Nothing.

Editor,

The answer to your questions is that Israel is a belligerent expansionist power with no intention whatsoever of settling its conflict with the Palestinians in any way other than by driving them into the sea.

Without the U.S.A. enabling their every crime, Israel would be nothing.

Now it is time for American policy makers to ask whether continuing to be the only consequential power on this planet that condones and facilitates Israeli violence against unarmed civilians is in the interest of or undermines the security of our nation.

Israel boasts a core constituency of angry, vociferous supporters here in the United States, and even the NYT is reluctant to admit what a pariah Israel has become. But we have a lot of other fringe elements in our society, from white supremacists to Christian militias, and somehow we are able not to hand policy-making over to these groups.

Die-hard supporters of Israel manipulate the conversation by casting any opposition to the brutality and violence of the Israeli state as antisemitic. There is no debate, only shouting, blaming the victims of Israeli violence, and cunning excuses for stealing every bit of Palestine and dispossessing every Palestinian person.

Re: "Israel and the Blockade" (6/2/2010)