Last week my husband and I attended his college reunion. One of his classmates reported having a son who has immigrated to Israel and is living in a settlement "near Jerusalem."
Having this hit so close to home made me question just how many of the Israeli settlers in the Occupied Territories are Americans. Are there any figures on what percentage of the settlers are Americans?
Why can Americans participate in these settlements without any penalties when our government so strongly disapproves, behavior that most of the world considers a violation of international law? This surely must affect our international image, particularly in the Arab world. It must also undermine our national security, making us more vulnerable to Islamic extremism.
Now we have the Obama administration speaking out against the settlements, as all previous administrations have done except Bush/Cheney. It seems to me if Americans can be forbidden to visit Cuba, Americans should be forbidden to settle in the Occupied Territories.
Please let me know if there is something wrong with my reasoning. I doubt that many Americans realize their fellow citizens are participating in these settlements; but I'm quite certain that the Arab world in particular and the Islamic world in general are very well aware.
Would it be possible for Congress to pass a law forbidding American citizens from living in these settlements and imposing penalties for transgressors? It seems to me such a law would help improve relations with the Arab world and lessen the impression that we are hypocrites.