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In recent weeks, as Israeli colonial forces escalated the brutal violence against the occupied Palestinians in East Jerusalem, many expected a sharp backlash from the new Biden administration.
But that didn’t come. Instead, we heard again that the U.S. State Department is “very concerned” about “unilateral steps that increase tensions” and that Israeli and Palestinian officials must “act decisively to increase tensions”.
Some Palestinians also expected more from “progressive” members of the U.S. legislature. But they also covered the words with euphemisms. Representative André Carson said he was “terrified of Israel’s efforts to forcibly expel Palestinians from their homes.” Representative Marie Newman called on the State Department to “immediately condemn these violations of international law.” Representative Mark Pocan wrote the letter along with others, expressing “intense concern about Israel’s immediate plan to expel nearly 2,000 Palestinians by force.”
And for his part, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the actions of the Israeli army are “inhumane” and that “the United States must show greater leadership in safeguarding the rights of the Palestinians.” A few months ago, in an interview with Rabbi Michael Miller, head of the New York Jewish Community Relations Council, the “progressive” congressman also spoke of “valuing a process that respects all parties” and building a “path to peace”. .
Not all of these statements significantly highlight words that objectively assess the Palestinian situation, such as “occupation,” “apartheid,” “colonial-colonialism,” and “ethnic cleansing.”
It is disappointing, though not at all surprising, that American politicians choose to use a language that blurs the reality of Israeli occupation on Palestinian soil. However, the problem is not what they say, but what they feel compelled to say.
This is a language that the powerful Israeli lobby in the U.S. has long established and designed to whitewash the Palestinian reality, presenting Israeli apartheid and colonialism as a “conflict resolution and mediation” problem. Focusing on “peace” as a negotiation between the two sides engaged in a “conflict,” this rhetoric hides the power imbalance between the occupier and the occupiers, and the Palestinians demand justice for Israeli colonization and crimes.
The fact that American politicians across the spectrum feel compelled to use this language reflects not only the significant impact that the Israeli Lobby has on the U.S., but also the structural racism of U.S. society and government. In other words, the hesitation to show support for the Palestinian cause also lies in its inability to truly recognize the white supremacy, racial hierarchies, and socioeconomic discrimination that American politics strengthens and protects on American soil.
American politics cannot truly embrace the values of justice, responsibility, and equality — which are part of the Palestinian and other progressive struggles — because it is designed to nurture white privileges. And in that, the USA is very similar to Israel: in both countries, your rights and choices are inevitably decided based on your race or ethnicity.
Challenging this hegemonic language means confronting the entire political system and its power structures. And it’s a dangerous proposal for a member of Congress.
We must recognize that although some members of Congress have progressive views, they choose to serve their communities first, where they focus their energy on the internal affairs of America. Statements made by Israel that their party organization considers “problematic” could close many doors and prevent them from fulfilling their obligations to communities. It can also mean the loss of the chosen position.
Just look at the reaction from Human Rights Watch in New York to the publication of a report last month on the oppression of Palestinian Israelis – apartheid. The American Jewish Committee called it the “limit of anti-Semitism,” while the International Legal Forum called it “anti-Semitic” “blood libel”. American politicians fear such attacks.
Their satisfaction is disappointing, but it is a reflection of the political reality in the US.
But while we condemn such obscure rhetoric from American politicians, we should also reflect on our perceptions and expectations as Palestinians. Why do we continue to cling to the hope of hearing something different from American politics after these harsh U.S. foreign policies in favor of Israel? Why is the US still so important to us?
The fact that Palestinian politicians care so much about what American politicians and other figures say about Palestine shows that they still see the U.S. as a legitimate mediator for peace, which has repeatedly proved that it is not. The US often holds on to broken old promises.
The Oslo Accords – the unfortunate “success” of U.S. diplomacy – were not feasible from the outset because the treaties were written in the American political language, that is, in the language of racial hierarchies, not in justice. However, Palestinian politicians remain faithful to these tragic agreements, as they have only further strengthened Palestinian expropriation and strengthened Israel’s military occupation. More than that, the agreements also tarnished our political language, which, like the US, is used to obscure the reality of Palestinian oppression. It is used to cover up the despotism of Fatah and Hamas, which puts the maintenance of their regimes above the interest of the Palestinian people.
Changes in the political language of the US and Palestine can only come about through a lasting challenge to the status quo. And that will inevitably lead to ups and downs. Perhaps this is the moment we live in today, where Palestinian Palestinians are taking to the streets in East Jerusalem, but also in the West Bank and Gaza to confront the Israeli occupation, which will bring about change.
For those who join the Palestinian cause in the US and elsewhere, given what has happened in Jerusalem, it is important to understand that this is not a “proclamation” for “human rights” and “peace”; this is a firm struggle for justice and dignity. It is also important for them to understand that Palestine does not fit into the inappropriate language of American or Western politics. The only way to talk about what is happening in Sheikh Jarrah, the Al-Aqsa complex, the Damascus Gate and other places occupied in Palestine is the language of the expropriated themselves and the struggle against apartheid, colonization, occupation and ethnic cleansing.
Focusing on the Palestinians and choosing justice as a frame of reference is the only way to talk about what is happening. And we need more than talk, we need action. Helping people to get up and running, to deal with the status quo, and to help bring about change in their communities and other places.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the attitude of the Al Jazeera editorial.
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