commons
A dark link binds two events that occurred last week half a world apart: the Israeli military action in Gaza, and Congress’ vote to repeal the Jackson-Vanik Amendment.
Like most initiatives in foreign affairs, the 1974 Jackson-Vanik Amendment had a declared idealistic objective, and an undeclared practical objective. Officially, it was designed as a human rights bill, tying U.S./Soviet trade to facilitating Soviet Jewish emigration from behind the Iron Curtain, where, it was claimed, antisemitism was rampant.
The practical objective was to help Israel build Jewish settlements in the newly occupied Palestinian territories. At the time, much to the consternation of Zionists, there were too few American and European Jews willing to move to move to Israel proper, let alone the Palestinian territories.
Thanks to Jackson-Vanik, today Israel is a trilingual country, with a constantly growing Jewish settlement presence in the occupied lands. The pro-Israel organization JINSA honors the former Senator with its annual Henry M. Jackson Distinguished Service Award.
On the opposite end of Jackson-Vanik’s human-rights success are the people whose lands have been systematically confiscated and settled as a matter of Israeli governmental policy since the early 1970s– the Palestinians. There are many authoritative sources about the human-rights plight of the Palestinians, including America’s very own former president Jimmy Carter.
Carol Migdalovitz | Wikimedia Commons
Yet, both the Democratic and GOP parties are committed to a policy of unconditional support for Israel. During the devastating Israeli military action in Gaza earlier this month, President Obama’s main public message was that the United States supports Israel’s right to defend itself.
Clearly Israel believes that the best defense is a good offense. Over 150 Palestinians were killed, mostly civilians, women and children making up a significant percentage. The infrastructure in Gaza was devastated. This, compared to 5 Israelis killed, and minimal infrastructure damage.
Israel claims that they ended the occupation of Gaza in 2005, and all they have gotten in return is terrorist rocket fire from the Palestinians. Therefore, they had to take military action to knock out the terrorist cells.
The United Nations disagrees. It claims Gaza remains under Israeli occupation because of its land, sea and air blockade. The blockade was instituted shortly after Hamas won the 2006 Legislative Council elections and the subsequent power struggle with Fatah, the Israeli- and U.S.-backed faction.
Under the blockade, Israel exercises total control of daily life over the 1.6 million Palestinians living in this 140 square mile strip of land. While Israel periodically modifies what is permitted into the territory, here is a sample of goods that have found their way onto banned lists:
- Wheelchairs, batteries for hearing aids, crayons, stationery, soccer balls and musical instruments;
- Refrigerators, toilet paper, books and candles, light bulbs, and mattresses (many items are blockaded by Israel as “luxuries”);
- Macaroni, and most other dry food stuffs, lentils and tomato paste;
- Tin cans are banned, making it impossible for Gazan’s to preserve their fruit and vegetables;
- Canned fruit, fruit juices and chocolate are blocked. Oddly, canned meat and coffee are allowed;
- Israel controls all fuel imports and the electricity grid, which it is known to turn off in retaliation for rockets launched at it from Gaza;
- A near total ban on building materials, including lumber that is more than 2 centimeters (about ¾ of an inch) thick.
The ongoing building materials ban makes it impossible for Palestinians to recover from Israel’s December 2008 Operation Cast Lead, in which 40,000 housing units and countless public buildings in Gaza were destroyed.
The May 2012 Church of Scotland Report (pdf) on the Gaza situation describes nothing less than a mass prison camp, where 75 percent of the population is dependent on food aid, with local food production being all but impossible because of Israeli restrictions.
While Jackson-Vanik helped Jews emigrate from behind the Iron Curtain, there is no such legislation to help Palestinians to escape from the lead curtain that surrounds Gaza. According to the Church of Scotland Report, in 2010 on average only 114 exit permits per day were issued, all on an exceptional basis. It should be noted that since the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian border crossing with Gaza has eased somewhat, although Egypt’s hands are tied by its existing treaties with Israel, and the U.S. financial aid that comes with compliance.
