Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, DC, is more than a diplomatic formality.
The visit comes after 10 months of a genocidal war Netenyahu doesn’t want to end, and at a critical juncture, both for the US in the wake of President Joe Biden’s announcement not to seek re-election, and for a region set on fire by Netanyahu’s brutal policies.
For decades, Israel has been perceived, both in the US and in the Muslim world, almost as America’s 51st state, transcending partisan politics. The implications of this relationship resonate globally given America’s self-styled image as the superpower-defender of world security and stability, especially in the Middle East.
Since Washington has monopolized the Palestinian issue for decades – preventing any other external party from intervening, including the United Nations – it is the Palestinian people’s full and legitimate right to question US leadership at all levels.
Why are they welcoming the war criminal Netanyahu and opening all doors for him?
Why does the US continue to roll out the red carpet for a leader who stands accused by the International Court of Justice of genocidal crimes against Palestinians?
America’s longstanding self-portrayal as a champion of democracy, justice and human rights doesn’t deceive us. We are the victims of US wars, keenly aware of how far Washington deviates from the principles of justice and liberty.
We have suffered under a murderous occupation that has practiced ethnic cleansing against us since its inception. The US has consistently provided Israel with the military, financial and diplomatic support necessary to enable and sustain these crimes against our people.
Impunity
In Gaza alone, some 40,000 of our people have been killed by Israel over the past 10 months using US weapons, US money and US expertise. This support has extended to vetoing United Nations Security Council resolutions aimed at stopping the genocide against our people and holding Israel accountable for its crimes.
Even on occasions when resolutions were passed through different UN mechanisms, Israel has violated them with complete impunity, solely due to the absolute and unwavering support of the United States.
Following the 1993 Oslo accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the United States assumed the role of exclusive mediator. But the fruit has been bitter. The US has never been an impartial mediator; instead, it has provided political and diplomatic cover for successive Israeli governments to pursue agendas that completely deny all Palestinian rights on their own land.
Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected the right of the Palestinian people to an independent state and has been clear that “in the future the state of Israel has to control the entire area from the River to Sea” – a position affirmed in a recent Knesset vote and which starkly contradicts America’s declared support for Palestinian statehood.
Yet, the US has remained silent, passive and unwilling to curb the racist and destructive Israeli rhetoric, revealing a shocking abandonment of its commitments.
This abandonment has escalated to complicity and direct involvement in the ongoing genocidal war on Gaza.
In addition to the 40,000 dead, predominantly women and children, and nearly 100,000 injured – many of whom will be disabled for life – Israel’s genocide has also led to the destruction of over 70 percent of Gaza’s homes, over 50 percent of the territory’s buildings, including UN institutions, schools, universities, hospitals, mosques and churches.
Resolve
The occupation army has systematically obliterated the territory’s infrastructure, reducing access to water by 94 percent, rendering the Gaza Strip uninhabitable even after the genocide ends.
All of this, and we haven’t even started on the West Bank. Israel has repeatedly attacked the occupied West Bank, annexed its land, expanded illegal settlements and continues its apartheid policies in Jerusalem and the territories occupied since 1948, including the widespread killings of Palestinians throughout the country.
None of these crimes would have been possible without the unlimited support of the United States. From day one, as communicated by all top US officials and diplomats, the United States has given Israel carte blanche to commit crimes without fear of consequences.
Despite the heavy toll we have endured in our quest for freedom, dignity and independence, our resolve remains unshaken, buoyed by history and the experiences of other nations that have fought similar battles.
We are steadfast in our belief that we will soon triumphantly establish an independent Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as its capital, and secure the return of all refugees, regardless of the approval of the unjust post-World War II international order.
As for the peoples of the world, we know that once the media fog lifts, the world will see Israel’s true colors and understand how dangerous it is to global peace and security.
We want the whole world to support our cause. However, the US siding with Netanyahu and rejecting our demands will not sway our steadfast belief in the justness of our cause.
Enduring justice
Americans should be ashamed of welcoming and honoring an individual accused of the most appalling war crimes, including genocide, and providing him a platform to propagate his distortions.
Embracing a war criminal intrinsically contradicts American ideals of freedom, justice and dignity, epitomizing a peak of duplicity and hypocrisy and potentially heralding a new era that could witness the decline of what has been considered the greatest empire in history.
In a just international order presided over by a fair superpower that adheres to international law and courts, Netanyahu would have been questioned or even arrested upon his entry into the US.
However, we know this is not how the world operates. Thus, we urge the American people to closely observe how this moment unfolds and listen to what Netanyahu says. This is one of those pivotal times that will be remembered in history, much like the meetings British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and French Prime Minister Édouard Daladier had with Adolf Hitler before World War II which only emboldened the German leader and failed to prevent war.
History will neither forget nor forgive those who have subjugated the Palestinians or supported their subjugators. Make no mistake, the status quo will inevitably change.
The American people, and indeed all global citizens who value freedom and justice, should consider this visit a critical juncture. It is a time to reflect on whether the path being followed and supported by the US administration is one that leads to peace and stability or one that perpetuates injustice and conflict.
As we say in our Eastern traditions, “The reign of injustice is brief, while a just state endures through the ages.”
Let us stop Netanyahu. Let us choose the path of enduring justice.
-Dr. Basem Naim is a former Palestinian minister of health and a member of the political bureau of Hamas. He has previously appeared and published in several media outlets, including Australia’s ABC network, the UK’s Sky News, The Guardian, Middle East Eye, Al Jazeera and The Jewish Daily Forward. His article appeared in the Electronic Intifada.
