On Wednesday, the Israeli military invaded the Palestinian city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, killing at least 11 Palestinians and injuring scores more.
But it was the deadly occupation by another military power that consumed much of the West and its media’s attention. Just as Israel was once again raiding Palestinian territories, President Joe Biden was returning from a secretive trip to Ukraine celebrating and honoring the country’s heroic resistance to Russia’s yearlong war and even longer illegal occupation.
As we reflect on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s deadly invasion of Ukraine, we should be encouraged by an example of the U.S. standing up to an occupier, pledging support and honoring those on both sides of the battle who have paid the ultimate price in the course of a devastating conflict.
When the American ally is Israel, the U.S. is funding and protecting the occupier.
But the contrast of international response to Ukraine versus the occupied territories in the West Bank proves once again that in the eyes of the West, and specifically America, not all illegal occupations and military invasions are the same. In Ukraine, resisting occupation is celebrated and its struggle is heralded as a fight for freedom. Western governments have shown they are prepared to send billions in aid, heavy weapons, tanks and sophisticated weaponry to repel and defeat Russia’s aggression.
But when the American ally is Israel, the U.S. is funding and protecting the occupier, equipping it with sophisticated weaponry and billions of dollars in U.S. taxpayer money to maintain its brutal and oppressive control of Palestinians.
When Russia annexes Ukrainian territory, the U.S. and the West rightfully condemn it and mobilize international fora to reject such moves. When Israel moves to expand and build Jewish outposts on occupied Palestinian lands, the U.S. blocks international efforts to hold Israel accountable.
This week, the United Arab Emirates initially…
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