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I am a historian by trade. Looking at past activities by US and Israeli leadership, we can say without contradiction that any country that allows itself to be befriended by these countries will eventually find itself abandoned as they seek new victims to devour.
The attack on Israel by Hamas fighters on October 8 can be explained in the lack of leadership by the US as an honest broker and the arrogant posture of Israel in believing that peace can be achieved without justice.
Amnesty International’s 280-page report (2022) gives details of Israeli’s oppression of Palestinians.
A sub-report (November 2017) entitled Occupation of Water, says the following fearful words.
“In November 1967, … military order 158 stated that Palestinians could not construct any new water installation without first obtaining a permit from Israeli military. (These permits) from Israel are near impossible to get.”
Palestinians, the report goes on, “are unable to drill new water wells, install pumps, or deepen existing wells, in addition to being denied access to the Jorand River and freshwater springs.”
The story will leave a bad feeling in the stomach of any reader. “Israel controls the collection of rain water throughout most of the West bank, rainwater cisterns owned by Palestinians communities are often destroyed by the Israeli army.”
If our readers are not shocked by the existence of such conditions for any fellow human beings, such readers are not human.
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Monumental failure of US policy
Israel depends for its very existence on US financial and military support. I was not aware that Israel houses the largest military warehouse of US weapons in the Middle East.
In addition, the US supports the state with US$3 billion in addition to other numerous support systems. The US, is therefore, the Big Brother to Israel. Instead of restraining Israel’s behaviour US presidents, for the last 73 years have allowed Israel to do as it pleases.
But it is worse than that. Since the year 2000, we now know, through social media that US presidents tell Israeli leaders in private that they can do whatever they want with the Palestinians.
As we speak, Israel has bombed a Palestinian hospital, killing 100 patients, shut off water and electricity to 2.5 million people and gave an order for them to migrate to Egypt.
The story is worse than disgusting. Through financial arrangements, US president Joe Biden is hoping around the Middle East hoping to make friends.
Verily, verily, I say fools are born every day.
While the US is supplying Israel with all the military equipment it needs to run over Palestinians, it has generously arranged for the Red Cross and other do-good organisations to send bandages and medicines for the other side.
All the US-brokered agreements, Oslo Accords and Camp David Accords (1978) were a charade. The official US presidential website says that Israeli prime minister Menachim Begin aimed at achieving a “greater Israel.” This involved the expulsion of Palestinians from their homelands. These “positions on Palestine, self-government and settlements in Gaza and the West Bank” were irreconcilable.
There is no record of a Palestinian representative in the Camp David negotiations.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has turned out to be a scholar of sorts. He noted that the US is not an impartial referee, nor does it assume its responsibility as a moral guide to Israel.
Easy solution
Many years ago, I was a student at St. Andrews University in Scotland when Sir Harry Oppenheimer of South Africa visited. To make Sir Harry comfortable, the vice-chancellor sent for me so Sir Harry could meet a fellow tribesman.
That is where I first heard of a happy “chap” by the name of Abba Eban, a mighty South African scholar and later Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations.
Eban’s answer to those who pointed out Israel’s weaknesses and atrocities were that such objections may be attributed to anti-Semitism. If Jews like Noam Chomsky and Gordon Levi entertained such propositions, they needed psychological treatment of a disease called self-hatred.
For an American politician to be accused of anti-Jewishness is a kiss of death. Harvard student organisations, which have proclaimed sympathy for Palestine are, as we speak, having to deal with an employment blacklisting process. Names are being compiled and bitter consequences may follow.
US leadership failure
Both Israelis and their US enablers reject both natural and divine law. “Why do my people cry peace, peace, when there is no justice?” (Jeremiah 8).
George W. Bush (2002-2008) and Barak Obama (2008-2016) gave Israel false hope, comforting them in private that oppression will yield peaceful results while depending on Arab charlatans to support that view.
The US purposefully entered a period of forever wars. The lesson from these wars is that despite their mighty war machinery, the US lost all the wars. More important is the fact that whatever country accepts US help, in the long run, it will be left in shreds.
The US first sent advisors and help to Vietnam in 1954. When they left in 1975, the country was in shreds. Afghanistan was left in shreds after US attempts to get rid of terrorism (2002-20021). Iraq was left in shreds after years of US help to bring about democracy (2002-2023).
Syria was left in shreds after a long secret war aimed at stealing oil from the region (2008-2023).
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton suddenly discovered that Libya was under dictatorship from its longtime ruler (1969-2011). Help was offered to General Khalifa Haftar.
Today, the US has frozen Libya’s gold reserves in London and New York while it houses three million refugees trying to flee.
The US is suffering from a monumental failure of leadership. Beware when the US comes with gifts and offers of friendship.
Look, you sluggard at Ukraine. Look you sluggard at Iraq and be wise.
- Ken Mufuka is a Zimbabwean patriot and a member of the Supreme Council of Nubia. He writes from the US.