• World
    • Africa
    • Asia Pacific
    • Central & South Asia
    • Europe
    • Latin America & Caribbean
    • Middle East & North Africa
    • North America
  • Coronavirus
  • Politics
    • US Election
    • US politics
    • Donald Trump
    • Brexit
    • European Union
    • India
    • Arab world
  • Economics
    • Finance
    • Eurozone
    • International Trade
  • Business
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Startups
    • Technology
  • Culture
    • Entertainment
    • Music
    • Film
    • Books
    • Travel
  • Environment
    • Climate change
    • Smart cities
    • Green Economy
  • Global Change
    • Education
    • Refugee Crisis
    • International Aid
    • Human Rights
  • International Security
    • ISIS
    • War on Terror
    • North Korea
    • Nuclear Weapons
  • Science
    • Health
  • 360 °
  • The Interview
  • In-Depth
  • Insight
  • Quick Read
  • Video
  • Podcasts
  • Interactive
  • My Voice
  • About
  • FO Store
Sections
  • World
  • Coronavirus
  • US Election
  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Business
  • Culture
  • Sign Up
  • Login
  • Publish

Make Sense of the world

Unique insight from 2,000+ contributors in 80+ Countries

Close

US Complicity in Israel’s Attack on Gaza

By Nora Lester Murad • Jul 11, 2014

Copyright © Shutterstock; All Rights Reserved

The US government needs to admit its responsibility for the crisis in Palestine.

It was very kind of Brenda from the US Consulate in Jerusalem to finally return my call at 7pm, long after work hours.

I had been trying since early morning to get an appointment for a group of concerned US citizens living in Palestine to meet with a policy officer. We came together through social media and word of mouth, because we are desperate to speak out about the unjustifiable slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza that is now under way.

We want to express our opposition to American complicity in the Israeli attacks that have taken over 100 Palestinian lives, with hundreds more injured. We want to demand a change of policy before the threatened Israeli ground invasion becomes a reality. But it turned out that it was difficult to reach anyone in the consulate, much less to get an appointment.

Brenda was clearly in a hurry, but she responded professionally and explained that the American Citizen Services section was busy trying to help US citizens stuck in Gaza to get out to safety. They had priorities, she explained. They couldn’t take time to hear our views. Besides, her office doesn’t do policy work. That would be the other office.

No, she didn’t know the name of the person responsible for policy at the other office. It’s that transitional time of year, when people finish their missions and new people replace them. She advised that we not bother the policy people either. There is a crisis now and everyone is busy.

How convenient! US representatives are “too busy with the crisis” to talk about US responsibility for creating the crisis. I explained my view: The US gives billions in military aid to Israel year after year; it provides unconditional political support, despite Israel’s belligerent settlement policies; and it has refused to hold Israel accountable for violations of international law in the 2008-09 attack on Gaza and the one in 2012, not to mention the current offensive. Isn’t the US government — and, by extension, US taxpayers — complicit in creating the emergency that has now placed over 1.5 million lives at grave risk in Gaza?

Sounding a bit frustrated, Brenda said she understood my point, but still advised that we cancel our visit to the US Consulate tomorrow, since no one would be available to hear our complaints.

There are protests here in Palestine, in Boston, Chicago, New York, Washington DC, and in cities across the US and the world. People want the US to stop unconditional support for jingoistic Israeli actions. But our government is too busy to hear our complaints? How loud must we scream before the US government hears our demand for justice for Palestinians?

*[This article was originally published by Al Jazeera English, and has been reposted with authorization from the news broadcaster and author.]

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.

Ryan Rodrick Beiler / Shutterstock.com

Share Story
CategoriesBlog, Middle East & North Africa, North America, Politics TagsGaza, Israel, Palestine, United States
Join our network of more than 2,000 contributors to publish your perspective, share your story and shape the global conversation. Become a Fair Observer and help us make sense of the world.

