Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator
In the immediate aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israeli soldiers and civilians, the US President Joe Biden, and all the American allies repeated the same mantra on cue: ‘Israel has the right to defend itself’. Much later, the UN human rights expert pointed out that in this instance Israel does not enjoy that right, as the territory they are attacking is a territory they control and are responsible for.
As the millions of people across the globe took to the streets in support of the Palestinian cause of freedom, an end of occupation, and protesting the Israeli attacks on Gaza against unarmed civilians, the western leaders had to stop and re-think their old attitudes, which were proving to be far out of step with the world of today, especially the younger global population which demand justice. Due to social media, people can see videos and commentary from the scene. Western media is not inside Gaza and they report from safe distance locations in Israel; however, Arab media reporting in English from the ground in Gaza have brought the conflict close to people on the internet.
The European protests were huge and well organized. London had 350,000 people in the streets, even though the Home Secretary had called them ‘Hate Marchers’ and was fired for her contempt. Europe is closer to Gaza than the US, and while the US has been traditionally kept captive of the Israeli lobby, AIPAC, the European public has been supportive of the Palestinian quest for freedom. Many Europeans feel that the European Union has been blindly following US foreign policies which have proved disastrous in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria.
The US State Department employees, under Secretary of State Antony Blinken, called out the war crimes and violations of international law by the Israeli government. The staff are career professionals and diplomates who voiced concern at US double-standards by the Biden administration, which puts a hold on weapons transfers from US to any country which will likely use the weapons in human right violations. Instead of holding up weapons to Israel, they were fast-tracked immediately even though it was clear they were committing war crimes, human rights violations, and clearly operating against international laws. Josh Paul resigned from the State Department in an act of conscience.
At the White House, the staff have become younger and more diverse than in past generations. These professionals complained to Biden about what Israel was doing in Gaza. Biden and Blinken had to re-think their position of blind approval of Israeli military actions.
Biden and Blinken started peppering their statements about Gaza with references to the decades old UN resolution for a two-state solution. As the moments progressed, we then heard the same phrases repeated by western leaders aligned with the US. We heard the Arab leaders echo the call for the two-state solution, and China, Russia, Brazil and South Africa as well.
Experts are pointing to a generational change, or revolution in the minds of people who believe there is an alternative to occupation, and there should be no alternative to freedom and autonomy for the Palestinian people who have suffered since 1948 under a brutal military occupation of the West Bank, and Gaza the largest open-air prison on earth.
The Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the most extremist and racist is Israeli history. Some of the officials have called the Palestinians ‘animals’, others have called for mass deportations to ethnically cleanse the land, and some have claimed Jews are a superior race.
Israel likes to claim they are the only democratic country in the Middle East, but their policies against the Palestinians are undemocratic. Americans who are aged 70 and 80 might be content to hang on to outdated notions, but the younger Americans are questioning how can Israel be considered to share American values, while having a two-tiered justice system which the UN has deemed to be an Apartheid state.
Biden has sent a request to the Senate on October 20 to remove all restrictions on US weapons stockpiled in Israel itself.
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told CNN on Sunday he was open to placing conditions on any aid to Israel, with the aim of reducing civilian casualties in Gaza.
“We regularly condition our aid to allies based upon compliance with US law and international law. And, so, I think it’s very consistent with the ways in which we have dispensed aid, especially during wartime, to allies, for us to talk about making sure that the aid we give Ukraine or the aid we give Israel is used in accordance with human rights laws,” Murphy said.
Murphy said, “Benjamin Netanyahu believed that you could ignore the Palestinians, that you could try to squash their desires for a state and, ultimately, that would bring peace to the region into Israel. That’s just not the case.” He went on to call for a Palestinian state as the only way to long-term peace.
Senator Bernie Sanders listed out demands for the Israeli government in order to receive US aid. Demanding “an end to the indiscriminate bombing,” a “right of displaced Gazans to return to their homes,” “a freeze on settlement expansion” in the West Bank and no long-term occupation of Gaza by Israeli forces, as well as a commitment to engage in peace talks “for a two-state solution in the wake of the war.”
The road towards a final solution to the Palestinian suffering will likely be long, but it looks like some road signs are being placed along the way pointing to a beginning of the journey. No one knows how many miles it will take, and what detours and roadblocks may spring up along the path, but the two-state solution is the plan. The only thing certain, is that this huge effort at peace in the Middle East will need the leadership and support of the White House and US Congress. With the 2024 election less than one year away, it will need the Biden administration, and any future President’s full support across all party lines. Peace in the Middle East will have to be an American project with global coordination.
Steven Sahiounie is a two-time award-winning journalist
