US-Israeli Tango dance continues ad infinitum while Gaza burns and thousands perish weekly over a war that began six months ago and is continuing without any sign of any end. Seven international volunteers lost their lives Tuesday (April 1) in the latest Israeli missile attack in Gaza. These volunteers who work for World Central Kitchen, a non-profit organization founded by internationally renowned chef Jose Andres, were delivering food to starving children of Gaza.
Not only that, the victims were civilian volunteers from different countries, the attack took place after the so-called ceasefire resolution by UN Security Council which United States allowed to pass without veto. Even though this ceasefire was for the duration of Ramadan only, but at least it showed a change in US policy toward the war in Gaza since it had vetoed three similar UN resolutions earlier. But did it really make the Israeli government hold its guns and stop its brutality in Gaza? Did Israel or its warmongering Prime Minister take seriously that US was changing its policy toward Israel? No, they did not. Because Israel and its Prime Minister know US was not going to backstab its long-lasting friend and ally.
The proof that US would always be behind Israel and feeding its war machine came within a day of passing without US veto the Security Council resolution of ceasefire. US quietly approved transfer of several billion dollars of bombs and fighter jets to Israel as part of its package of US military assistance to that country. According to Washington Post the “new arms packages include more than 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs, according to Pentagon and State Department officials familiar with the matter.”
These transfers happened despite warnings from UN Human Rights Agency that any arms export or transfer to Israel will not only escalate the current war in Gaza but lead to untold human sufferings in loss of lives and property in violation of international humanitarian law. The transfers were approved, nonetheless.
The United States provides about two thirds of all military supply to Israel, besides providing an annual aid of $4 billion as military aid following peace accord between Egypt and Israel in 1979, with Egypt getting a half of the amount annually given to Israel. But this annual aid to Israel is a drop in the bucket considering that Israel has received more than $260 billion in military aid in last six decades making the country highest recipient of US aid in the world. Israel’s famous Iron Dome, which is a composite of air and land defense system, is mainly funded by USA. Over the last several decades, and more in last twenty years or so, there is iron clad bi-partisan support to this aid in US congress.
The irony is in this current complex politics of US policy in the Middle East, the US has been also selling arms and providing military aid to other Arab countries such Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf States. The Arab states did not have any diplomatic relationship with Israel (except Egypt) until recently when under Donald Trump so-called Abraham Accord led to opening of diplomatic relationship between Israel and some of the Gulf States. But this Band-Aid maneuver could not conceal the deep wound of distrust in the Arab population in the entire area because of the duplicitous way US policy has favored and protected Israel all along.
Had US wanted to be the honest broker that it claims to be in Israel-Palestinian relationship it could have prevented not only the recent Gaza war but all of the conflicts that have taken place in the area since the end of 1967 war.
The conflict which had led to Israel occupation of West Bank and Gaza ended in 1994 after the Oslo Accords. Besides recognition by Israel of Palestine Authority’s rule in the West Bank (partially), and Gaza in these accords, Israel had agreed not to extend Israeli settlement in West Bank, and gradually transfer all of West Bank administration to the Palestinian Authority (PA). In reality, however, the West Bank was divided into three areas, A, B and C. Area A (18%) was to be administered by Palestinian Authority, Area B (22%) jointly by PA and Israel, and Area C (60%) entirely by Israel. Gaza, an enclave surrounded by Israel, was left with PA.
So, what remains to be administered and ruled by a fledgling and fragile entity in this surreal accord was fifth of an area of about 2,263 square miles in West Bank, and that too with no resources of its own. With a mighty Israel breathing down its neck PA could hardly look after the population let alone stand guard over the entire territory so that new settlers from Israel do not make any more inroads.
In 1993 before Oslo Accords Israeli there were about 112,000 Israeli settlements in the West Bank. This number increased by leaps and bounds after the Oslo agreement rising to more 494,000 by 2022. So much about agreement on halting further Israeli settlements! The United States, which had brokered this so-called historic agreement, never attempted to ask Israel from preventing these settlements. Instead, under his Presidency Donald Trump even moved US embassy to Jerusalem, the city whose status was to be determined after further negotiations between Israel and Palestine.
US policy of backing Israel emanates not only from a broad support across US population for so-called shared values of democracy (ignoring human rights for the people in Palestine), but also the strong lobbying by the most influential American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in US Congress. This group raises funds to lobby Congress every year to support and promote US aid to Israel by contributing to the electoral campaign funds of Congressmen and Senators. This year reportedly AIPAC has already raised $90 million after Gaza war started.
Where does it lead the US and its honest brokerage of Israeli-Palestinian relationship? Will a policy of running with hares and hunting with the hounds ultimately establish peace in the area? Will it help stop the carnage in Gaza and West Bank that we are witnessing and probably continue to endure for the foreseeable future?
According to a noted Middle East scholar, Michael Barnett, George Washington University political scientist, Israel's ongoing occupation of the West Bank is already alienating younger and more secular Jews, and that AIPAC and other mainstream Jewish organizations risk losing their broad base of support unless they become more willing to criticize Israel on these points.
So, it may be that for now Israel is forging ahead and turning a deaf ear to the cries of help from Gaza and the hapless Palestinians in the West Bank. May be US Congress including President Biden are so enamored of Israel that they dare not turn their back on Israel. May be AIPAC is still calling the shots. But the day is not far that US population will turn against this policy of ignoring violation international humanitarian law and vote out the blind supporters of Israel. May be unconditional military support to Israel and its occupation of West Bank will end. This will not happen today, and eventually democracy in the US will prevail to bring a change.
Ziauddin Choudhury has worked in the higher civil service of Bangladesh early in his career, and later for the World Bank in the US.
