The America that Israel and Palestine need

Of course, I was also aware of the US system’s failings, and in particular the perpetuation of racism and inequality.

For many generations of Arab youth, mine included, studying and working in the United States was a coveted opportunity to experience freedoms, possibilities, and the sense of egalitarianism that the American way of life embodied. It was a doubly enriching experience for those of us raised in authoritarian or conservative societies. It was thrilling to be able to think and act independently, without societal pressure. I was excited to take home some of the lessons I learned from a functioning democracy, not least the vital role of freedom of expression, the importance of civil society, and the exceptional benefits of empowering people.

Of course, I was also aware of the US system’s failings, and in particular the perpetuation of racism and inequality. I remember the Jim Crow laws enforcing racial segregation in the former Confederate states, and the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., who articulated African-Americans’ dreams of equality and human decency. But I was hopeful that America’s democratic system had the tools it needs for self-correction. I remain so, based on the major transformations in values, laws, and mindsets that I witnessed.

What shocked me most was how the US, a country that prides itself on its love for freedom and justice, could all too often pursue a hegemonic and repressive foreign policy, from its appalling wars in Vietnam and Iraq to its support of ruthless dictators. Regardless of its cause, the disconnect between America’s self-image and its foreign policy fuelled a confused perception of the country in the Arab world and elsewhere. While many young Arabs wanted to become US citizens, almost all of them loathed the US foreign policy.

Arabs and Muslims saw the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as Exhibit A in the case against America. They found it difficult to grasp why a sense of empathy for the Jewish people — which was fully justified, given the horrible atrocities committed against them — should somehow translate into injustice against the Palestinians. This US bias in favour of Israel has become, over time, a matter of consensus in American politics; for many lawmakers, support for Israel is synonymous with the fight against anti-Semitism.

Even more dangerous was the conflict’s religious dimension, which added to a creeping schism between the Muslim and Western worlds. Relations soured further as a result of US-led wars in the Middle East, and hit rock bottom with President Donald Trump’s Muslim travel ban and his “Deal of the Century” to secure peace in the region — an offering to the Palestinians that deepened mistrust by being far worse than any that had come before.

The latest outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian violence again brought to the surface the deep-seated sense of humiliation and rage harboured not only by Palestinians in the occupied territories, but also among Israeli Arabs and across the Arab and Muslim world. For the first time in a long time, there was an overwhelming popular support around the world — especially among young people — for Palestinian rights.

It was widely hoped that US President Joe Biden’s administration would make the promotion of democracy and human rights central to its foreign policy. But this hope quickly dissipated when the US government simply repeated the familiar mantra that “Israel has the right to defend itself” without mentioning the elephant in the room: Israel’s crawling expansion of settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, its policy of discrimination, and its denial of the Palestinians’ right to an independent state.

On a personal level, this was profoundly disheartening. Over five decades, I have seen how the US approach to upholding Palestinians’ rights has become almost apologetic. Today, I contemplate in disbelief how the Jewish people, who suffered so much for so long, are capable of inflicting on another people some of the same atrocities previously committed against them.