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It is the American government's hypocrisy in collusion with Israel's negation of international law, UN resolutions, and denial of equal human rights for Palestinians which are at the root of the instability in the Middle East.
Beginning
in the 1990's and even more so after 9/11, US politicians blind
allegiance to Israel has been furthered by the claim that both states
are threatened by Arab terrorist groups and rogue states bent on
acquiring weapons of mass destruction.
Many
Americans see Israel as an ally and Iran and Syria as our mutual
enemies. The "war on terror" has become a tactic to infuse fear while
it ignores that much of the anger in the Arab world is in response to
Israel's 40+ years of military occupation of Palestine and The Wall
where ever it is built on legally owned Palestinian property which is
"financed with U.S. aid at a cost of $1.5 million per mile. The Israeli
wall prevents residents from receiving health care and emergency
medical services. In other areas, the barrier separates farmers from
their olive groves which have been their families' sole livelihood for
generations." [5]
On February 1, 2007, Senator Clinton spoke at an AIPAC Conference, "Both Israelis and Americans know so well, a democracy is far more than just holding elections. Democracy has to spring from an active and open citizenry dedicated to tolerance, to respect for differences, to the rule of law, to policies that lift us up not tear us down as fellow human beings, and to the value of human life"
"We also know that the dangers posed to Israel have been compounded by the rise to power of Hamas"Hamas"leaders have refused to disarm, to reject violence, or even to recognize the right of Israel to exist."
The Palestinian Authority first agreed in 1988 to recognize Israel and reaffirmed this in 1993 during the Oslo Accords. Hamas has repeatedly issued olive branches of recognition to Israel, but Israel ignores all offers to make peace through justice.
On
November 15, 2005, Senator Hillary Clinton stood on the Jerusalem side
of The Wall and was quoted in Ha'aretz, expressing support for The Wall
because it "is against terrorists" and "not against the Palestinian
people."
After I read Senator Clinton's inaccurate and insensitive remarks in Ha'aretz, I immediately contacted her through her website. My email bounced back to me, for I am no longer a New York constituent, but I was born and lived my first three years in The Village and came of age in Levittown, Long Island.
I snail mailed Hillary a respectful letter informing her that even a little one such as me, knew all about the many gaps and lack of 'security' along The Wall that every taxi driver and ANY would be 'terrorist' also knew about in order to travel from the West Bank to Jerusalem without having to stop for SECURITY.
I
also reminded her that we were in the midst of the UN Decade of
Creating a Culture of NONVIOLENCE for all the children of the world.
The only response I received from Senator Clinton was to be put on the
DNC's mailing list soliciting funds.
As a Senator, Clinton repeatedly said, "I've been a strong supporter of Israel's right to build a security barrier to keep terrorists out. I have spoken out against the International Court of Justice for questioning Israel's right to build that fence of security."
International Law states occupation is to be temporary and maintain the status quo and that the occupiers are not to transfer their population into occupied territory. And what RIGHT has anyone to put a fence up on somebody else's property?
As a Senator, Hillary said: "I went to see the fence with my own eyes. During a trip to Gilo, a Jerusalem neighborhood, I was greeted by Col. Danny Tirza, who was overseeing the construction of the security fence.
"Col. Tirza's explanation in his graphic depiction of what was part of the daily life of people living in that one neighborhood, gave me an even greater appreciation for the imperative of the fence and the need to do everything possible to protect Israel against these continuing attacks."
The truth is that in 2000, before the construction of The Wall began, there were less 'attacks' than in 2008 and the Orwellian spun 'neighborhoods' are all ILLEGAL colonies for everyone exist on legally owned Palestinian land, NOT on Israeli owned land!
I have seen "the fence" too and it divides Palestinians from Palestinians with 25 to 30 foot high concrete slabs or wire equipped with razor barbs, trenches, sniper towers, military roads, electronic surveillance, remote controlled infantry and buffer zones that stretch over 100 miles wide and deny Palestinians access to their legally owned land, their families, jobs, and resources.
