The Israeli/Palestinian Conundrums

The Israeli/Palestinian situation is “an intricate and difficult problem” in which the interests of one peoples are inextricably linked to the interests of another peoples. On a recent visit to Jerusalem, Bishop Wayne Miller reported on NPR http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/content.aspx?audioID=31386 some comments from a member of the Parents Circle – Families Forum. Those comments captured this inextricable linkage of peoples and were paraphrased into the following conundrums:

Israeli security requires Palestinian freedom. Palestinian freedom requires Israeli security. Palestinians must share the land with Israelis. Israelis must share the land with Palestinians.

A United States foreign policy based on these conundrums will be guided by President Obama’s ideal of both/and not either/or. Gaza will continue to smolder with violence and suffering and Israelis near Gaza will live in fear until these conundrums are taken seriously. Smuggling weapons and materials for creating weapons through the tunnels on the south end of Gaza must be stopped. The United States foreign policy supports Israeli security on this issue. How does United States foreign policy deal with Palestinian freedom?

CNN has shown that some tunnels are used to smuggle weapons and materials for building weapons but other tunnels support merchants who sell basic necessities. These tunnels and these merchants exist because Israeli authorities deny adequate supplies to enter Gaza. Since the summer of 2007, UNWRA [http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2245142,00.html#article_continue] has forcefully asserted that the Israeli authorities deny entry of the amount of basic supplies required to maintain the health and welfare of the Gazan population especially the normal development of children. The Israeli control of land, sea and air surrounding Gaza have led some to characterize Gaza as the world’s largest open-air prison. Gazans are unable to live productive lives with the Israeli restrictions on exports and imports. The reconstruction of many buildings that the Israeli military reduced to rubble during Operation Cast Lead will require a huge increase in the amount of supplies and services entering Gaza. The United States has done nothing to support Palestinian freedom by breaking the Israeli control of imports and exports.

In the summer of 2008, American media [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/02/world/middleeast/02fulbright.html] carried stories of seven Gaza students whose Fulbright scholarships were not finalized. U.S. Secretary of State Rice intervened and demanded that these students be permitted to leave Gaza to study in the United States. In the face of mounting criticism Israeli authorities reversed their decision and permitted these seven students to exit Gaza. In addition to these seven, there were many more students who were held in Gaza and denied the opportunity to study in the West Bank and abroad. B’Tselem reported that the exact number was unknown but one human rights group estimated the number to be in the hundreds [http://www.btselem.org/English/Gaza_Strip/20080724_Gaza_Students.asp]. The United States acted to support Palestinian freedom.

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article [http://sec.online.wsj.com/article/SB123186758734177759.html], there are about 15,000 to 20,000 Hamas fighters in Gaza. Yet, all 1.5 million Palestinians who reside in Gaza are held accountable and punished for the actions of a few. Violent acts by Palestinians that create Israeli insecurity must be condemned and stopped. U.S. foreign policy must be structured to help Israel find ways to suppress these acts of the few without violating the freedom rights of the many.