11, July 2005 Israel
Once again Israel has demonstrated its callous disregard for the
legitimate rights of the Palestinians.
Israel has now admitted that its separation barrier in Jerusalem will
cut off a staggering 55,000 Palestinians - about a quarter of the city's Arab
population from the rest of the city. More illegal settlements
are planned in the West Bank The
Israeli announcement came a year and a day after the International Court of Justice at The
Hague ruled that the separation barrier inside the West Bank violated
international law. It is tragic that US taxpayers continue to support Israel's
land theft and ethnic cleansing by funding illegal settlements, construction of
the separation wall and arms shipments which have been used to subjugate the
Palestinians. Israel continues to be the largest recipient of US aid. Last
year, it received $2.3 billion in military aid and $500 million in economic
assistance. According to the Israeli embassy, Israel has received $100 billion
since its founding in 1948. The Israeli
government has now made an additional request for the costs incurred for
resettling the illegal squatters in the Gaza Strip.
The new Israeli request is in addition to the regular annual
assistance provided by Washington. It
is time for US taxpayers to be heard. This continuous largesse cannot be tolerated. The blatant US partiality towards
Israel is fueling much of the rage and frustration of the Palestinians
and exposes the hypocrisy of the US
Middle East policy. Peace will never reign until the legitimate rights of the
Palestinians has been realized.
