Israel and America: Pursuing a Foreign Policy Centered Around a Perpetual War Agenda

Although Il Principe should defer to the blog War in Context to analyze the news story of Israeli claiming that weapons from Nigeria are going to Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, the story appears to be a disinformation operation aimed to bolster future American military involvement in the oil rich West African region. In addition to creating a pretext for Israeli’s main sponsor the United States to get more involved in the oil rich West African region in the future, the news report also aims to keep political pressure on Iran, Israel’s main regional power rival in the area who also serves as an American scapegoat for continued defense spending. If there is one thing Opinione has learned in becoming an international political scientist, the real motive a country pursues is usually hidden below a layer of deception and misdirection. The 2003 American invasion of Iraq proved that without a shadow of a doubt.

When it comes to analyzing geopolitical events involving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a shrewd political analyst will always consider how the United States fits into the equation. Either directly contributing to events on the ground that lead to further conflict between the two groups, such as American support for the expansion of Israeli settlements in Arab territory, or using the conflict to support domestic political agendas in their own country’s, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a very important issue that needs to be resolved.

The importance of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was reiterated in testimony given by General David Petraeus before the US Senate Armed Services Committee on March 16, 2010.

The enduring hostilities between Israel and some of its neighbors present distinct challenges to our ability to advance our interests in the AOR [CENTCOM's area of responsibility]. Israeli-Palestinian tensions often flare into violence and large-scale armed confrontations. The conflict foments anti-American sentiment, due to a perception of U.S. favoritism for Israel. Arab anger over the Palestinian question limits the strength and depth of U.S. partnerships with governments and peoples in the AOR and weakens the legitimacy of moderate regimes in the Arab world. Meanwhile, al-Qaeda and other militant groups exploit that anger to mobilize support. The conflict also gives Iran influence in the Arab world through its clients, Lebanese Hizballah and Hamas.

As both the United States and Israel pursue foreign policies that alienate other countries in the region such as Turkey and leave both countries more isolated, the Palestinian population living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank continue to suffer the most. This is evident when the socioeconomic factors of child mortality and the condition of each country’s economies are compared.

Despite the fact that Israel enjoys a GDP of $140.3 billion, and a jobless rate of 8.3 percent with 21 percent of people living in poverty, Palestinians living in the West Bank and the Gaze Strip, struggle daily with a GDP of only $ 4 billion, a jobless rate of 30.3% in the West bank and 48.5% in the Gaza Strip, and a poverty level of 67% in both territories. Perhaps most striking is the 0.8% child mortality rate in Israel, compared to a 2.6% child mortality rate in the Occupied Palestinian territories.

This disparity in the socioeconomic conditions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel violates Article 73 of the United Nations Charter. The article stipulates that a member state which have or assumed responsibilities for the administration of territories like the Occupied Palestinian Territories who have not yet attained a full measure of self-government,

recognize the principle that the interests of the inhabitants of these territories are paramount, and accept as a sacred trust the obligation to promote to the utmost, within the system of international peace and security established by the present Charter, the well-being of the inhabitants of these territories.

The current socioeconomic conditions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank prove without a doubt that Israel has violated Article 73 of the United Nations Charter.

Enjoying the protection from the United States in the Security Council due to the political power of the powerful Jewish political lobby AIPAC in domestic American politics, Israel is able to violate international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and pursue apartheid like policies towards non-Jewish citizens within its borders.

The close relationship between the United States and Israel and their similar use of militarism in their foreign policies is reflected in how both the United States and Israel flout the rule of law and center their foreign policy around a perpetual war agenda. While the Israeli foreign policy is centered on the permanent Palestinian conflict, the same can be said for the United States and the continued pursuit of the Bush Doctrine of preemptive war combined with ever escalating defense budgets.

With America being the most powerful player in the international system and Israel enjoying the same benefits due to its close relationship with the United States, both Israel and the United States are able to ignore the rule of international law. As the rule of law is designed to protect the interests of the weak from the strong and the weak have interests in upholding and building up the rule of law, the Americans and the Israelis will continue to break and undermine international law.

The recent story of Israeli claims of arms being smuggled through Nigeria for the Gaza strip reflects the ever-growing similarity between the United States and Israel. Something that all Americans should take pause and understand violates the basic principles the Republic was founded upon in 1776.