Let's Talk about Israel...

    The Arab-Israeli conflict is  one of the most divisive political questions in American foreign policy today.

    Virtually every president prior to Donald Trump has worked tirelessly to try and bring détente and push for a two-state solution. 

    However, of this diplomatic precedent was upended by our current president, who moved Israel’s U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.

    This caused significant outrage in Palestine and the Muslim world, and was a move opposed by most of the international community.  

    Before I continue, let me make some things clear. Firstly, I believe that Israel along with all other nations, has an unalienable right to exist. Secondly, I have grown increasingly concerned at the undeniable rising tide of anti-Semitism in America and the world.

    The U.S. was rocked by the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in American history only last year. On social media and on college campuses there has been a troubling rise of Anti-Semitism and Holocaust Denialism. The University of Tennessee has been no exception, as it has been the scene of multiple instances of Anti-Semitic hate crime and vandalism.

    This worldwide trend is deeply troubling, and desperately needs to be addressed.

    Recently, Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota came underfire for her Anti-Semitic tweets concerning the strength of Israeli lobbyists in the U.S. House of Representatives.

    Omar’s poor choice of words brought praise from notorious anti-Semites such as David Duke. Bipartisan condemnation was swift, and Omar delivered an immediate and sincere apology for her offensive remarks.

    Predictably, Republicans assailed upon Rep. Omar. Without a trace of irony, and conservatives such as President Donald Trump and representative Kevin McCarthy called on Representative Omar to resign, in total ignorance of their own history of propagating anti-Semitic propaganda. 

    While Omar’s method of characterizing this polarizing issue was wrong, anti-Semitic, and offensive, this does not mean we should not talk about Israel. A sincere discussion on the Arab-Israeli conflict, and U.S. involvement in it is long overdue.

    Current developments in the conflict are deeply troubling, and the blatant one-sidedness that the current administration has taken on the issue is doubly so.

    In the past two decades, Israel has taken many steps that could be considered extreme. It has built a massive barrier to physically separate Palestinian lands in the West Bank from Israel. This has severely limited the freedom of movement of Palestinians residing in these lands.

    According to Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, the wall even threatens the agrarian economy of Palestine by depriving many Palestinians access to farmlands. Palestinians wishing to transit between the two territories require a pass. 

    Israeli restrictions on the movement of Palestinians routinely deprive them of needed medical care, education and economic opportunities. The restrictions also cause family separation.

    According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), many other grievous abuses have also been committed by Israel during its occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza strip. These include but are not limited to unlawful killings, war crimes, forced displacement and other repressive actions. 

    In the words of Sarah Leah Whitson, the Middle East Director for HRW, “Israel today maintains an entrenched system of institutionalized discrimination against Palestinians in the occupied territory – repression that extends far beyond any security rationale.” 

    One of the more prominent of these abuses has been the construction of illegal settlements in the West Bank, which have forcibly displaced Arab communities, and continue to eviscerate Palestinian lands. 

    This is not to say that Palestine isn’t guilty of abuses. In fact, HAMAS (which is regarded as a terrorist organization by much of the international community) and other Palestinian groups have been found guilty of their own human rights abuses. They have also attacked civilian centers in repeated rocket attacks. 

    HAMAS regularly executes those deemed to have “collaborated” with Israel. The suppression of the free press, the prosecution of homosexuality and the prevalence of torture in the West Bank are all well-documented practices.

The point here is not to imply that one side is morally superior to the other.   

These are simply the undeniable facts.

    Many actions Israel has taken in the name of security and stability have been and continue to be fundamentally destabilizing. Certain efforts, particularly the construction of illegal settlements, is making the concept of a two-state solution an impossible prospect.

    The United States’ apparent unwillingness to confront these abuses tacitly enables the propagation of these destructive policies. Consequentially, continued support we give Israel both financially and militarily is making us complicit in war crimes.   

    Again, I am not arguing that we should not support or protect Israel. There exist today many legitimate threats to Israeli security and sovereignty. I am simply arguing that we can, and we must strive to take a firmer stance on certain policies Israel is pursuing in the name of security.

    We must do this not only for the sake of moral rectitude, but also for the sake of the long-term security of Israel, as well as the surrounding region. 

    Currently, we are ensuring that millions of Palestinians are growing up disenfranchised, disenchanted with the peace process and resentful of Israel’s existence. We are also ensuring that conflicts between the two sides will continue for the foreseeable future. Nothing good can come from this trend.

    Most importantly, the U.S. needs to strive for greater impartiality in this conflict, with the hope of making itself once more a legitimate arbitrator.

    Peace between Arabs and Israelis is possible to attain but requires a sustained commitment from all involved. We should be the architects of lasting peace, and not the harbingers of continued sectarian conflict.

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