Could this be why so many hate the US?
Because there is a Grand Canyon between oft-repeated words of "freedom" from US leaders and the real-life policies so many (but so few Americans) see on the ground in the Middle East (and actually around the world).
Sarah Palin and crew think it's all about "hating our freedoms". Instead, we need to deal with reality and start changing US policy. Quickly. We are not safe when the US continues to support attacks against civilians in their homes, who have done us no harm. How can we expect to be safe when US policy makes others unsafe?
We need to stop supporting a foreign military that has chosen to wage war on civilians to achieve its political ends.
Israeli authorities on Tuesday reportedly handed demolition orders to four Palestinian residents in the West Bank city of Halhul, notifying them that their homes and water reservoir were to be bulldozed.
Halhul Mayor Ziyad Abu Yousif told Ma'an that Israeli forces stormed the Rumouz neighborhood of the city, where they distributed the notices to Ahmad Awad, Muhammad Zamara, and Dirar Zamara, informing them of plans to demolish their homes.- Maan
What reason is given by the Occupation Army, generously funded by US taxpayers?
The mayor added that forces further handed a warrant to Muhammad Abu Yousif, notifying him that his water reservoir would be demolished because of its close proximity to Area C, which is under full Israeli control.
This is what US Policy Looks Like
The Oslo Accords created three temporary distinct administrative divisions in the West Bank. Area "A", less than 3% of the West Bank, was supposed to be under the full control of the Palestine Authority (has not worked out like that). Area B was under joint control. Area C, is under full control of the Israeli Occupation forces, and this is about 60% of the West Bank. by full control, it means that the Israeli government decides what is built, what is not built, and what is demolished to smithereens.
Area C covers 60% of the West Bank, home to around 70,000 Palestinians. It is also the area in which most Jewish settlements, all illegal under international law, are built. Compelling statistical evidence shows that while it is extremely hard for Palestinians to obtain building permits, settlements continue to grow rapidly.
Research by the Israeli group Peace Now found that 94% of Palestinian permit applications for Area C building were refused between 2000 and September 2007. Only 91 permits were granted to Palestinians, but 18,472 housing units were built in Jewish settlements. As a result of demolition orders 1,663 Palestinian buildings were demolished, against only 199 in the settlements. "The denial of permits for Palestinians on such a large scale raises the fear that there is a specific policy by the authorities to encourage a 'silent transfer' of the Palestinian population from area C," Peace Now said. - The Guardian
This did not start with the Netanyahu government.
This is a clear example of apartheid, a crime under international law. Systematic denial of basic human rights and democratic freedoms based on race or ethnicity. The Palestinians have no say in the government that makes decisions on their land. Nothing. The Palestine Authority has no say about these things. Yet Jewish residents in the same area are granted full democratic rights, which they use very well. (of course, they also resort to attacks against Palestinians, and even in some cases attacks against the Israeli military to achieve their goals).
We owe an explanation to Muhammad Abu Yousif. Is his home, his water tank, a threat to the United States? Is that why the US continues to fund the military that wants to demolish it? I don't think so.
Perhaps it is Israel that owes us an explanation. Do they not know, or not care, that such actions is a threat to US security (and, it goes without saying, Israeli security)? It is as if, i think for many Israeli leaders, believing that if there is some blowback from this support of Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians, it is actually a good thing, as it helps create more hate, a greater willingness to support military solutions.
Most importantly, of course, we do not oppose these demolitions simply because it hurts the US image, or even because it might at some future date bring more terror attacks against US citizens. WE oppose these demolitions because they are wrong. We know the fate of Muhammad Abu Yousif's home is somehow part of our fate. That is why thousands of internationals and more than a few Israelis insist on the right to go to the West Bank to stand against the home demolitions.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.
-Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from the Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963