U.S. Foreign Policy Concerning Israel-Palestine

§         The U.S. government has cultivated a special relationship with Israel that no other country enjoys.  Israel is the recipient of the largest U.S. foreign aid. In addition, unconditional support is evident by the U.S. allowing Israeli  actions which contravene international law.

§         The U.S. government has given Israel $113 billion since 1948. $40 billion was given from 1993 through 2006. In contrast, Palestinians, according to the pro-Zionist Jewish Virtual Library estimate, were given $5.5 billion between 1993 and 2006. Considering the source, this figure is questionable. Other sources quote an average of $75 million per year during the 1990’s for Palestine.

§         All U.S. aid programs, whether military or economic, with the exception of Israel, have mechanisms that prevent  this aid from being used to commit human rights abuses. Aid to Israel is distributed in its entirety at the beginning of the fiscal year, making monitoring impossible; other countries can be monitored with quarterly payments.

§         The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (PL 87-195) disallows assistance by the U.S. to the government of any country “which engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights”. Israel’s human rights record is in direct opposition to U.S. law as documented by international agencies.

§         Since 1972 the U.S. has vetoed 43 UN Security Council resolutions condemning Israel’s actions against the Palestinians including the latest resolution to stop Israel’s Dec-Jan 08-09 invasion of Gaza resulting in the deaths of 1400+ Palestinians including 300+ children as well as the destruction of 5000 homes.

§         Without U.S. weapons, Israel’s continued military aggression against Palestinians could not have occurred in the West Bank or in the recent Gaza invasion.  Some of these military weapons and supplies include:

• F-16 fighters and Apache helicopter gunships along with $200 million in spare parts for the F-16s and $100 million in spare parts for the Apaches from 2001-2006.
• 186 million gallons of JP-8 aviation jet fuel to fly its F-16 fleet in July 2008
• A contract to transfer $1.9 billion of naval combat ships to Israel signed in July 2008.
• A contract with Raytheon in October 2007 to transfer to Israel thousands of TOW Hellfire and bunker busting missiles with radioactive uranium oxide worth $1.3 billion.

§         The Arms Export Control Act (PL 80-829) stipulates that countries purchasing or receiving U.S. weapons cannot use them against civilians and must restrict their usage to internal security and legitimate self-defense. Israel repeatedly uses U.S. weapons to commit human rights violations against civilians in the occupied West Bank and the besieged, blockaded Gaza.

§         The U.S. and Israel both signed the Fourth Geneva Convention. Article 49 of this document “prohibits the removal and deportation of protected persons as well as the transfer of its own civilian population to occupied territories”. Article 49 also makes it illegal for a nation to acquire territory through the use of force. Article 53 “prohibits the destruction by an occupying power of personal property owned individually or collectively to private persons or public authorities, or social or cooperative organizations except where absolutely necessary by military operations.”

§         Israel, with U.S. tacit support, has continuously shunned the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty signed by 189 nations. Three other countries who also have not signed the treaty include India, Pakistan and North Korea. Israel refuses to declare its nuclear weapons. Furthermore, it encourages the U.S. to sanction an attack on Iran for its nuclear ambitions that are at least monitored by the IAEA. Israel is not monitored by the IAEA.

§         The U.S. has not put pressure on Israel to cease increased settlement of Israelis on Palestinian land.

§         The U.S. government uses tepid language to describe gross encroachments or violations of international law. For example, settlement construction is referred to as “unhelpful” instead of “illegal”. The Palestinian territories are “disputed” instead of “occupied” territories.

www.peace-with-justice.org