Letter to the editor
Israel and U.S. relationship under strain
Today marks the day the Palestinian Authority will request the United Nations to recognize the Palestinian territories (Gaza Strip and the West Bank) as the State of Palestine.
Because of the PA’s unilateral decision to go to the U.N., it has deeply worsened the possibility of future direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.
Though to the untrained eye it would seem as if Palestinians are finally just taking the opportunity to establish their own state, the real reason for going through all this trouble is to punish Israel, or as mentioned in The New York Times article, “Palestinians would be entitled to bring cases against Israeli officials.”
According to Khaled Abu Toameh, a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Palestinians have openly admitted (on Arabs news programs) to their desire to punish the State of Israel and have devised a carefully constructed plan to achieve their goal. (These steps are also outlined in The New York Times’ “In Seeking Statehood, Palestinians Stir Concern” Sept. 11 story.)
The plan begins today when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will apply for statehood with the United Nations Security Council. The United States, Israel’s strongest ally, has already promised to veto his request.
According to Abu Toameh, Abbas would then make an appeal with the U.N. General Assembly, where there is no opportunity for a veto and where there is a pro-Palestinian majority. Though the General Assembly cannot grant Palestinians United Nations membership, it can affirm Palestinian statehood by declaring it as an observer state.
Once Palestinians are granted statehood, Abu Toameh says they will have the ability to join the International Criminal Court and ultimately achieve their goal of punishing Israel by bringing cases against Israeli officials who allowed for the building of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Further, Palestinians will supposedly seek to ensure Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian territories, or what will by then be officially referred to as Palestine.
For years, Israelis have attempted to diplomatically work out the issues between the two conflicting nations.
By deciding to go to the U.N., Palestinians are letting Israel’s metaphorical ship sail away.
Without working together and without two sides that want peace, the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis has a significantly worse chance of being resolved.
Thank goodness for the United States’ loyalty to Israel because at this point, it’s the only hope in avoiding significantly more tension between Israel and Palestine.
That being said, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal all reported last week that not only has Israel’s relationship with former allies Turkey and Egypt frayed, but its current relationship with the United States is under intense strain.
Hopefully, Israel and the United States will stoically overcome this tough hurdle and reinforce their strong bond once again.
Danielle Nisimov
Junior, public relations
I haven’t read up on this as much as I should.
What does the resolution that Abbas is going to propose to the UN say the borders will be for the Palestinian state?
If it passes, will this conflict then just be a border dispute and a dispute on monetary compensation for the refugees?
Will the Palestinians then recognize that the newly created state will be the Palestinian homeland where the refugees can settle into and give up on the idea of flooding Israel with refugees and making it a second Palestinian state?
The Trojan protects Israel and those who embrace its mythology by, among other things, refusing a paid advertisement we sought to place in its pages promoting open debate on the historical subjects encompassed lately by the term “the Holocaust.”
The Trojan and, no doubt, USC stands solidly with Israel.
Its student body is more . . . diverse. How about Open Debate on the Nakba?
How bout an open debate on Rwanda, America’s treatment of Native Americans, or Cambodia? Hell, I don’t think genocide in Rwanda happened at all… Let’s debate it!
The Trojan is run by students, fyi, so I have no idea what you’re trying to say.
Why don’t you go “debate” the Holocaust with your imaginary friend and leave the real discourse to us adults. You are entitled to your opinion, but if it is so incredibly stupid just keep it to yourself.
America stands by Israel now and forever.
Good opinion piece, well written and articulate.
Why does the DT continue to publish BS from this girl? Every year they publish multiple inane and ridiculously bigoted articles from her and never provide a counterpoint to balance the perspective.
Ridiculously bigoted? Grow up kid. She was very fair and while it wasn’t meant to be an in-depth analysis, it was pretty accurate.
Why must you insult everything you disagree with? Just say you disagree.
She was fair? She said that Israel’s been trying to “diplomatically” solve the conflict between them and Palestine for years, when in reality, Palestinians keep getting pushed out of their homes and slaughtered on the streets. (remember when they bombed and killed the people in the Palestinian red cross truck? of course you don’t….you only read articles in the LA Times written by Jews)
Let’s hope whatever you’re afraid of goes through so Palestine would have the right to take Israel to court and finally charge them with their international crimes that is only being ENCOURAGED by the US Media via censorship and bias.
its not black at white at all, and if anything its this lets the palestinians off a little too easy… they dont want to punish israel, they want to destroy it. 80% of palestinians see a palestinian state on the west bank and Gaza as teh precursor to a Palestine including all of Israel.
