The tide is rising sharp and straightforward against Israel’s aggressive and expansionist policies pursued by its Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who is obviously avoiding a reasonable settlement with the Palestinians. An uplifting discovery surfaced last week, while on an extensive tour of Ireland. A huge mural, among several others on one side of the famed Falls Road in Belfast, drew attention to the plight of “4,400 Palestinian political prisoners (including) 310 (under) administrative detention. No to Israeli Administrative Detention! Hunger Strike.” A portrait of a Palestinian woman, K. Shalabi, and a man, K. Adnan, were also included on the mural as part of many on the “Peace Wall” in the centre of the town.
In a major blow to Netanyahu’s unyielding stance, the American Presbyterian Church, described as one of the largest mainline Protestant denominations, has finally voted to divest its significant holdings in three major American firms accused of supporting the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. The vote also expressed support for a two-state solution to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Described as a “victory” for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, the decision committed the church, which has about two million parishioners, to sell its stocks in the three American firms — Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola Solutions — that have been selling products and services to the Israeli army that has been in control of the Occupied Territories since 1967.
In a statement underlying the historic decision taken at the church’s meeting in Detroit earlier this month, Rev. Gradye Parsons said: “We, as a church, cannot profit from the destruction of homes and lives” in Palestine. The church, which has included in its ranks many US presidents, underlined that the three companies supply equipment and materials used to destroy Palestinian homes and construct and monitor Israeli checkpoints and colonies, which most countries view as illegal and an obstacle to peace. Although the Presbyterian Church maintained that it was not fully aligned with the international BDS movement, it had invited Palestinians — Christians and Muslims — to the conference where they exchanged views with the participants. Rebecca Vilkomerson, the executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace, wrote that the conference was “just the beginning”, adding that “in the days and weeks to come, I’m certain this resolution is going to lead to as-yet unimagined opportunities and incredibly difficult challenges, for all of us motivated not simply to talk, but to act, for real justice”.
What has been appalling is the deathly silence of the Obama administration vis-a-vis the violent actions of the Israeli government, primarily the continued illegal colony-building in the West Bank, where the Palestinians hope to establish their independent state. Consider the case of the three Israeli colonists, all teenagers, who have been missing in the West Bank since June 12, after trying to hitch-hike home. The Israeli government has so far failed to substantiate its claim that they have been kidnapped by Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group now in control of the besieged Gaza Strip. Although Hamas has praised the action, it denied any knowledge about their whereabouts, while Israel is yet to furnish any evidence about their alleged kidnapping.
The subsequent Israeli military intervention in that region of the West Bank has resulted in the deaths of at least four Palestinians, the arrest of 350 others, many of those reportedly affiliated to Hamas, and raiding some 1,600 Palestinian homes, interrupting the calm that has been prevalent in the territories for some time.
Eleven human rights groups have urged the Israeli military to refrain from collective punishment of the Palestinian population. “Overall, the measures adopted and their extent do not seem to serve a military need that can justify the damage they have caused,” they wrote, the Associated Press reported. More likely, Netanyahu hopes that his military intervention will sidetrack international attention for his expansionist views, which reportedly include the annexation of Arab East Jerusalem and his reluctance to resume negotiations with the Palestinians, which were broken after he refused to release the last batch of Palestinian prisoners.
There is also the Palestinian concern that his sidetracking will hurt the popularity of President Mahmoud Abbas, who should not remain reluctant to pursue a complaint with the United Nations Security Council against Israel’s brutal policies.
George S. Hishmeh is a Washington-based columnist. He can be contacted at ghishmeh@gulfnews.com
