By Jules Rabin, Burlington Free Press 6/6/2010
As an American Jew and a long-time observer of the conflict between Israel and Palestine, I'm appalled by the recent killing by Israeli commandos of 10 members of an international party attempting to bring humanitarian supplies to the people of blockaded Gaza.As an American I'm aware that our national reputation has for decades been tarred and tarnished by our unstinting support of Israel, whatever reckless violence it chooses to commit. The few formal words of regret we have issued now and then, at Israel's treatment of the Palestinian people, amount to fluff in comparison with the immense amount of financial aid and weaponry that we grant Israel year after year, and the diplomatic cover we provide for it in the United Nations Security Council, where over the years we have issued more than 40 vetoes nullifying votes by the rest of the Council members condemning Israeli actions in Palestine.Having bound ourselves at the hip to Israel, it's obvious that we are also bound to share with it the worldwide opprobrium it continually to bring down on itself, for its brutal treatment of the Palestinian people that it holds captive, and, as has occurred just now, for its brutality towards the party of internationals who attempted, under white flags, to bring humanitarian supplies and encouragement to the same Palestinians.Our people in Washington must free us from our subservience to Israel's conduct of its affairs. It costs us too much in our standing in the world, in the scores of billions of dollars we have donated to Israel as a nation we privilege more than any other; and also in the unmeasurable fraction of the total of lives of Americans lost in our various conflicts with Muslim peoples around the world, who view the US as Israel's surrogate in the continuous oppression of Palestine.
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