By MARY UYEMATSU KAO
Oct. 7 has been likened to the slave revolt of Nat Turner. We even heard in mainstream media that Gaza Strip is like an open-air prison, one of the densest places on Earth. And now, we have been witnessing the daily horror of Israel’s siege on 2 million Palestinians, just in Gaza and more in the West Bank.
Israel has been bombing hospitals, schools, and people’s homes, all on the excuse that Hamas uses the locals as human shields. I’ve tried to summarize my online research for this article on things that I’m learning about the situation.
U.S. Newshas a recent article by Christopher Wolf that reads: “The United States has given Israel more than $260 billion in combined military and economic aid since World War II, plus about $10 billion more in contributions for missile defense systems like the Iron Dome … the most granted to any country throughout that time frame. …” Additionally, Israel has been the top recipient of U.S. aid for the longest duration (1974-2002). www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2023-10-10/how-much-aid-does-the-u-s-give-to-israel
In an article titled “How the U.S. Became Israel’s Closest Ally,” Nicole Narea of Voxshows how the U.S. tightened its relationship with Israel “after the 1967 War that saw Israel defeat a coalition of Arab states, suffering comparatively few casualties in the process with little help from outside forces, and occupy swaths of new territory, including Gaza and the West Bank.” This happened while the U.S. was bogged down in its war on Vietnam. The U.S. saw Israel as an advantageous ally to counter Soviet influence in the region.
In the 1980s, the U.S. and Israel teamed up on their research, development, and production of military weaponry, making Israel the 10th-largest military exporter in the world. In 1999, President Clinton signed the “first of three 10-year memorandums committing to provide billions in military aid annually” to Israel.
In 2011, using U.S.-built parts, Israel implemented its Iron Dome, partially funded by the U.S. The Iron Dome uses radar technology to destroy rockets fired by Hamas and other militant groups (a short-range air missile defense system).
According to Professor Joel Beinin (Middle East history, Stanford University): “The military-industrial surveillance complexes of both countries are very tightly intertwined … American capacities are now to some extent dependent on Israel.”
Narea contends that Israel has been and still is a key pillar of the U.S. strategy in protecting U.S. interests in the region. www.vox.com/world-politics/23916266/us-israel-support-ally-gaza-war-aid
In a YouTube talk between geo-political journalist Ben Norton and Professor Michael Hudson (economics, University of Missouri-Kansas City), Hudson states that Israel is effectively a U.S. military outpost to ensure U.S. access to oil and trade routes in the Middle East. He also contends that the U.S. doesn’t care about Israel in general, but Netanyahu they do care about. In other words, Netanyahu represents U.S. interests in the Middle East despite challenges to his own leadership from Israelis themselves. www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AeAfFfTqMk
Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Brings Clarity on Anti-Semitism
One of the more enlightening and inspiring players on the current scene is Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). They have brought us the largest Jewish protests in support of Palestinians. On Oct. 18, JVP rallied 5,000 people in Washington, D.C. for a “Jews Against Genocide” protest. Two dozen rabbis led 500 Jews for a sit-in under the rotunda of a Capitol Hill building. 300 demonstrators were arrested.
On Oct. 27, JVP rallied 2,000 protestors to shut down New York City’s Grand Central Station, demanding “Ceasefire Now!” And Nov. 6, 500 JVP+ gathered at New York’s Statue of Liberty with banners reading “The Whole World Is Watching” and “Never Again for Anyone.”
JVP’s role has been crucial in countering the disinformation that anycriticisms of Israel’s response to the Hamas attack are anti-Semitic. JVP is the first major Jewish peace group to demand that U.S. military aid be withheld until the Israeli government ends its occupation. As they explain on their website: “The Israeli government claims to be acting in the name of the Jewish people, so we are compelled to make sure the world knows that many Jews are opposed to its actions. Attempts to hold the Israeli government accountable are often silenced by conflating legitimate criticism with anti-semitism.”
JVP goes on to explain that many Jews have criticisms of Zionist “political beliefs and policies, grounded in Jewish supremacy.” What is so ironic is how Zionism presents itself as the savior of the Jewish people, and yet they are acting like Nazis in their genocide of the Palestinian people.
