American Hummus

by Asa Winstanley

This Israeli government propaganda broadcast (the Israeli Broadcasting Authority interviewing Miri Eisen, a government spokesperson), from July 17 is quite revealing for a couple of reasons.

Firstly regarding “moderate Arab countries”. This phrase is often used in the Western media, and by Western politicians, but what does it actually mean? This broadcast is a good example of how “moderate” is in fact a codeword for “subservient to our interests”. What is Eisen’s example of a “moderate Arab country”? Saudi Arabia! A country with an absolute monarchy, of fundamentalist religious character which tortures prisoners, forces couples to divorce, silences internal dissent and executes children and women is characterised as “moderate”. Why? One can only assume it has something to do with the fact that the regime is a loyal ally of to Western policy, propped-up by the British and US governments.

Secondly, and more subtly, the mention of “removing illegal outposts” as part of a political agreement with “the Palestinians”, presumably Abbas and his unelected PA cabinet. “Illegal outposts” refers to settlements established in the West Bank which have not been officially approved by the Israeli government (and hence illegal even under Israeli law). What Eisen fails to mention is that the vast majority of settlements are large, built-up, government-funded affairs. The population of the “outposts” consists of a small — but vocal — minority of Jewish religious fundamentalists. It is noteworthy that despite their illegal status under Israeli law, even these outposts are protected by the Israeli military (the settlers themselves are of course armed too). International law, on the other hand, makes no distinction between “outposts” and other settlements. The Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits the occupying power to transfer citizens from its own territory to the occupied territory (Article 49).