Is it any wonder that the Gaza “inmates” will continue to radicalize and to lash out at their prison guards? Or that the population considers it a victory when their primitive rockets kill 5 Israelis during a conflict in which over 150 of their own died and what little infrastructure they had is further reduced to ruble?
The U.S. Congress is in the process of replacing Jackson-Vanik with the Magnitsky Bill. The first draft focused exclusively on Russia. However, newer drafts specify a universal scope. If passed into law, it will allow the U.S. to place restrictions and financial sanctions against government officials of countries involved in human rights violations.
Ironically, some Israeli politicians who years earlier benefited from Jackson-Vanik could be sanctioned under a future Magnitsky law.
November 28, 2012 - 6:00 AM
(wish there were a place on this site just for taking apart Cal Thomas columns. anyway, under a not-entirely-unrelated umbrella ..)
Cal Thomas ‘Clash of Civilizations’ is a nice bit of fog an’ hasbara that conveniently forgets Israel’s early role in increasing the prestige of Hamas, once a minor faction. Why? As a foil to marginalize Mr. Arafat’s largely secular/nationalist PLO. In fact, Thomas forgets the West’s complicity in radicalizing Muslims, from London’s encouragement of Wahhabism in their war against the Ottoman Turks to .. Washington’s radicalization of Pashtun tribesmen in their scheme to bring down the Soviet empire (the “Brzezinski doctrine”?).
Maybe if Gaza would quit launching rockets into Israel from within its borders, Israel wouldn’t have to attack the rocket sites to defend itself. Between 2001 and 2009, over 8,600 rockets had been launched from Gaza into Israel. In 2012, Gaza fired over 1,456 rockets and mortars bombs into Israel.
Oh look, Gaza has suddenly developed a border with Egypt. Egypt can help them. The blockade is over!!!
The “Palestinian Problem” has existed since 1948. These refugees have indeed been stressed and mistreated. Clearly Israel is not going to open their borders and let these people into their communities and apparently the bordering Arab countries will not let their brothers and sisters enter their countries either.
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Iran is now using and arming Hamas as a surrogate for Radical Muslim Terror raining down thousands of Iranian missiles upon Israeli communities.
Iran’s development of long range missiles and nuclear weapons will plunge the MiddleEast into a war of survival for Israel.
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1500 Rockets Fired Into Israel In 10 Days
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2012/11/1500-rockets-fired-into-israel-in-10.html
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Obama Hands The Middle-East To The Muslim-Brotherhood
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2012/11/obamas-hands-middle-east-to-muslim.html
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so what are the Israelis supposed to do….have a rocket explode in a neighborhood every day….if they let things come into Gaza there would be rockets in every truck….and everyone knows that is the case
Outstanding article Mark. You would think that the people who suffered thru the Warsaw Ghetto, and so much more, would have a little more mercy when it comes to prison camp homes for another ethnicity.
As to the topic of a Palestinian homeland, the insane Jewish religion (we speak for God) have reduced the other insane Muslim religion (we speak for God) down to having just 22% of their original land left, and with 1/4 of their people exiled. Now another insane religion (Christians, we speak for God) are helping the Jews continue the persecution: For 60 years the Muslims are told to wait, wait, wait. Tomorrow we will share fairly.
You might be surprised to find out I think the Muslims would be worse if the strengths were reversed. They are a less mature people, spiritually speaking. This is demonstrated in their lack of freedom of speech and woman’s rights. But that is not the point at this moment in time: ONLY ONE IS BEING MURDERED. The metaphor to the morons perpetrating this crime is surely Cain and Abel, but they have become too self-righteous to see it. Younger brother is going to become their superior. The very fact the Jews and Christians have effectively silenced 100 million voices of reason like my own is all the proof needed to see the sun is setting on the West.
Let us immediately cut thru all the crap of who did what, when, where, why and to whom… Here is a short version, sarcastic but true:
Welcome to Palestine….
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
It’s the Jews, we’re back.
But you left 1800 years ago.
F you, get out.
