Truth Action Project statement -- The Israel Problem
TRUTH ACTION PROJECT
STATEMENT ON ISRAEL/PALESTINE
As the state of modern Israel has committed genocide, is an apartheid state, and illegally annexes land and makes settlements thereon, we are in opposition to Zionism.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have concluded that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel is an apartheid state. From Wikipedia: Israeli apartheid is a system of institutionalized segregation and discrimination in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories and to a lesser extent in Israel proper. This system is characterized by near-total physical separation between the Palestinian and the Israeli settler population of the West Bank, as well as the judicial separation that governs both communities, which discriminates against the Palestinians in a wide range of ways. Israel also discriminates against Palestinian refugees in the diaspora and against its own Palestinian citizens.
Settlements: The international community considers Israeli settlements to be illegal under international law.
While we do not condone the violence of the military wing of Hamas, we note that Israel has long responded to attacks disproportionately.
Also, “starting the clock” with the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 is a very shortsighted view of history. Indeed, 10/7 was a false flag event instigated to further demonize Hamas and the Gaza population, and provide a reason for Israel to bomb Hamas into submission and ultimately to depopulate Gaza.
Some might assert things start with the Nakba “ethnic cleansing” on the part of Israel in 1948 or even earlier.
The government of the United States is complicit in the genocide by breaking the following laws in arming Israel and so U.S. leaders are guilty of complicity:
The Foreign Assistance Act, which forbids the provision of assistance to a government which “engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.”
The Arms Export Control Act, which says countries that receive US military aid can only use weapons for legitimate self-defense and internal security. Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza goes way beyond self-defense and internal security.
The U.S. War Crimes Act, which forbids grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, including wilful killing, torture or inhuman treatment, willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health, and unlawful deportation or transfer, perpetrated by the Israeli Occupying Forces.
The Leahy Law, which prohibits the U.S. Government from using funds for assistance to units of foreign security forces where there is credible information implicating that unit in the commission of gross violations of human rights.
The Genocide Convention Implementation Act, which was enacted to implement U.S. obligations under the Genocide Convention, provides for criminal penalties for individuals who commit or incite others to commit genocide
We stand with the vision of Jewish Voice for Peace:
“We envision a world where all people — from the U.S. to Palestine — live in freedom, justice, equality, and dignity.”
We support a resolution of the conflict through negotiations and diplomatic means. However, Israel should not be rewarded in anyway for the destruction and genocide in Gaza and should be compelled to stand down in the West Bank and end all attacks by settlers on the Palestinian population. Only true peace can create real justice.
As for the idea that Israel’s genocide should be met with force in some way, peace activist David Swanson warns against this thinking here and here.
https://truthactionproject.org/the-israel-problem/
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