Last week Noam Chomsky gave a speech at the UN General Assembly regarding the Israel-Palestine issue that’s been festering for more than half a century. I watched the entire video when it was released because I personally find Chomsky’s morality, hunger for knowledge, and intelligence to be truly inspiring (kind of like a self-help book, but this is just plain help). I think the first 40 minutes of this video are worth watching for anyone, but I wanted to point out two key points he made: 1) What steps can the United Nations take to improve the situation? Chomsky points out that the United Nations is only able to function as well as the countries with veto power allow it to. There are 6 or 7 member states with veto power, but the United States uses this veto power far more often than anyone else. Typically, when it does veto something, the American media does not report the vote or the issue. Thus, the vetoes and what they imply about our government’s goals and actions are nearly lost in history and get no reporting in America. Chomsky also points out that the 2-state solution has been blocked by US vetoes since 1976, yet every other country supports the 1967 boundaries and many of them have already recognized the Palestinian state. So the UN is essentially useless as long as the US can block anything that doesn’t benefit itself or Israel. Some member states recognizing Palestine as an ‘Observer State’ is a great step in the right direction (England voted last week to finally recognize it), but Noam Chomsky believes that the only option other than a 2-state solution is that Israel continues murdering and subjugating Palestinians until they wipe them off the earth. In the South African apartheid state (Nelson Mandela), blacks were the work force for the white masters. In Israel, they don’t want the Palestinians to even exist and could care less about what happens to them. Therefore, this is even worse than an apartheid state. 2) What is the one most important thing the United States can do to improve or solve the Israel-Palestine crisis? Chomsky’s answer was simple: the United States should follow its own laws. For example, the Leahy Law was introduced in 1997 and says that the United States cannot provide arms to any country that is involved in human rights violations. That seems fairly simple. There is no question that Israel has and continually violates Palestinian human rights. As a result, all of the so-called “defense” aid that the United States has provided to Israel is illegal both in the United States and under international law. Furthermore, many US companies are allowed to operate in the occupied settlements and are given tax breaks; they’re subsidized. Chomsky points out that we should not forget that “subsidizing means I pay for it.” I don’t want to pay for human rights violations, do you? There have been substantial changes on this topic in the minds of Americans, particularly young Americans. If you’re interested, you can see the full Noam Chomsky video on YouTube below. “It’s ironic that people fear activists. It’s the inactivity of the apathetic that causes most harm.” - Anonymous youtube/watch?v=D2LNyZ6NNeE
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 19:34:33 +0000
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