Okay, okay, maybe we can share.
F you, get out.
The Jews and Christians delude themselves that God will soon be coming back because of what is happening in Israel. (This is their actual beliefs if you get to know these religions that are supporting the War on Islam, which unwittingly are being used by the billionaires in their War for Oil).
But the Jews and Christians couldn’t be more wrong. God would actually be leaving because of their behavior, but the concept is simply too far over their heads…
I find it interesting that the above “banned” list does not mention
rockets and mortars.
MarkJ’s post:
“Yet, both the Democratic and GOP parties are committed to a policy of unconditional support for Israel.”
There is no explanation for this other than religious fearmongering and a fear of lapse in one’s “hell insurance” if we aren’t being Israel’s sugar daddy.
“President Obama’s main public message was that the United States supports Israel’s right to defend itself.”
So do I…by itself!
“Clearly Israel believes that the best defense is a good offense.”
Religion does more harm than good. I think I’ll challenge my property line with my neighbor and, forget surveys and deeds, I’ll wield the bible and commence mortar fire. Hope the Sheriff is a fundie!
“3.The “Palestinian Problem” has existed since 1948.”
Yes Lars…coincidentally right around the time we kicked the Palestinians out of their homes and off their land and handed it over to a bunch of European Jews. And crammed the creation of Israel down the throats of all the preexisting contiguous states, against their vociferous objection.
We should have seized Bavaria and made it a Jewish state…at least the appropriate parties would have been punished. Why should the inhabitants of what’s now “Israel” have been made to pay for German genocide? How could anyone have thought that that was going to go well?
Dave#5 wrote “You might be surprised to find out I think the Muslims would be worse if the strengths were reversed. They are a less mature people, spiritually speaking. This is demonstrated in their lack of freedom of speech and woman’s rights”
Dave- for 600 years until the end of WW I, the strengths were reversed. The Ottoman Empire ran this swath of land and a lot of others. There were huge Jewish and Christian communities under the Ottomans and they did quite well. As did women. It certainly was not worse, it was much better when the strengths were reversed.
The Muslim religion has become a unifying rallying point for resistance. And it is only natural that the resistance continues to further radicalize given the unfair treatment this community has indured.
Some other folks talk about the military resistance (mostly ineffective rockets). The Palestines tried in very good faith to negotiate. Jimmy Carter writes how Israel never delivered commitments to the Palestinians under the Camp David Accords. The Oslo agreement never delivered anything to them either. During Oslo, with little interuption, Israel continued annexing Palestinian lands and creating “facts” on the ground (illegal settlements).
Is it any wonder that these people are throwing rocks and primitive rockets and whatever else they can get their hands on? To them, the failure to get anything out of Camp David and Oslo is proof that negotiations without physical resistance is useless.
Hey folks, isn’t it ironic how many people in the U.S. think that:
a) the Palistinian armed resistance against an oppressor is terrible, and
b) at the same time they are for arming and training Syrian armed resistance against an “oppressor”, causing a civil war with huge civilian casualties.
If these folks want to be consistent then they should either demand that the Syrian resistance put down all its arms, as well as declare that Assad has the right to defend himself. Or, they should not have an issue with the Palestinian resistance. Which one is it folks?
If these folks want to be consistent then they should either demand that the Syrian resistance put down all its arms, as well as declare that Assad has the right to defend himself. Or, they should not have an issue with the Palestinian resistance. Which one is it folks?
I wonder if the folks in the Melrose precinct give a sh*t about Syrian resistance.
#10 Things were so much better on the blog for the past week without stupid crap like this.
I find it utterly typical and hypocritical of the US Congress to even contemplate any sanctions or actions against Russian citizens or their government over “human rights” violations while they deliberately do not see the human rights violations of Israel against the Palestinians.
You put even a warm, wonderful, loving person in a cage and poke him with a stick daily, constantly, hurt his family, hurt his ability to be a human being, encroach on “his” space and then act like the victim when he lashes out? Israel is a bully and a human rights violator, no way on earth around that truth. It is a huge black mark on the face of a formerly oppressed people.
