Israel-Palestine: Why Does It Take a Socialist?

As another ceasefire begins in the Israel-Gaza conflict, I’m returning to the issue for a few reflections on some reading I’ve done since my last post.

A few days ago, President Obama sat down to talk with journalist Thomas L. Friedman, largely about criticism of his foreign policy (column and videos). Many of the president’s comments display the intelligence and vision that attracted me to him as a candidate in the 2008 presidential election. But when it comes to Israel and Palestine, he disappoints yet again:

“It is amazing to see what Israel has become over the last several decades. To have scratched out of rock this incredibly vibrant, incredibly successful, wealthy and powerful country is a testament to the ingenuity, energy and vision of the Jewish people. And because Israel is so capable militarily, I don’t worry about Israel’s survival.”

Thank you, Mr. President, for that rousing summary of Zionism. I expect to be similarly moved as I work my way through Leon Uris’s Exodus, but when innocent civilians have died in the thousands in the last few weeks, is describing the pioneer spirit of the Israeli people really pertinent? Is it really a time to be praising Israel’s military when they’ve been bombing schools and refugee camps?

The president does go on to express a desire for progress through peaceful negotiations, but any pol can do that in his sleep and I’ve never taken Obama for just any hack. Previous presidents have stuck their neck out to bring the two sides together, and to some success, so maybe this one could do something more than mouth the usual platitudes?

 

The president likes to lead from behind, but as I’ve written before, on this issue he’s just way behind. I want the administration to express a stronger understanding of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to express firm condemnation of Israel’s actions.

Such statements are rare from politicians in or running for office, but this past week, one of America’s best did just that. Socialist Kshama Sawant (previous post) presented to her fellow Seattle city council members the draft of an open letter to President Obama and Congress that makes and demands such a statement:

“We call on President Obama, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the U.S. Senate to issue a formal statement denouncing Israel’s siege and blockade of Gaza and the occupation of the West Bank. We also call for an immediate end to all U.S. government military aid for Israel.”

If socialists are so bad, why does it take one to condemn slaughter and other crimes that even prominent Israeli intellectuals such as historian Ilan Pappe (another socialist) have said deserve to be labeled genocide and ethnic cleansing?

 

 

I suppose at least part of the answer is easy. America’s political system has calcified around play-it-safe centrism, with the center-left all too often resembling the right. In a land where glorification of Israel is practically in the high school curriculum, it’s not surprising politicians, who are good at getting re-elected if nothing else, refuse to take a stand. Sawant, on the other hand, may be a rising star but she has less to lose than a U.S. congressperson or the president.

But perhaps there’s more to it than that. Perhaps something good can be said for the real left’s ideology, for its emphasis on human rights and internationalism. When all people are equal, all deaths are lamentable, whether those of Palestinians, Israelis or others caught in the crossfire, and indeed Sawant’s letter, while focused on Israel’s extreme violence toward Palestine, also raises concern for Israeli soldiers and a Thai worker killed, condemns Hamas for attacks on civilians, and voices support for regular Israeli citizens:

“We stand in solidarity with the ordinary people of Israel and their desire for security, and in particular with the Israeli anti-war movement.”

Again, why does it take a socialist to take an ethical stand on this issue? This is a question the politicians of America’s two major parties should be asking themselves, and a question we should be asking ourselves as voters.