Reply #97: Dennis has the right idea re: Israel/Palestine

[AnOhioan]

From his website:

"We need to keep in mind that there is no such thing as a victory for one side. No "win-lose" solutions are possible, only "win-win" outcomes. Coercion of one side or the other cannot succeed, no matter how strongly one might want it, or how much force might be brought to bear."

Snip

"Israelis are living in fear, an understandable result of more than three years of suicide bombings and other terror attacks against civilians. The measures carried out against the Palestinian population have the support of many Israelis, because of the logic of fear. But as those outspoken military men have pointed out, this logic is leading to unacceptable outcomes, both in failing to protect Israelis, and in terms of human rights abuses committed against Palestinians."

"These measures include hundreds of roadblocks, mostly separating Palestinians from each other. The roadblocks are one of the two defining features of the occupation, since they define every sphere of existence: access to jobs, schools, medical care, relatives and friends. The other defining feature is the growth and spread of settlements, all of which are illegal under international law. The daily hardships imposed by Israel and the loss of land fuel the despair that leads to terror. It's time to fight terror with the only weapon left in Israel's arsenal: hope."

"As we watch our brothers and sisters suffer and die, we shouldn't be asking which side to join, which side to strengthen so as to defeat the other. The question is, how can we use our power to foster healing and reconciliation? The power and faith of the American people has been used that way in the past in that part of the world, particularly by President Carter and President Clinton. Today we need to call on that spirit and go with it further than ever before."

Snip

"Israelis and Palestinians, locked in to a recursive conflict that feeds on itself, need to see more private initiatives, and more American support for them, as evidence that we will be there to assist in ending the conflict with our resources and moral power. We cannot do this when what investment we currently have is so overwhelmingly weighted towards military means."

Entire text at http://kucinich.us/issues/middleeast.php


I worked for Dennis in '04. What he wants for the mideast is for the US to treat the Palestinians and Israeli with an equal, unbiased hand. That is the ONLY way the region will ever see a lasting peace. The "Special Relationship" with Israel needs to be ended.

Defend them, Yes

Support them, Yes

But not at the expense of other peoples, other countries.