Unless this bill does target Israel (and other countries besides Russia), it is just another American farce played out for the responsive Middle Eastern audience.
If I were “king for a day”, I would recognize Palestine as a soveriegn country and give Israel 30 days, well maybe 60 days, to stop the occupation of Palestine, remove the blockade, remove the settlements, etc, etc.. If they did not comply, I would cut off all foreign aid and military support immediately.
Israel’s refusal to work out the Palestian issue is a generation past ridiculous.
Bill Perdue:
“14.If I were “king for a day”, I would recognize Palestine as a soveriegn country and give Israel 30 days, well maybe 60 days, to stop the occupation of Palestine, remove the blockade, remove the settlements, etc, etc.. If they did not comply, I would cut off all foreign aid and military support immediately.
Israel’s refusal to work out the Palestian issue is a generation past ridiculous.”
I agree. Better yet, cut off military aid anyway and let it work itself out.
I cannot understand how we’ve gotten to inextricably tangled up with the most PITA “ally” on the planet. We’ve spent 50 years politically and financially supporting our own creation, Israel. Surely at this point we can begin to unwind a little.
But there are forces that start yammering about “shades of the Holocaust” every time Obama refuses to kiss Netanyahu’s butt. It’s ridiculous and has to stop. Israel should be up and functional independently at this point…why we’re forever on the hook funding their imperialistic enterprise is a mystery.
to=so.
Kristen#16 wrote “I cannot understand how we’ve gotten to inextricably tangled up with the most PITA “ally” on the planet. We’ve spent 50 years politically and financially supporting our own creation, Israel…why we’re forever on the hook funding their imperialistic enterprise is a mystery.”
Kristen – If you really are interested in answers to your “how” question and your “why” question I suggest you read the book “The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy”. It is written by John J. Mearsheimer a Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago and Stephen M. Walt, a Professor of International Affairs at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Mark/#8. We’ll agree to disagree on the maturity level of the cultures, but citing 600 years ago was if it was today is absurd. Would you rather be anti-religious in a Christian or Jewish society – or a Muslim one? Would you rather be a woman in a Christian or Jewish society – or a Muslim one? Moreover, the Palestininians should take a lesson from Gandhi and King on how to market a winning reform movement. Still, it was an excellent article. Thank you for posting it.
Mark/$9 rather.
Dave#20 – Thanks for your comments and encouragement.
Just to be clear – I did not cite 600 years ago, rather I cited that the period the Muslims had the upper hand over Jews and Christains was 600 consecutive years, ending in 1918.
Dave – In fact, the Zionist movement was well underway during the last decades of the Ottoman rule over Palestine.
To give you a better feel for how recently Muslims had the upper hand in, as you phrase it, the last year of Ottoman rule – 1918 was exactly 30 years before Israel declared Independence. 1948 is of course is of course the year the Palestinians were kicked off of their properties in Israel causing what is called the refuge problem, and their current demand for “right of return”.
Indeed Muslim rule under the Ottoman Caliphate was mature and enlightened relative to most of its contemporaries.
If you want to know horrorific colonial rule, I suggest you study what Belgium and France were doing in West Africa at the turn of the 20th century. A good place to start is the book King Leopold’s Ghost. You will never think the same way about European Christian enlightened civilization…and that was only 100 years ago, also.
Hey, guys. There is one blind spot here and I will be glad to enlighten you. Majority of Jews that now live in the area of former Palestine in NOT FROM Judea (province of Palestine). So called European and Russian Jews come from the area between the Caspian and the Black Seas and this huge tribe was called Khazars. They took Judaism only in XI century and their descendants never ever have been living in the Middle East. They are from the area that now is Russia/Ukraine and they are NOT SEMITS (by the way – forget: anti-semitism). So we can’t be talking about them coming back to the land of their descendants in Palestine. They call them Ashkenzay Jews.
For your convenience I attach the maps of Khazaria: http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/esp_sociopol_khazar03.htm