| Iran and Palestine by Jonathan Kuttab With all the attention on Iran and the real fears of devastating wars, the situation in Palestine deteriorates with forced marches, humiliation, bombings, and deliberate starvation. The diabolical scheme of “food distribution centers-cum death traps” are the main if not only way Gazans can get food, yielding around 70 deaths among the food seekers at the distribution centers every single day. In the West Bank, assaults by settlers and land grabs accelerate as the Palestinians hunker down in fear for their lives. And, regardless of the outcome of the Iran war, the situation in Palestine still needs to be addressed. We cannot let the War on Iran be a distraction by Netanyahu from the situation in Gaza and from having him face the really serious questions that are threatening his coalition and his own hold on power. Nonetheless, it is incumbent on us to address the Iran war, particularly since the US is on the verge of some drastic steps leading to a major escalation. In this regard we need to point out a few things, particularly as Americans consider this Iran situation: The attack by Israel on Iran is an act of aggression and a direct violation of its sovereignty and of international law. Starting a war illegally is known as the crime of aggression, and it is one of the worst crimes under international law as it leads to untold suffering and destruction and invites retaliation, revenge, and a long list of subsequent violations. It is never allowed under international law except as an act of self defense. “Preemptive self defense,” which was claimed by Israel, clearly does not apply in this case and would render the whole of international law meaningless if it were to be accepted. Self defense applies to defending against actual, not anticipated or hypothetical threats. Also, preemptive action, if it is considered at all, can only be arguably claimed if there was an imminent prospect of an attack by another country which could not be forestalled by any other means. It does not mean that a country can “preemptively” attack an enemy on the theoretical possibility that an enemy may consider attacking it in the future, nor to deprive the enemy of having potentially destructive weapons. Actually, Israel has already attacked and destroyed the navy and airforce of Syria and other military installations, invading its territory and setting up its own military bases further inside Syrian territory without even claiming that the new Syrian regime was about to attack it. Israel did so only in order to ensure that any future Syrian regime would not have the ability to attack (or defend against) the Israeli military. Regime change for hostile enemies is also not a legitimate war objective. Preventing other countries from obtaining nuclear weapons is definitely a worthy objective. That is why the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty was created. Israel never signed it, while Iran not only signed but accepted the most rigorous inspection regime and was in the process of negotiating even more restrictions on enrichment (one element in a nuclear weapons program) when Israel attacked it. Tulsi Gabbard, US National Security Advisor, recently issued a statement that the CIA believes Iran is “NOT building a nuclear weapon,” and that the decision not to do so by Khamenei had not been changed. Most analysts, including Israeli ones, agree that Israeli objectives were to safeguard its own nuclear monopoly and aspiring hegemony and to prevent the deterrence that comes from Mutual Assured Destruction (appropriately called MAD) rather than to forestall any existential threat. All the bluster about Iran posing an “existential threat” to Israel or that Iran should never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon hides the fact that such a weapon, were Iran ever to develop it, would be meant primarily as a deterrent and not intended in any way to attack or obliterate Israel as Netanyahu would have us believe. The United States has no legitimate reason to attack or to harm Iran. The US is still engaging in a foreign policy of revenge for the fall of the Shah and the taking of US hostages 46 years ago! US sanctions must end. The US policy of regime change, because Iran is a theocracy and violates human rights, would mean that Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and all other countries in the region should also be targets. In fact, Iran and the US have many similar national interests in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Israel is a dominant military power and does not need nor deserve US military support to protect it from its enemies. Every US President, for all their unquestioning support of Israel, has resisted constant Israeli pleas for the US to attack Iran. It is certainly not in America’s interest to do so now. Joining the fight against Iran only benefits Israel at the expense of American interests, as well as American lives. Whatever the arguments in favor of Israel attacking Iran or seeking to weaken it, we need to say that war is never a good option. It is an evil thing that must be avoided at all costs. Even those who are not pacifists and who believe in a “just war theory” must admit that the criteria and conditions for a just war do not exist here, that all diplomatic efforts must be exhausted first, and, even then, war needs to be purely defensive and the lesser of two evils. A lot of lies will need to be promulgated (as during the Iraq war) to justify a US attack on Iran. The recent forays of America in the area, from Afghanistan to Iraq and Libya should have taught us this lesson. My own understanding of Christ’s teachings is that we cannot support war, in any case, regardless of which side may be right or wrong. We must particularly resist the temptation to be sucked into supporting or glorifying the attacks and the destruction by either side. We grieve over every life lost and challenge the billions being spent on weapons, which we hope will never be used but which are now being used daily. Weapons, wars and violence can never buy us security. Limited resources must be employed to improve the lives of many, to battle poverty and homelessness, to support those mental health issues, and to promote health and education rather than being squandered on the military. In the meantime, the horrors of Gaza continue, the genocide is ongoing, and God’s children are being starved and slaughtered. I hope you will consider joining me and over 700 others who are fasting with Veterans for Peace and their Allies in fasting for Gaza and calling on the US government to make peace, not war with Palestinians and with Iran. |
