With the approach this week of celebrations marking Israel’s 70th birthday, 12 million people live in the country. Everyone’s fate has been determined by the country’s governing institutions. On this Independence Day, we have to acknowledge that the country’s genuine borders are the Mediterranean Sea to the west and the Jordan River to the east, including not only the West Bank but also the Gaza Strip. Israel controls all this territory and everyone who lives there through various and sundry means, even if from a legal standpoint there’s no mention of this. [Not here cheering for U.S. actions, either what we do ourselves or the support we give to Israel. We all need to start speaking truth, hard as that will be for many.]