By Dr Ramzy Baroud
The Czech writer Franz Kafka said famously, “Everything you love is very likely to be lost, but in the end, love will return in a different way.” The same principle, I believe, applies to other powerful feelings, including resentment, hate, anger, even rage.
American officials should know this well as they continue to support Israel with billions of dollars of military and economic aid, and anything and everything that would allow the apartheid state to continue with its genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza. The Arabs, the Muslims — in fact, the whole world — are watching, listening, reading and getting angrier by the day at the direct US role in facilitating Israel’s Gaza bloodbath.
The occupation state’s military offensive in Gaza “has wreaked more destruction than the razing of Syria’s Aleppo between 2012 and 2016, Ukraine’s Mariupol or, proportionally, the Allied bombing of Germany in World War II,” the Associated Press reported, based on recent satellite data analysis. “[It] now sits among the deadliest and most destructive in recent history.”
Aside from the tens of thousands of dead and missing in the rubble, a much higher number of people have been injured and maimed, including thousands of children. Countless children are left “grappling with the loss of an arm or a leg,” according to UNICEF.
The agony of Gaza is being watched on television and every other medium of communication. It is as if the world is suffering along with the Palestinian children in Gaza, but is unable to stop or at least slow down the genocide. And, yet, even when all European countries, save a few, have reversed their position on the war, joining the rest of the world in demanding an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire, Washington has continued to reject these calls.
This is how US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, justified her country’s use of the veto, striking down the first serious attempt by the Security Council to achieve a permanent truce on 18 October: “Israel has the inherent right of self-defence as reflected in Article 51 of the UN Charter.”
That same logic has been repeated many times by US officials since then, even when the extent of the Gaza tragedy became known to everyone, including the Americans themselves. This self-serving logic goes against the very spirit of international and humanitarian law, which vehemently rejects the targeting of civilians during times of war and conflict, and the prevention of humanitarian aid from reaching civilian victims of war.
It is a fact that the vast majority of Gaza’s victims are civilians. Moreover, according to UNICEF, over 70 per cent of all of those killed and wounded are women and children. On top of that, due to the inhumane Israeli actions, the survivors of Israeli bombs and bullets are now facing a famine, which is unprecedented in the modern history of Palestine.
Nevertheless, Israel continues to block access to food, medicine, fuel and other basic necessities in Gaza, thus violating Washington’s own laws on the matter. “No assistance shall be furnished to any country when it is made known to the President that the government of such country prohibits or otherwise restricts, directly or indirectly, the transport or delivery of US humanitarian assistance,” says the US Foreign Assistance Act (Section 620I) very clearly.
The Biden administration has done nothing to pressure — let alone force — Israel to adhere to the most basic humanitarian laws in its ongoing genocide in Gaza. Worse, President Joe Biden is furnishing Israel with the weapons and ammunition it needs to prolong this destructive war.
According to a 25 December report by Israel’s Channel 12, more than 20 ships and 244 US aircraft have delivered over 10,000 tons of armaments and military equipment to Israel since the start of the war. These military supplies include, according to the Wall Street Journal, at least 100 BLU-109, 2,000-pound bunker-buster bombs, which have been used repeatedly throughout the Israeli bombardment, killing and wounding hundreds of Palestinians on every occasion.
The only tangible action that the US has taken since the start of the war has been to create a coalition — “Operation Prosperity Guardian” — with the sole purpose of ensuring the safety of ships crossing the Red Sea, going to or leaving Israel.
It has failed to strike a balance between its support for Israel and its at least nominal respect for Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims. On the contrary, too many US officials seem to be entirely detached from this reality.
At a press conference at the White House on 7 December, US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, John Kirby, proclaimed: “Tell me, name me, one more nation, any other nation, that is doing as much as the United States to alleviate the pain and suffering of the people of Gaza. You can’t. You just can’t.”
But how are “dumb bombs”, “smart bombs”, bunker busters and tens of thousands of tons of high explosives “alleviating the pain and suffering” of Gaza and its people? If Kirby is unaware of his country’s role in the genocide in Gaza, then the crisis in American foreign policy is worse than we could have imagined. If he is aware, and he should be, then his country’s moral crisis is arguably unprecedented in modern history.
The problem for US politics is that American administrations have a segmented view of reality, as they are focused intently on how any action, or inaction, is going to affect their political parties in future elections. However, Americans who care about their country and its position in a vastly changing Middle East and rapidly shifting global geopolitics should remember that history neither starts nor finishes on a November day once every four years.
“In the end, love will return in a different way,” wrote Kafka. He is right. But hate, too, tends to return as well, manifesting itself in myriad ways. More than any other country, the US should know that it will one day pay the price for its unquestioned support for Israel.
Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of the Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of five books. His latest is ‘These Chains Will Be Broken: Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons’ (Clarity Press). Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) and also at the Afro-Middle East Center (AMEC). His website is www.ramzybaroud.net
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Comments
30 responses to “The US will one day pay the price for its unquestioned support for Israel”
Until the blackmail and bribery are prosecuted ,nothing will happen to isn’treal. The u.s.a.has already exposed its corruption and injustices to the world.
What is being done to the Palestinian people is boundlessy cruel, undeserved and despicable, not just, though horrendously, in Gaza but in the West Bank and other areas.
As many others have said, Israelis no longer deserve a homeland and if they ever did, why was it at the expense of Palestinians? Why not Hitler’s homeland, Austria?
Why not the homeland of his favourite beerhall, and the site in Nuremburg of his cheering crowds and rallies, Bavaria.
Why were innocent Palestinians made to pay the blood price for German crimes and of a regime that came to power in 1933 and, spectacularly, had its young Christian men involved in massacres within 6 years.
Since 1948 the world, especially America and Europe, owes the Palestinians a debt and that debt is justice…a homeland West Bank free of all so-called settlers and a redrawing of the map to include Galilee and the northern border with Lebanon, an outlet to sea, a unified state.
the zionists were offered several places in the world but they were dead set on the LIE of the area being their ancestral land. A big lie inded the jews have lived there less than 400 years out of 2000
These white Caucasian supremist type Jews have been in Palestine for about 70 years and they came from Russia, Europe, USA, and a few other places. They aren’t Semitic people not have they ever been. Semitic Jews have lived in the middle east for several centuries living mostly in peace. It’s the white Jewish supremacists that are causing the problems; they have caused problems since they decided to become Jews in 600AD.
I suspects your comment about German history is reflection of a lack of research. Germany was the victim. As for so called German War Crimes, no one could beat the Allies when it comes to war crimes.
Most historians say Germany invaded the USSR in 1941 in Operation Barbarossa. Does your research indicate this to be untrue, or somehow justified?
Svay:
Let me educate you. Both Germany and Russia invaded Poland in September 1939. Germany invaded after several violations of Germany’s border and thousands of Germans fleeing Poland after the the Polish government butchered more than 40,000 Germans living in Poland starting in March of 1939. There was no justification for Russia’s invasion. Yet, England and France declared war on Germany only. They did not declared war on Russia. A lot of history books missed that point. Why didn’t England and France declare war against Russia?
Russia used their occupation of Poland to further their goal to conquer the rest of Europe. After Russia executed thousands of Polish officers and civilians, they started to prepare for the invasion of the Europe using their part of occupied Poland as a staging area. Stalin waited for England and France and Germany to exhaust their own forces fighting each other. Then he planned to invade Europe and bring all of it under Communist control. In 1940, Stalin starting moving several hundred thousand soldiers into Poland for the invasion of Germany. The last part was to move all the military equipment to Poland for the Invasion, but Germany realized what was going to happen and invaded first. Germany caught them by surprise and that is why Germany captured so many Russian soldiers right after the invasion.
For many years Germany was blamed for the execution of Polish officers when finally Russia admitted they did it.
I could provide more detail but there is not enough space. As for historians, remember many provide their own viewpoint as they see it. They leave out important information. You have to read a lot of history books and do a lot of research to try and get the complete picture of various events. Even then, there are unanswered questions.
Thank you. I’ll check out what you’re saying.
No doubt you mean Germany was the victim of Versailles.
Go back to the 1860’s… Prussia against Denmark, Austria, France, each time victories extorting territories and reparations, then the years to 1914 and the naval arms race… all this the actions of a victim
Boo-hoo!
Shreklickheit in Belgium in 1914
The crippling imposition of Brest-Litovsk in 1918 on Russia
The Great Crash affected many nations like Germany but only Germany managed to spew out a mentality ready to vote for Hitler and all that followed
Why did so few Germans not agree with Ludendorff:
“This madman will drag our beloved Reich into the abyss”
And the dead of WW2? How many? 47 million….
German dead 5 million ?
Russian 28 million
Of course I know no history
Germany was the victim and Hitler did not start the War by invading Poland, after Austria and Czechoslovakia and Krystallnacht and Gestapo’s nacht und nebel…1000 years!!
US will not pay any price for anything it does as long as Israel has no permanent seat at the UN.
But would Israel really want a permanent seat at the UN? I think not. Why? If something goes wrong Israel can point the guilty finger at other and whine, as always, “We the Jews are innocent, it’s all their, US, UK, EU, fault.”
Paragraph 6 of the article : This is how US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, justified her country’s use of the veto, striking down the first serious attempt by the Security Council to achieve a permanent truce on 18 October: “Israel has the inherent right of self-defence as reflected in Article 51 of the UN Charter.”
