Securing Israeli colonial violence and expansion

Rewarding human rights violations is a speciality of the US. History has recorded many precedents of aid flowing to countries in which dictatorships bludgeoned and disappeared their opposition. Israel, however, remains an exception precisely due to the fact that, unlike other scenarios, international law is not a detriment to its colonial violence and its victims are not allowed any semblance of recourse. This should form the premise of how the recently signed memorandum of understanding between the US and Israel will contribute towards the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population.

Despite falling short of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s expectations, the $38 billion deal over a period of 10 years is unprecedented in providing “security” to Israel. In US President Barack Obama’s words, it is “the most recent reflection of my steadfast commitment” to Israel’s permanent, albeit fabricated narrative.

Israel will almost certainly have qualms over the amount, as well as the stipulated clause that the money be spent on US military industries rather than investing in Israeli military technology. The Washington Post has also reported that limits have been placed upon Israel’s lobbying US congress for more aid “unless it is at war”. However, the fact remains that the US has granted Israel additional power and reward. In the grand scheme of this political treachery, the visibility of Palestinians will once again be dependent upon time, circumstance and exploited opportunity.  For both Israel and the international community, settlers take precedence.

Whether as a subject for criticism, as in the case of occasional international condemnation of settler violence, or as an entity to be lauded for complicity in state atrocities, settlers remain a priority. It is a mistake to separate the military aid agreement from the dynamics that sustain Israel’s presence in Palestine. Legitimising earlier Zionist settler colonisation is the reason why such preferential  treatment is given to Israel, which turns out to be more cost-effective than dismantling the entire colonial system and proclaiming the UN and international law a spectacular failure.

In light of this fact, Obama’s declaration that “long-term security” for Israel is dependent upon creating “an independent and viable Palestinian state” is false. The concepts of independent and viable create dissonance – viable does not imply permanence but rather a capability of success which, given the collaborative aspect of the Palestinian Authority with Israel, already renders “viable” a disastrous opition. Obama and the international community should be taken to task for playing with Palestine and Palestinian lives in such a despicable manner.

Sustaining the political inequality which is inherent in colonialism should now be blatantly obvious. Human rights violations and aid remain a reciprocal cycle. On the other end of the spectrum, agencies tasked with providing alleged opportunities for individual and social autonomy operate under restricted budgets. Peeling away at the layers one finds both humiliation, dependence and subjugation, which in turn are disseminated to Palestinians. The difference is that the international organisations are structured to incorporate such indignity and function without a shard of shame at their accommodating narrative. For Palestinians, the deceitful cycle represents yet another hurdle and furthering the realisation that their struggle against colonial Israel has also extended to international organisations and the international community.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.