ISRAELIS SIXTY, PALESTINIANS ZERO
Happy 60th birthday to Israel.
While Israelis and their supporters around the world celebrate three score years as a thriving economic engine in the Middle East, Palestinians have yet to celebrate a single year or even a single day as a nation.
While a million Palestinians suffer in unbearable squalor imposed upon them by Israel in Gaza, Israeli expansion in the Palestinian areas of the West Bank continues at breakneck pace. Israeli infrastructure consisting of roads, settlements, military bases and nearly 600 checkpoints gobbles up 40% of the West Bank. Jewish settler population in occupied territories is approaching a half million souls.
President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice make trip after trip after trip to the region imploring the Israelis to cease their settlements on occupied Palestinian land and negotiate fairly for a two state solution. But until the US makes our annual three billion dollars in aid to Israel contingent on actual progress instead of lip service while settlements grow like mushrooms, the long suffering Palestinians will continue to be the most ignored and neglected folks on the planet.
Originally published in Chicago Tribune, May 15, 2008
While Israelis and their supporters around the world celebrate three score years as a thriving economic engine in the Middle East, Palestinians have yet to celebrate a single year or even a single day as a nation.
While a million Palestinians suffer in unbearable squalor imposed upon them by Israel in Gaza, Israeli expansion in the Palestinian areas of the West Bank continues at breakneck pace. Israeli infrastructure consisting of roads, settlements, military bases and nearly 600 checkpoints gobbles up 40% of the West Bank. Jewish settler population in occupied territories is approaching a half million souls.
President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice make trip after trip after trip to the region imploring the Israelis to cease their settlements on occupied Palestinian land and negotiate fairly for a two state solution. But until the US makes our annual three billion dollars in aid to Israel contingent on actual progress instead of lip service while settlements grow like mushrooms, the long suffering Palestinians will continue to be the most ignored and neglected folks on the planet.
Originally published in Chicago Tribune, May 15, 2008
posted by Walt Zlotow at 5:36 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home