Many memorable figures in Black History lent their lives to the cause of peace, justice and equality. The selfless struggles of these great men and women have resulted in slow changes in the racial consciousness of this nation. However, in many ways, the same reasoning and justification that allowed men to enslave people can be seen in the military and economic foreign policies of the U.S. \nWithout this lingering racist mind-set, many of the absurd notions Americans have come to hold as truths would not be possible. \nFor example, Americans have been taught to regard Israel as the perennial victim of Palestinian aggression. It is absurd to believe that the fourth most powerful military in the world is in constant peril from a peasant people whose military technology amounts to antiquated Kalashnikovs and homemade rockets. Yet, with the help of the American media-prism, the Israelis succeed in \nfiltering out any negative truths that would cast an unpleasant light on their part in the occupation: truths like Ha'aretz in Israel reported in August 2003, that only 551 of the 2,341 Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers have been combatants. Conversely, the Israeli lobby and the U.S. media rarely miss an opportunity to malign the Palestinian Intifada as a violent "uprising," when in fact the term literally means to "shake loose," much like the Americans and Israelis did from the British.\nStereotyping is an easy way of creating and sustaining hate-based relationships and racial/religious violence. In order to justify "separate but equal" the U.S. government manipulated commonly held stereotypes about African Americans, such as that all black men were thieves who wanted to rape white women. \nBy painting all Arabs into a single picture, Zionists deceitfully use examples of military assaults from other Arab countries toward Israel to justify the brutal 37-year occupation of the Palestinian territories. Was every Native American a fearsome Apache? Was every African a warring Zulu? It is true that some Palestinians have resorted to violent actions, but who is the powerful and who the weak here? How can the Israelis keep saying the Palestinians don't want peace, but then continue to illegally settle their land and brutally occupy their towns, rather than working for peace?\nRemember separate drinking fountains, divided restaurant seating and legally-enforced subjugation that was meant to keep "whites" and "coloreds" safely apart? What about the ideals that today's Americans are taught to embrace? Would Americans willingly give one-third of the entire foreign aid budget to a military-state that flat out denies citizenship to people based on religion or a country that would enact laws prohibiting marriage between certain groups based on religion and ethnicity? What about a country that steals land from indigenous people and then builds homes and highways that they are prohibited to use? As ridiculous as these laws may sound, this is the reality of life in the "occupied territories," paid for by U.S. taxes. \nBlack History should remind us that we must work to promote coexistence for all peoples around the world. In order to find out more about the conflict and what you can do to help promote sanity for Israel and Palestine, contact Students for Justice in Palestine at sjp@indiana.edu.
Author:\nDeema Dabis\nMedia Coordinator for Students Justice in Palestine
Bob Kendall\nAction Coordinator for Students Justice in Palestine
