Israel Celebrates, While Palestinians Endure
By William Hughes
30 April, 2003
Israel will be 55-years old, and it’s going to have a huge birthday bash to celebrate it! It will be held on Monday evening, May 19, 2003, starting at 8 PM, at the MCI Center, in downtown Washington, DC. The guest of honor will be that old softie himself, Ariel “The Butcher” Sharon. President George W. Bush is also slated to attend the festivities.
The gala is sponsored by the Israel Forever Foundation, in cooperation with the Embassy of Israel and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. The latter’s head honcho is the Israeli Firster and media mogul, Mortimer B. Zuckerman. The organizers are seeking to spotlight Israel’s so-called, “remarkable achievements in democracy.”
Now, this could be tricky, especially since there are 3,000,000 Palestinians presently existing under an “Israeli siege” (The Link, “A Most Ungenerous Offer,” Jeff Halper, Oct. 2002). If the past is prologue, I’m sure the promoters will find a clever way to massage the issue, as Theodore Herzl (the “Father of Zionism”) did in 1896. When calling for a Homeland for the Jews, he simply ignored the fact, that as the 20th Century began, the Jews “were still only a tiny minority in Palestine” (“The Controversy of Zion,” p. 58, Geoffrey Wheatcroft).
Predictably, the hyping for the party includes some dubious claims. Israel’s President Moshe Katsav said, “Israelis are stronger than ever in our belief in universal and human values.” This nonsense flies in the face of the harsh reality in the occupied territories. “Universal and human values,” don’t permit a regime to run death squads; steal other peoples’ land; torture prisoners; detain individuals, including children, without trial or charges; build an apartheid-like wall across the country; bulldoze and kill American activist, Rachel Corrie; and impose collective punishment on innocent civilians, of which the Jenin rampage by the IDF was only the latest barbaric example (“Searching Jenin,” Editor, Ramzy Baroud).
Katsav also boasted about how Israel had “absorbed and integrated millions of Jews from all over the world-which gives all of us a good reason for such a major celebration.” Wrong! “All of us” don’t endorse this racist immigration policy. This is particularly so for the millions of Palestinians, many of them Christians, who have been forced off their ancient lands, since 1948. So, what is there to cheer about on May 19?
The record shows that the UN’s 1967 Security Council Resolution 242 has been ignored by Israel. Its rapacious settlement policy violates both Resolution 242 and the Geneva Convention.
Keep in mind, that the objective of some Israeli imperialists has been to impose a “hegemony on other Middle Eastern states” (“Jewish History, Jewish Religion,” Israel Shahak). Doesn’t that sound a lot like the policy of U.S. Neo-Cons and Chicken Hawks, such as the odious Richard Perle and the shadowy Paul Wolfowitz?
Americans, too, are growing very unhappy with Israel. The U.S. has been subsidizing the occupation of Palestine, at a cost of $ 1.7 trillion, (See, Middle East Policy, Spring 2003, “Cost of U.S. Policy, 1956-2002,” Thomas R. Stauffer). This has only added to the misery of the Palestinians, while also draining our fading financial resources, and making us more enemies in the Arab World. Katsav, unfortunately, will probably get a pass on his puffery from the U.S. media, since it isn’t in the habit of challenging Israeli propaganda (“The Culture of Critique,” Kevin MacDonald).
Expected to perform at the gig are funny men Jerry Seinfeld and Ben Stein. Stein’s “Big Brother” like mug showed up April 12, 2003, in DC, on a television screen, preaching to a rally of pro-Iraqi War hawks, like G. Gordon Liddy, Linda Chavez and William Kristol. Seinfeld is perfect for this affair, too. His now defunct television show was notorious for the absence of any gentile actors. It was so racially restrictive, it might as well have been produced in Tel Aviv, rather than in the U.S.A.
This event will draw a weighty anti-Zionist protest; first, from Palestinian-Americans, who are outraged over the continuing occupation and the lack of any genuine peace process plan. Muslim-Americans will be there, too, advocating for the Bush-Cheney administration to adopt a more evenhanded approach to the Islamic World. Peace and justice activists, who have long been appalled by Israel’s dismal human rights record, won’t miss this opportunity to be heard. And, followers of Lyndon LaRouche will also be there. They’ve got some scores to settle with the Zionist Cartel, and one of its prime cronies, Henry “Iago” Kissinger!
Whether from the Right or Left, the protesters concerns will be timely. Some will want to know: Are Syria and Iran next on the U.S. hit list? Does the Neo-Cons’ agenda envision regime change in Egypt and Pakistan?
Supporters of the USS Liberty will be present, too, on May 19th. They are outraged over the fact that the IDF’s murderous attack on that vessel, on June 8,1967, has been covered up all these years because of congressional fear of the powerful Israeli Lobby (“Assault on the Liberty,” James M. Ennes, Jr.). Populists worry, too: Are there any more creeps, like Jonathan Pollard, out there plotting to steal U.S. military secrets on Israel’s behalf? (“By Way of Deception,” Victor Ostrovsky and Claire Hoy).
The MCI Center is located at 601 F Street, NW. It can hold close to 15,000 people. Sharon, himself, has predicted that this will be a “great celebration.” Of course, the Sabra and Shatila Massacre won’t be mentioned. We all know how sensitive the “old softie,” can be about having his past crimes revealed publicly.
Prediction: The MCI Center, on May 19, 2003, in Washington DC, will be the scene of the largest anti-Zionist protest rally in U.S. history!
**William Hughes is the author of “Andrew Jackson vs. New World Order” (Authors Choice Press) and “Baltimore Iconoclast” (Writer’s Showcase), which are available online. He can be reached at [email protected].