"The endless lip service to the two-state solution rings hollow as the US, UK and EU assist Israel in creating facts on the ground that have made it functionally impossible – including ongoing illegal settlement construction, land confiscation, displacement, restrictions on Palestinian movement and the incarceration of thousands of Palestinians. Hiding behind the smokescreen of “quiet diplomacy”, these states continuously undermine Palestinian attempts to hold Israel to account; Boris Johnson, for example, has opposed the international criminal court inquiry into atrocities committed in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem."
British backing for Israel helps to sustain the unbearable status quo
Diplomatic and military support – and a thriving arms trade – make the UK complicit in the oppression of Palestinians
I often tell my first-year politics students that the study of politics is the study of power. And what we saw last month, above all, was the glaring disparity in power between Israel and the Palestinians.
When Palestinians in Gaza and around the world celebrated the news of a ceasefire, breathing a sigh of relief, many commentators hailed it as a return to calm. For Palestinians, however, “calm” means a status quo of occupation, blockade, and repression.
In fact, one can say the true nature of this conflict is what happens between the periodic escalations – the constant grind of life under apartheid. Israeli power over the Palestinians is not simply military, and it is not only maintained by force; it is sustained by international support. The significance of this support becomes obvious during Israeli military offensives – last month, the US wilfully obstructed a UN security council statement on Gaza to buy more time for Israel’s bombing campaign – but the key elements of this international support are consistent.... READ MORE
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