The Anti-War Committee Says “NO” to Normalization of Israeli Apartheid!

The Anti-War Committee Says “NO” to Normalization of Israeli Apartheid!

Published October 2020

For over twenty years the Anti-War Committee has supported the Palestinian right of return, the dismantling of Israeli settlements, the end of the Israeli occupation, and the end to racist policies in all of the territories.  Recently, Trump has been attacking self-determination for Palestine by enlisting the help of some of the Gulf’s repressive oil monarchies.

Trump’s Middle East “peace” plan involves distributing tens of billions of dollars in military hardware to the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain in exchange for normalizing relations with Israel. This exacted promise of normalization is only a formalization of Bahrain’s and the UAE’s collaboration with Israel and Saudi Arabia to maintain an aggressive stance against Iran. While the UAE and Bahrain were formerly at odds with Israel, this shift first started during the Arab Spring uprising, when these repressive monarchies looked for outside support against internal protests.  In the media, this normalization with Israel is being heralded as a “great step in the peace process,” but no Palestinians were at the table. How can it be a step in any peace process when these countries aren’t at war? This is designed to weaken the pro-Palestinian movement and provide Trump publicity as a dealmaker.

For Palestinians, the deal represents a huge setback.  Normalization doesn’t mean that Israel is halting the growth of the illegal settlements on Palestinian land; it doesn’t mean that Palestinian refugees are being allowed the right to return; it doesn’t mean the release of Palestinian political prisoners from Israel’s jails – the Palestinian people gain nothing from this.  Normalization simply removes one more bargaining chip that could have been available to try force Israel to end the occupation, cease rampant human rights abuses, and come to the bargaining table.  When Egypt normalized relations with Israel in 1980, it didn’t benefit the Palestinian people at all.  The only people who benefit are Trump, Israel, and the super-rich oil families in charge of Bahrain and the UAE who will now have more support against their internal protest movements. 

Do people in the US stand to benefit?  Much the opposite.  The tactics and technologies developed against the Palestinian people are subsequently used by the U.S. police against the populace here.  Over 100 Minneapolis police officers were trained by Israeli police officers in repressive techniques, including the “knee on neck” restraint that killed George Floyd and has seriously injured dozens of other people.  The Israeli weapons manufacturer that built the apartheid wall in Jerusalem, Elbit Systems, is building Trump’s racist border wall and providing the immigration enforcement (ICE and CBP) with new tools and toys.

The Anti-War Committee says NO to normalization while Israel continues to block the right of return, deny the right to self-determination, and to export its repressive tactics abroad.  The reason Israel is able to continue the occupation is because it has financial, diplomatic, and military backing from the U.S. government.  Added backing from the UAE and Bahrain brings us no closer to a Free Palestine. Trump’s supposed “peace” plan will cause more repression, terror, and violence; not peace.

We demand the end of aid to Israel, peace in the Middle East starts with getting the U.S. out!