I’ve been reading an ElectronicIntifada newsletter again. They’re usually depressing and accumulate unread in my inbox... The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) “calls upon Israel not to plan, construct or maintain this Barrier within occupied territory.” ¹ ... a longer story of a visit to Rafah and the numerous small problems you have to fight if you actually want to get into the occupied territories, the squalor, the poverty, waiting in the dark for two ours at a checkpoint, afraid of being shot if you get out, reduced to hollering ² ...
One more interesting note, however, shows by what means the US put pressure on the rest of the world. This is based on Bush’s 2005 Budget ³:
Another interesting budget item related to Israel is the following explicit note that US’s funds that are to be contributed to the International Red Cross will only be made available if the Secretary of State determines that the Magen David Adom Society of Israel, an Israeli relief agency that is equivalent to the American Red Cross, be admitted as a full member to the Red Cross. The budget states, “That funds appropriated under this heading may be made available for a headquarters contribution to the International Committee of the Red Cross only if the Secretary of State determines (and so reports to the appropriate committees of Congress) that the Magen David Adom Society of Israel is not being denied participation in the activities of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.” Regardless of the strange reasons why the Magen David Adom Society of Israel has not yet been admitted to the Red Cross as a full member, I find it appalling that US support for the entire Red Cross worldwide is being held hostage due to an individual country dispute. If the Red Cross, or any other international agency for that matter, is truly independent, then it is they, and they alone, that should decide how to operate, without the US using its superpower contributions as political leverage.
And it goes on and on: “None of the funds ... may be used ... to provide equipment, technical support, consulting services, or any other form of assistance to the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation.” I can’t really read through all of it. What little I read was sad enough.
I wonder what US citizens can do to influence the budget.
Just to be clear, I don’t really believe that the Democrats will be any better than the Republicans in cleaning up this mess, nor will they work hard to end the 36+ years of Israeli military occupation...
#Israel