Ediblog.com
Stop The Discrimination Now Against American Jews in Israel!
© 2004/5764 Ariel Natan Pasko
The United States government is violating a group of US citizens' civil
rights and it has to stop. They want to throw a whole ethnic group out of
their homes, and restrict where they can or can't live. Sounds racist
doesn't it? The White House, State Department and other agencies, right
under the noses of us all, without a peep by us, are pursuing a deliberate
policy of ethnic/religious "cleansing". They haven't started for
real yet, but the plans are in the making. Who could possibly stand for this
discriminatory behavior on the part of the American government against its
own citizens in the year 2005? A class action suit demanding an
injunction to stop these law-breaking plans needs to be filed in the courts.
No, I'm not talking about African-Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics,
Pacific Islanders or some small, exotic, unknown tribe from who knows where.
I'm talking about a group estimated to encompass at least 8-30,000 people,
whose members are known to all Americans. I'm talking about a group who's
been persecuted and discriminated against throughout written history. It's a
group who thought they found refuge in the US, and became good, law abiding
citizens, only now to find themselves being treated differently than other
American citizens. Their homes are in jeopardy, their livelihoods are
threatened, and their way of life is under siege. We must demand that
the US government cease and desist in this discriminatory behavior. We must
demand that the government put an end to violating their civil rights and
sue for redress in the courts.
I'm talking about discrimination against American Jews, who once again are
being told where they may or may not live, this time by the American
government.
In the darkest days of Czarist Russia, Jews were told where they couldn't
live. They were restricted to the "Pale of Settlement", to the
west of Moscow and Petersburg. Most European cities until modern times
segregated Jews into "ghettos". Earlier in European history they
were thrown out of county after country, in the most brutal way. Muslim
society in North Africa and the Middle East was no better, introducing
distinctive clothing (the equivalent of the Nazi's Yellow Star) by Islamic
Dhimmi law, from the 7th century onward and restricting Jews to certain
"quarters" of the city. And now in the 21st century, in the name
of "Peace," Jews are being told that they will have to leave their
homes or be forced out. Such a blatant violation of civil rights must be
resisted by all Americans. Not to protect the Jews, but to protect
themselves.
There exists in American law the concept of the "Right of Eminent
Domain". Simply put, if a governmental body, whether federal, state or
local wanted to build a highway through an existing neighborhood, and people
would need to be moved out of their homes to accomplish that public good,
the government has the right to force people to relocate. Of course there
would be zoning committee meetings, a judicial process of appeal, and
ultimately if decided to proceed with the building, the payment of
compensation. But if only the white people, or only the black people, or
only the purple people were told they must move...well you get the idea.
That's exactly what's taking place right now. It's not Puerto Ricans or
Koreans being told, "You can't live there". It's not Women
or Men being told, "You can't join our club". All civil rights
violations I might add. But, only American Jews are being told - by the
American government - that they will have to leave their communities, their
homes, schools, business, and farms in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) and
Gaza; American Arabs aren't being told that.
That's a civil rights violation, pure and simple.
You might say, that it will be the Israeli government that might expel
people and not the American government, and that's partially true. But the
American government with its involvement in the "Peace Process,"
through the Quartet (US, EU, UN and Russia), the Road Map, and it's support
for the Sharon government's "disengagement" plan from Gaza and
Northern Samaria, calling for the dismantling of "settlements"
(i.e. Jewish cities, towns, and villages), and the transfer of Jews,
including American Jews to another place, has been caught red handed, with
its fingers in the cookie jar!
The American CIA is being used to monitor the implementation of the
"Road Map". There is a "Special Operations
Committee," whose main purpose is to see that "settlement"
activity is "frozen" and "outposts" are
"evacuated," i.e. expel Jews, including American Jews from their
homes. When the former US Secretary of State, Collin Powell spoke at an
American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference last year and blankly
stated, "Settlement activity is simply inconsistent with President
Bush's two-state vision," quoting Bush's statement that, "as
progress is made toward peace, settlement activity in the Occupied
Territories must end," the American government was annunciating it's
illegal and discriminatory policy, and they've continued ever since.
Two different private "peace" initiatives have been circulating
around as well...
The first, the Nusseibeh-Ayalon document, called "the People Vote"
is a petition that Israeli Adm. and former head of the General Security
Service (Israel's F.B.I.) Ami Ayalon and Palestinian professor Sari
Nusseibeh have circulated. It calls on Israel to give up all the territory
the Arabs lost in the 1967 Middle East war and turn the land over to the
Palestinians for a state. It assumes that all the Jewish
"settlers" will be ethnically cleansed from "Palestine".
