May 22, 2009

A Question of Conscience

Israel could not do what's it's doing to the Palestinians if it were not for unconditional American support. So when the Israelis practice Apartheid, when they commit war crimes in Gaza, when they oppress the Palestinians at every turn... America is directly responsible. Most Americans (if and when they think about it) think that the Palestinian struggle is far away and not their problem. But that's wrong. The ideas and the behavior that we underwrite are profoundly malignant and they boomerang, insidiously, to distort American politics. We must not make fatal compromises on basic principles. To get at some of these questions I turned to George Bisharat, a real champion of the rule of law, and advocate of a non-violent path toward a single state solution for Israel, with equal rights and equal justice for all its citizens. A most worthy goal. Total runtime an hour and eleven minutes. Think long-term.