JVP continues: “We proudly endorse the Palestinian civil society call for boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) until the Israeli government abides by international law.” www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/about/
An article on JVP’s website by Ben Lorber offers the insight of Sir Edwin Montagu, who was the lone Cabinet vote against Britain’s Balfour Declaration in 1917, which declared support for establishing a home for Jewish people in Palestine. Montagu’s words: “Zionism has always seemed to me to be a mischievous political creed, untenable by any patriotic citizen of the United Kingdom … when the Jews are told that Palestine is their national home, every country will immediately desire to get rid of its Jewish citizens.” www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/2019/01/12/a-partial-history-of-jewish-alternatives/
Malcolm X on Palestine
If you didn’t believe that Malcolm was a prophet before, than you should now. The power of his understanding and knowledge continues to teach the way forward. In an article by Omar Suleiman in Religion Newsdated May 19, 2021, he recounts Malcolm’s foresight:
“It was Malcolm who warned us in his lifetime about the damage being done to the Palestinians, before any other African American leader or civil rights organization, just as he would take on the Vietnam War before anyone else would. He would be the lone popular leader to support Yuri Kochiyama in her quest for justice after the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
“Moral courage is not often found within the confines of our rigid partisan establishment lines. Neither political party has a monopoly on morality. Courage is displayed precisely when we rise up against the comfortable, prevailing view of our times.
“There are few places in American politics today where this courage is required more, and yet present less, than on the issue of Palestinian human rights.” https://religionnews.com/2021/05/19/malcolm-xs-moral-courage-and-the-challenge-of-palestine/
And Johnny Silvercloud of Mediumhas an online photo-essay showing Palestinian support at George Floyd demonstrations, and African American support in the ceasefire demonstrations. He shares these words from Malcolm that ring truer 60 years later:
“The birth of Israel in 1948 brought forth the mass expulsion and dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their ancestral homes, and this is a historic injustice that continues to haunt the lives of Palestinians to this very day.
“The situation in Palestine serves as a brutal reminder of the consequences of colonialism and the ruthless dispossession of Indigenous people. It is an agonizing reminder that the fight for justice knows no borders, and we must stand united in solidarity with all oppressed peoples whether they reside in the United States, South Africa, or anywhere around the world.
“Let’s be unequivocally clear: Advocating for the rights of the Palestinian people is not synonymous with denying the rights and security of the Jewish people.
“To fight for justice and Palestine is not an assault on any particular group, but an unwavering stand against the policies of a Zionist state that has for far too long stripped Palestinians of their rights. We must remember that numerous Jewish voices also resound in the calls for justice and peace in Palestine, and their voices must not be silenced.
“In our relentless pursuit of justice for the Palestinian people, we must also acknowledge that it is in the best interest of the entire world to seek a just and enduring solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is a pursuit in the name of peace, stability, and the dignity of all mankind.
“But let me underscore this: the battle for justice in Palestine is not merely a political struggle. It’s an elemental moral battle. It’s the fight for the most basic human rights of the people who have suffered these injustices for far too long. It’s the fight for the right to exist in peace and security, free from the ceaseless specter of violence and dispossession.” ~ Malcolm X https://medium.com/afrosapiophile/why-black-people-support-palestinians-f1af0617d4a
On an end note, we have this excerpt from Brown University’s “An open letter from Jewish students” by “a collective of anti-occupation Jews,” Nov. 7, 2023:
“We will not shy away from calling out injustice in the world; we will not let our Jewish identity be co-opted. Our Judaism compels us to oppose the Israeli state. Our Torah commands: ‘You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt.’ — Exodus 23:9” www.browndailyherald.com/article/2023/11/an-open-letter-from-jewish-students
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the priorities of our government are the opposite of what the majority of people need and want. Our government squanders our hard-earned tax dollars on over 800 U.S. military bases around the world. Those bases are not out there to protect us. And when our government is out of control. “What is to be done?”
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Mary Uyematsu Kao is the author/photographer of “Rockin’ the Boat: Flashbacks of the 1970s Asian Movement” and former publications coordinator for the UCLA Asian American Studies Press. She can be reached for comments and feedback at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are notnecessarily those ofThe Rafu Shimpo.