When US Deputy Defense Secretary, Paul Wolfowitz, met with Ayalon and
Nusseibeh, praising their efforts as, "a significant grass-roots
movement," the American government was pursuing a policy that will lead
to civil rights violations.
Then there was Powell's meeting with former Israeli Justice Minister Yossi
Beilin and former Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo, after
their PR inspired "Geneva Accord" signing ceremony was held in
Switzerland last year. The "Geneva Accord" also came up with a
plan for a Palestinian state on nearly all of the West Bank and Gaza, with
most Jewish "settlers" being uprooted.
The then Secretary of State, Colin Powell, responded just before the signing
ceremony held in Switzerland with an encouraging letter to Beilin and Rabbo.
"Dear Yossi and Yasser," Powell wrote, "The US remains
committed to the president's two-state vision and to the road map, but we
also believe that projects such as yours are important in helping sustain an
atmosphere of hope."
And now, the American government is again encouraging a process that will
impact negatively on Jewish American citizens. They are continuing to carry
out such a discriminatory policy, with their support for Sharon's "Gaza
Expulsion Plan". Bush and company aren't calling on Arab Americans
living in Gaza to leave, only working to force American Jews out. American
officials need to be careful not to be discriminatory in their behavior.
You see, making plans, pursuing a policy, and calling for the expulsion of
American Jews - and not - American Arabs or non-Jewish American citizens
married to "Palestinian" Arabs from some area, whether its Hebron,
Illinois, or Hebron on the West Bank, is a discriminatory policy, that
violates the Jews' civil rights protections, and is patently illegal!
You might try to tell me, that civil rights protections are for what goes on
inside the United States only. Well think through this one. Two American
citizens who are living overseas, in Paris, Tahiti, or where ever; go to
their local American Consulate or Embassy, requesting IRS tax forms, to
update their passport, to register a birth of a child, or any other standard
service. They request the identical service. The white guy gets processed
quickly without any problems. The black guy is hassled. He's told to come
back tomorrow, and that he needs to bring other types of documentation, etc.
He decides that he's being treated differently than the white guy. He feels
he hasn't been given the same type of consular services because he's black.
He screams racial discrimination, calls his stateside attorney, and sues the
United States government for civil rights violations.
How many of you don't think that he might get somewhere in court?
Of course civil rights protections extend overseas. Of course American
government agencies and their agents must follow American laws when dealing
with American citizens overseas. Of course American government policy can't
discriminate between different groups because of ethnic, racial, religious,
or gender differences, overseas.
All decent and fair-minded Americans must demand the US government stop
pursuing this discriminatory policy. Write to your Congressman, Senator, the
President, the media, and tell them so.
The US State Department issues travel advisories for troubled areas, and it
occasionally calls on its citizens to leave an area temporarily that it
deems dangerous, but it never implements any policy to force American
citizens to leave an area or country. Either it must call on all American
citizens, Jew and non-Jew, to leave the "West Bank" and Gaza, but
do nothing to encourage them to be forced out - i.e. using the CIA; or
simply trash this discriminatory policy just like racial segregation was
trashed stateside, in the 1950's and 60's.
Jews have a right to live anywhere they want in America. We wouldn't accept
anything less today. Not for Blacks, not for Hispanics, and not for Jews.
Why accept such blatant segregation of Americans, just because they're Jews
and not Arabs. "Palestinian" Americans aren't being told by the US
government to leave, their communities aren't in danger, and their
livelihoods aren't being threatened. The same equality of treatment should
go for American Jews too.
The US government is breaking its own laws, in violating the civil rights of
some of its citizens, overseas. It must be stopped through the courts or the
ballot box.
Where will it happen next, Paris and Tahiti, or New York, Texas and
California?
Any ideas, suggestions, or offers to help work on this issue can be directed
to Ariel Natan Pasko at: ariel7@lobbyist.com
or, Shmuel Neumann at: yeshahomestead@hotpop.com
(re: class action suit).
Ariel Natan Pasko
is an independent analyst & consultant. He has a
Master's Degree in International Relations & Policy Analysis.
His articles appear regularly on numerous news/views and think-tank
websites, in newspapers, and can be read at: www.geocities.com/ariel_natan_pasko