If the palestinians and arabs wanted peace they’d sit down at the table and NEGOTIATE a just peace, but instead they prefer to beat around the bush and have the UN do its dirty work… and we are going to support the birth of nation that wont even talk to its neighbor? come on…
Palestinians you are making the WRONG move at the UN, and because of your anti-semitism, your own people will suffer the most.
as a liberal, im appauled that the palestinians who i have supported for so long are so clearly seeking Israel’s destrcution, and have no respect for international law… i’m lost my respect and have learned they have no gratitude.
Thank you Aisha!
I too am a STAUNCH liberal and I can never understand why some liberals chose to blame Israel. You can’t possibly be a liberal and side with a people who have no respect for women or human rights of any kind against a democracy that respects freedom of speech and religion.
The world should show the Palestinians that they can’t commit wrongs and then cry for help when they lose. Otherwise they will continue to act like spoiled children and ruin any prospect for peace.
Punish Israel? Are you kidding.
After having EVERYTHING stolen from them on a daily basis, all Palestine wants are their rights, as a country, in order to redress the daily pounding that comes at the hands of Israel.
Of course, Isreal doesn’t want Palestine to have any means of redress because it will interfere with their control over the Palestinians. If you think this is an equal fight, then you are just ignorant and there is no excuse for this. For every Isreali that is killed, 40 Palestinians are killed–it’s a fact. Let’s be clear about who is doing most of the killing here.
Israelis are no closer to God than are the Palestinians, it’s a fact. It’s time they start acting like it.
If you think Israel is a democracy then you do not know what a democracy is.
Instead of paying for and rubber stamping anything and everything that Israel does, the US should be applying pressure through boycotts and by witholding aid. Talk about a rogue ally. It’s time to give the Palestinians their due.
The world is tired of this one-way or the highway dialogue, time to try something else.
Everything stolen? When you use such hyperbole, everyone knows you’re either ignorant or lying.
Guess what? For every American killed in WWII, thousands of Germans and Japanese were killed. Does that mean America was evil and they were good? By you’re twisted and naive logic it would. I’m completely fine being clear about who is getting killed, because it has absolutely no consequence on which side is right.
As for the “daily pounding” that comes from Israel, I believe you are referring to the retaliation strikes that Israel launches against terrorist groups that fire rockets into Israeli towns unprovoked on a daily basis. Yes, shame on Israel for defending itself against Hamas.
The world is tired of people like you trying to make the aggressors of this conflict look like the victims.
Good article! Whether you support Israel or the Palestinians or both, everyone can recognize that the way to peace is through direct negotians, not a charade at the UN.
Nothing the UN can or will do is going to give the Palestinians a state. They must grow up and negotiate instead of acting like spoiled children.
Are you serious? If it’s the one thing that I’ve learned at SC was that the picture is never as black and white as you imagine it to be; the truth is always somewhere in the middle. Can you blame the Palestinians after being kicked out of their home for wanting their own land back? Read the Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy by John Mearshimer and get into the IR program then write about international relations. On the other hand, you’re doing a fine job if u want a career in PR for Israel.
She didn’t say it’s black and white? It was actually a really good overview of what is going on right now.
Read The Arab Lobby by Mitchell Bard. Or read about the pharmaceutical lobby, or the firefighter’s lobby, or almost any other country or profession’s lobby. Nice try with the “Israel lobby” thing, but no one buys that anymore.
The Palestinian’s were not “kicked out of their home”. They were encouraged to do so by their Arab neighbors who promised they would wipe out the Jews and then let the residents go back. Read a history book.
Both sides have committed mistakes and made wrongs, and the author doesn’t deny that anywhere. She is simply saying that the tactic the Palestinians are using right now are not going to make the conflict any better, and is simply presenting another obstacle to peace.
Rather than rushing to judge, take a moment to think what is being said. When you act like a crazy and shout out Mearshimer to everything, you immediately lose all credibility. Insulting the author on a persona level just makes you look foolish. If you disagree policy-wise, then just state your opinion. Otherwise, keep it to yourself.
She didn’t make it sound black and white at all. It was a pretty spot on analysis and all she was saying was that what the Palestinians are doing is decreasing chances for peace.
And why don’t you go read The Arab Lobby by Mitchell Bard. Or read about the pharmaceutical lobby, or the firefighter’s lobby, or any other profession or country’s lobby. When you shout “Mearshimer” like a crazy whenever someone talks about this subject, you immediately lose all credibility.
The Palestinian’s were not kicked out of their own land, as much as you would like to believe it. Arab leaders in neighboring countries encouraged them to leave so that they could kill the Jews and then have everyone return and take all of Israel. Both sides have made mistakes and done wrong since then, but the author is just pointing out that this latest tactic by the Palestinians of going to the UN is going to hurt them and chances for peace more than anything.
And rather than attacking the author personally, why don’t you maturely state your policy opinion and why you disagree. Your comment just convinces people whose side is right… and guess what? It’s not yours.