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U.S.-Funded Israeli Terror Escalates
by Leah Harris

December 2001/ January 2002
Volume 38, Number 10

The Israeli occupation of Palestine is madness without end. It is called an escalating cycle of violence, but this obscures the fact that the Israelis possess overwhelming military superiority over the Palestinians. The Palestinians have used violent means to resist the occupation, but that does not take away from the fact that Israeli soldiers are shooting individuals with missiles, using American made F-16s and Tomahawk helicopters. Tanks roll into small villages, supposedly to root out terrorists. But so many of these so-called ÒterroristsÓ are small children - like Reham Ward, the 10-year-old girl killed in her classroom in the town of Jenin by a shell fired from an Israeli tank on October 18. Over 800 Palestinians have been killed since the second Intifada began, 30% of them under the age of 18. You get the sneaking suspicion that the goal here is not to root out terror but to cause it.

Every American taxpayer is funding this occupation and these crimes against humanity. The U.S. is the largest supplier of weapons to Israel. Our tax dollars are used to provide Israel with billions of dollars in aid and low-interest loans every year, most of which goes into the purchase of tanks, F-16s, and helicopters used to kill Palestinians, Lebanese, or anyone who is deemed a Òsecurity threatÓ to Israel.

According to a 1997 report issued by the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs magazine, between 1949 and 1997, Israel received a mind-boggling total of $74,157,600,000 in direct aid. This does not exclude other forms of U.S. aid, which total $9,047,227,200, and interest to Israel from advanced payments, which totals $1,650,000,000. When we say Òadvanced payments,Ó we mean that aid to Israel is given in one lump sum, which immediately begins to collect interest in U.S. banks (other countries receive their aid in quarterly installments). The grand total is $84,854,827,200, all borne by the U.S. taxpayer. ThatÕs $14,346 for each Israeli man, woman, and child.

And as long as the U.S. runs an annual budget deficit, all of the aid to Israel has to be raised through government borrowing. As an example of AmericaÕs foreign aid priorities, Israel receives more U.S. aid than nearly all of Latin America, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa combined. This aid is going to a country whose standard of living nears that of many countries in the European Union.

Usually the U.S. puts restrictions on how such foreign aid can be used. According to the U.S. Arms Export Control Act, ÒU.S. supplied weapons can only be used in self-defense.Ó Also, the U.S. foreign assistance act prohibits military assistance to any country Òwhich engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.Ó Even though the U.S. State Department puts out scathing reports every year on Israeli human rights abuses, Israel continues to receive aid, in clear violation of our own aid restrictions.

On October 25 Israeli soldiers assaulted the small village of Beit Reema, killing nine primarily non-combatant Palestinians. Just one day after the massacre the U.S. Senate approved its annual aid package, with Israel getting $2.76 billion, of which $2 billion will go to ÒdefenseÓ purchases in the U.S. and the remaining $760 million will be in civilian aid. In comparison, less than $300 million is allocated to fight the scourge of AIDS in all of sub-Saharan Africa.

And in the coming weeks, more aid will be voted for Israel in the defense department budget.

Most Americans donÕt know the truth: that their tax dollars are being used to fund an illegal occupation, an ugly settler colonialism that should have been a finished chapter in history long ago. The bottom line is that without U.S. aid to Israel, the Israeli government would not be able to keep up the occupation nor the brutal repressive behavior that accompanies it.

Without U.S. aid to Israel itÕs likely that Reham Ward and many other innocent civilians would still be alive today. This is the raison dÕetre for the SUSTAIN campaign, which stands for ÒStop U.S. Tax-Funded Aid to Israel Now.Ó

SUSTAIN focuses on the issue of U.S. aid to Israel, but we also speak out against the occupation, demanding the return of Palestinian refugees, the dismantling of Israeli settlements, and an Israel/Palestine in which all citizens have equal rights. The SUSTAIN campaign was born during of the second Intifada, and has been actively working to raise consciousness among people in the U.S. through organizing teach-ins and rallies, participating in conferences, and working with other progressive groups in the country.

SUSTAIN has worked to send delegations to Palestine/Israel so people can see what occupation looks like for themselves. This grassroots organization has grown to include more than 12 active chapters throughout the U.S.

This is not a pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian issue. This is a pro-occupation vs. anti-occupation issue. ThatÕs why there are Israeli groups such as Gush Shalom who denounce the occupation, and Israeli-Palestinian groups like TaÕayush (coexistence) who work together to provide humanitarian aid to those Palestinians suffering under the Israeli blockade. There are also a growing number of American Jewish organizations, such as A Jewish Voice for Peace, Not in My Name, and Jews for Peace in Palestine and Israel, who are loudly calling for an end to the Israeli occupation. So you can see that criticizing the Israeli occupation and U.S. aid to Israel is not anti-Semitic. In fact it is pro-Semitic, because a just peace will bring true long-term security to all Semitic peoples in the region, including both Jews and Arabs.

The deplorable events of September 11 have led ordinary Americans to question, many for the first time, what their government is doing abroad in their name and with their tax dollars. Our rallying cry should be Ònot in our nameÓ as we struggle to pressure our government into pursuing a more balanced foreign policy abroad and especially in the Middle East.

As poet Audrey Lourde said, ÒOur silence will not protect us.Ó

We encourage you to get involved; there are lots of resources for activism on SUSTAINÕs website (www.sustain-campaign.org). To keep up with SUSTAIN activities in the D.C. area, join the list serve at groups.yahoo.com/group/SUSTAIN-DC.

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