Kerry Pledges to Implement Bush’s Middle East Agenda
As
the U.S.
presidential election draws closer, the Democrats are having a harder time than
usual differentiating themselves from the Republicans, U.S.
pollsters report.This is certainly the
case with foreign policy, where Democratic nominee John Kerry has proposed an
agenda many pundits have dubbed “Bush-lite” – the same policies of pre-emptive
military strikes, escalating intervention in so-called rogue states or failed
states and occupation.Kerry, however,
promises to do all of these things with more support from American allies
around the globe and with the sanction of the United Nations.
On
Israel,
Kerry has gone to great lengths to state that his policies would go just as far
as Bush in negating the right of the Palestinian people to national
self-determination than George W.Bush.He has his brother, a convert to Judaism,
campaigning on his behalf to explain Kerry’s heartfelt commitment to Israel and
unwavering support of Israeli policy.
In
an article that appeared in the August 27 issue of The
Forward, the largest Jewish newspaper in the U.S.,
Kerry writes that neither America
nor Israelare secure while “Israel,
the one true democracy in the region, remains the victim of an unrelenting
campaign of terror.”Besides pledging to
combat anti-Semitism and anti-Israeli sentiment (which he refers to as if they
are one and the same), he defends Israel’s construction of a separation wall,
one which cuts into the Occupied Territories. He writes:“I believe that we must stand with Israel,
supporting our ally's right to build a security fence and to allow its own
Supreme Court -not the International Court of Justice - to address the issue of
the route of the fence. The fence has proven its value as an anti-terror
measure.” This echoes comments he made in July, when the International Court of
Justice (ICJ) ruled Israel’s construction of the fence through parts of the
Occupied Territories was in violation of international law.
Kerry’s
claim that the Israeli Supreme Court has jurisdiction over the West
Bank and Gaza
is absurd. Under international covenants adopted since the end of the Second
World War, including the Geneva Convention, international courts have complete
jurisdiction over issues affecting people living under occupation.In fact, one of the reasons for the
establishment of the ICJ in 1946 was to ensure that member states of the United
Nations respected international law in their dealings with other states and
with people living in colonies or under occupation.
Since
its creation almost 60 years ago, the ICJ has delivered only 79 judgments on
disputes ranging from land and maritime boundary disputes and questions of
territorial sovereignty to the non-use of force and the non-interference in the
internal affairs of states.The ICJ has
also delivered judgments on diplomatic relations, hostage taking, the right of
asylum, nationality, guardianship, rights of passage and economic rights.
In
the same article, Kerry also declares there must be new Palestinian leadership
in order for there to be peace in the region.“… new Palestinian leadership is required, as Yasser Arafat has proven
himself not to be a partner for peace. As president, I will work with the
Palestinian community to empower new, responsible Palestinian leadership
committed to a permanent end to terror and the promotion of democracy. I will
ensure that allies are united in this effort, not working at cross-purposes by
propping up a failed Palestinian power structure.”
This
statement is an assertion that the Palestinian people do not have the right to
choose their own leadership or their own system of governance. Essentially, his
comments represent a negation of Palestinian sovereignty, and are a carbon copy
of the current Bush administration’s policies.