Palestine (as defined by the UN defined/regognised borders) is an occupied country – the occupier being Israel. There are international rules the occupier must follow, a good summary is presented by the ICRC (https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/resources/documents/misc/634kfc.htm)
Palestinians are entitled to resist the occupier – therefore Israel as the occupier cannot clam the right of defence to justify actions against the occupied.
The US government and its officials are therefore either ignorant of international law or are intentionally ignoring it. Either way they are complicit (along with their cabal of supporting nations) in war crimes and crimes against humanity, so must be held to account.
After all if there are rules and the US government champions a ‘Rules Based Order’ they should be subject to these rules.
Thank you so much for pointing this out Ernesto!:) Your comment is the first I have seen in a long time that puts to rest this totally incorrect “the right to self defence’ cliche. It requires continued distribution everywhere!
Check Francesca Albanese at UN,
Francesca Albanese at UN,
I don’t understand “More than any other country, the US should know that it will one day pay the price for its unquestioned support for Israel.”
The US may pay a price, but the price? It’s effectively got away with a long history of imperialist wars and support for bloodthirsty regimes so far. It remains a global hegemon, with the world’s largest GDP. None of its leaders, past or present, military or civilian, are in jail in the Hague awaiting trial for war crimes. What makes Baroud think this time will be different?
Thank you, oh bearer of truth.
Let’s be direct. The US behaves despicably because Jews have infested its ranks. It’s the Tribe, stupid. Tell me how I’m wrong.
The US behaved despicably back when it was openly and officially antisemitic and the few Jews who gained entry were second class citizens. Or do you perhaps blame Jews for slavery and the theft of Native American land?
“As many others have said, Israelis no longer deserve a homeland.”
You speak nonsense. You really mean “Jews no loger deserve a homeland.” How can you be so duped to the point you don’t make any rational sense?
Get rid of your Jewish indoctrination. It’s the Tribe, stupid.
Judaism invented Zionism. Zionism invented Israel. It’s Jews, you numbskull!
Stop being stupid Sam. Your racism is showing.
I think racism (or rather antisemitism, which is as much about religion and culture as race) is exactly what Sam is proudly propounding.
Let’s be direct. The US behaves despicably because Jews have infested its ranks. It’s the Tribe, stupid. Tell me how I’m wrong.
“As many others have said, Israelis no longer deserve a homeland.”
You speak nonsense. You really mean “Jews no loger deserve a homeland.” How can you be so duped to the point you don’t make any rational sense?
Get rid of your Jewish indoctrination. It’s the Tribe, stupid.
Judaism invented Zionism. Judaism invented Israel. It’s Jews, you numbskull!
Ho hum. So much more recitation of the obvious, with no understanding of or suggestion on how to fix the underlying problem. It’s the ph^#king Jewish Tribe, stupid. Are you blind to the straitjacket the Jews have placed over your mind?
Groups like Jewish Voice for Peace have been at the forefront of opposition to the Israeli state’s actions. For their efforts, many have lost their jobs or been arrested, censored or banned.
https://www.alquds.com/en/posts/103202
AN Occupier, and Israel occupies all of Palestine, has no right to self defence against the people it crushes under military colonial occupation rule. The Palestinians have every right to fight for freedom and justice against their oppressors.
If Israel had a right to self-defence against those it rules with murderous power then the Germans had the right to self-defence against the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto and the French and Polish Resistance forces.
True however we must remember that “God’s chosen” have the right to do whatever they wish and that includes taking money from US taxpayers.
Unfortunately such a day exists only in dreams, Turkey didn’t pay for Armenian Genocide (West accept it as Genocide but East (China, Russia… didn’t!) and now with this ongoing Genocide in Palestina Gaza we see active involvement by West and silence from East! Russia, China could send ship with food, water, medicine… but they didn’t!
The US is already isolated on the world stage. The UN resolution in December for a Gaza ceasefire was adopted by 153 countries with 89% of the world population, and opposed by just the US and 9 small countries with less than 1% of the world population. The isolation will become even more pronounced with the advent of a multi-polar world.
Does anyone remember what happened to the German city Dresden in WW 2?
America and the UK flew over Dresden and sucked the oxygen right out of the city. Kurt Vonnegut was there as a captured soldier and after sufficient time had passed, the prisoners
( i.e Vonnegut and other captured ones left the underground bunkers and ) had to go into the houses and businesses of what the US and the UK did to Dresden—-they sucked all the oxygen in the city and quick as a flash, the citizens died from lack of oxygen . But the prisoners had to turn their fire fight onto the now dead citizens who died from lack of oxygen, and end up being set on fire to make sure the dead were really dead. WAR is truly a horror.