An Unholy Alliance

Published on 17 February 2009

ROMAN historian Tacitus once wrote of the Roman Empire, “they made a desert and they called it peace.” The recent military intervention in Gaza by Israel was one of the most atrocious and vicious acts of heavy-handed violence committed by a nation and fills out what Tacitus articulated centuries ago.

The timing of the attack on Gaza and the ruthlessness with which it was carried out was appalling to say the least. The attacks came after the Israelis had closed access to Gaza for weeks, denying aid and food to be delivered to the area in light of the continued rocket attacks launched by Hamas into Israel.
While the actions of Hamas prior to the military intervention by Israel were repugnant, deplorable and deserving of punishment, Israel’s response was disproportionate and will almost certainly result in further instability in the region that may encourage increased terrorist activities.

The United Nations Security Council issued a cease-fire declaration and the international com¬munity, along with some conscionable Jewish people, strong¬ly condemned Israel’s actions. Israel promptly ignored the criticism and rejected the cease-fire, choosing instead to continue with its actions, and later declaring a unilateral cease-fire.

Perhaps one of the reasons that Israel feels it is immune to inter¬national criticism and UN declarations is because of its enduring and long-standing relationship with the United States - a relation¬ship that has permitted Israel to do as it pleased in the past.

In May 2008, George W. Bush proudly proclaimed in a speech to the Israeli Knesset, “America is proud to be Israel’s closest ally and best friend in the world.” He stated a view that has been prevalent since 1948 when David Ben-Gurion declared Israel’s independence and President Harry Truman was the first head of state to recognise Israel.

Bush went on to say of the Israeli people, “you have forged a free and modern society based on the love of liberty, a passion for justice, and a respect for human dignity. You have worked tirelessly for peace. You have fought valiantly for freedom,” a show of America’s refusal to acknowledge some of Israel’s obvious short¬comings with respect to its treatment of some of its Palestinian neighbours.

On 8 January 2009, the US Senate endorsed a non-binding resolution that supported Israel’s actions in Gaza, once again reaffirming the United State’s undy¬ing and unquestionable support for Israel. A week later, the lower House of Representatives passed a harsh bill designed to restrict aid to Palestine known as the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act by a lopsided margin of 361 representatives to 37.

Why would they ignore the obvious facts that they have at their disposal, documenting human suffering in Gaza? The answer lies in the fact that special interest groups have a lot of power in Washington. A group such as the American Israel Public Interest Group (AIPAC) has a lot of clout and provides indirect funding and support to many Senators and Representatives of both the Democratic and Republican par¬ties. Thus, when a vote on an Act or Bill that has direct reflection on Israel comes up, these politicians - who are beholden to their contributors - will ensure they are in Washington to vote, and will vote in favour of Israel.

In fact, the new US President addressed AIPAC in June of last year and used some strong rhetoric to attempt to sway the Jewish lobby group which had some doubts about his intentions for Israel. He stated, ‘our alliance is based on shared interests and shared values. Those who threaten Israel threaten us. Israel has always faced these threats on the frontlines. And I will bring to the White House an unshakable commitment to Israel’s security.’ He even went so far as to guarantee Israel an undivided Jerusalem, a highly controversial and ill-advised statement.

Guaranteeing Israel’s security is euphemistic talk in Washington for keeping Israel happy and doing whatever is necessary to ensure the Jewish vote is secure, in fact this is believed to be one of the reasons Harry Truman acknowledged Israel in 1948, against the wishes of his Secretary of State General George Marshall. Richard Nixon faced the same pressure as he tried to avoid uproar at Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger’s initial refusal to assist Israel with military supplies during the Yom Kippur war of 1973.

With tacit American support, Israel has expanded its illegal settlements and has effectively prevented Palestine from having a contiguous state, whilst preaching about a two state solution. This is one of the reasons lasting peace has been unattainable.

The only thing that sustains Israel’s intransigence is, America, its dearest friend. William Butler Yeats once wrote, ‘Think where man’s glory begins and ends, and say my glory was I had such friends’, how apt that is today for Israel.

Written by Tatenda Goredema

Tatenda Goredema is the Deputy Editor of Varsity Newspaper