READ MORE IN THIS 360° SERIES

Gaza's Demilitarization is Not the Way Forward
By Shairee Malhotra • Nov 07, 2014
A Birthday Wish From Gaza
By Nour Omar Shaban • Oct 13, 2014
Missile Defense and the High Cost of Living in Israel’s Fortress
By Zach Goldberg • Sep 13, 2014
Noam Chomsky: Ceasefires in Which Violations Never Cease
By Noam Chomsky • Sep 12, 2014
Norman Finkelstein: Israel, Settlements and the ICC (Part 2/2)
By Manuel Langendorf, Abul-Hasanat Siddique & Norman Finkelstein • Aug 22, 2014
Norman Finkelstein: Israel, Settlements and the ICC (Part 1/2)
By Manuel Langendorf, Abul-Hasanat Siddique & Norman Finkelstein • Aug 21, 2014
Gaza: Living Through a War
By Huda Kishawi • Aug 20, 2014
The Case for War and Peace in the Middle East
By Gary Grappo • Aug 20, 2014
The West Bank May Be On the Verge of Exploding
By Gershon Baskin • Aug 20, 2014
Maintaining the Siege of Gaza: A Crime Against Humanity
By Kourosh Ziabari & Richard Falk • Aug 20, 2014
Conversations About Gaza: “But Hamas…”
By Donna Nevel • Aug 18, 2014
Bombs and Screams: The Reality of War in Gaza
By Nour Omar Shaban • Aug 07, 2014
Gaza: A War of Hashtags
By Laila Barhoum • Aug 05, 2014
Gaza Protests in Paris: Pro-Palestinian or Anti-Jewish?
By Jennifer Helgeson • Aug 01, 2014
War and Peace: The Youth of Gaza
By Nour Omar Shaban • Aug 01, 2014
A Durable Ceasefire for Gaza
By Muriel Asseburg • Aug 01, 2014
Who Wins and Who Loses in Gaza?
By Drew Holland Kinney • Jul 30, 2014
Gaza: No Innocent Victims?
By Alia Brahimi • Jul 27, 2014
Middle East Conflict: Need for Credible Mediator
By James M. Dorsey • Jul 27, 2014
London Gaza Demo: Voices From the Street
By Fair Observer • Jul 27, 2014
The Gaza Conflict: Occupation, Rockets and War Crimes
By Manuel Langendorf & Abul-Hasanat Siddique • Jul 26, 2014
Consequences of the Israeli Blockade of Gaza
By Omar Shaban • Jul 25, 2014
Time for a Shift in the Middle East Peace Paradigm
By Gary Grappo • Jul 24, 2014
Human Rights Watch Whitewashes Israel: The Law Supports Hamas
By Norman Finkelstein • Jul 23, 2014
The UN, War Crimes and Israel’s “Right to Defend Itself”
By Manuel Langendorf & Josef Olmert • Jul 23, 2014
The Gaza Crisis: Timing a War
By Omar Shaban • Jul 18, 2014
Israel and Hamas: Locked in Conflict?
By Manuel Langendorf & Hillel Schenker • Jul 16, 2014
Chants and Violence: Racism in Israeli Soccer
By James M. Dorsey • Jul 08, 2014

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Post navigation

Previous PostPrevious Euro Crisis Turning Point: Two Years of Banking Union
Next PostNext The Brazilian Street: Powers of Change
Subscribe
Register for $9.99 per month and become a member today.
Publish
Join our community of more than 2,500 contributors to publish your perspective, share your narrative and shape the global discourse.
Donate
We bring you perspectives from around the world. Help us to inform and educate. Your donation is tax-deductible.

Explore

  • About
  • Authors
  • FO Store
  • FAQs
  • Republish
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contact

Regions

  • Africa
  • Asia Pacific
  • Central & South Asia
  • Europe
  • Latin America & Caribbean
  • Middle East & North Africa
  • North America

Topics

  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Business
  • Culture
  • Environment
  • Global Change
  • International Security
  • Science

Sections

  • 360°
  • The Interview
  • In-Depth
  • Insight
  • Quick Read
  • Video
  • Podcasts
  • Interactive
  • My Voice

Daily Dispatch


© Fair Observer All rights reserved
We Need Your Consent
We use cookies to give you the best possible experience. Learn more about how we use cookies or edit your cookie preferences. Privacy Policy. My Options I Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Edit Cookie Preferences

The Fair Observer website uses digital cookies so it can collect statistics on how many visitors come to the site, what content is viewed and for how long, and the general location of the computer network of the visitor. These statistics are collected and processed using the Google Analytics service. Fair Observer uses these aggregate statistics from website visits to help improve the content of the website and to provide regular reports to our current and future donors and funding organizations. The type of digital cookie information collected during your visit and any derived data cannot be used or combined with other information to personally identify you. Fair Observer does not use personal data collected from its website for advertising purposes or to market to you.

As a convenience to you, Fair Observer provides buttons that link to popular social media sites, called social sharing buttons, to help you share Fair Observer content and your comments and opinions about it on these social media sites. These social sharing buttons are provided by and are part of these social media sites. They may collect and use personal data as described in their respective policies. Fair Observer does not receive personal data from your use of these social sharing buttons. It is not necessary that you use these buttons to read Fair Observer content or to share on social media.

 
Necessary
Always Enabled

These cookies essential for the website to function.

Analytics

These cookies track our website’s performance and also help us to continuously improve the experience we provide to you.

Performance
Uncategorized

This cookie consists of the word “yes” to enable us to remember your acceptance of the site cookie notification, and prevents it from displaying to you in future.

Preferences
Save & Accept