Manifest Destiny in the Mid East
By Ben Howard-McKinney
How long did it take for the U.S., on the whole, to realize it was wrong to rob and kill the Native Americans who rightfully owned this land? About 200 years. And we're not talking about a little wrongdoing, a footnote of history, we're talking MASS genocide the likes of which have never been seen in history. An entire race all but wiped out.
And it still took nearly 200 years to admit that it was wrong. Europeans marched in here and took whatever they could, they signed treaties with the natives only to break them a few years later, they used superior weapons to destroy forces that outnumbered them, they exploited the real Americans, snatched up all the good land and left the natives mere scraps, living in poverty.
Why did it take so long for one of the greatest injustices in the history of mankind to be fully acknowledged as such? And what does this tell us about ourselves? Is it possible to learn from history before it's too late? Apparently not, because the same pattern of European dominance, religious supremacism, racism and treaty-breaking is going on right now in what is now called Israel, and if it takes 200 years to realize the shame of America's methods, how long will it take to realize the shame of Israel's?
Israel used to be Palestine. Thousands of years ago, for a period of about 73 years, the reigns of two kings (David and Solomon), Israel was called Israel. It is the short-lived borders of this kingdom that modern day religious fanatics wish to reclaim as belonging solely to people of the Jewish faith. Palestine was exploited by these extremists, then taken by military force. The white settlers used their superior weapons successfully against a much larger population. The dark-skinned natives were forced off their land or killed with nazi-esque efficiency.
What were the founders of Israel and the new America thinking? They knew they wanted power, but forcing people out of their homes and killing them if they refuse to leave weighs a bit heavy on the soul. What they needed was propaganda, and propaganda they got.
In our newspapers we see many op-ed pieces filled with "reasons" why the Israeli government is justified in targeting civilians, destroying homes, and devastating social order. We hear Israel laughably referred to as the "only democracy in the Middle East," as if being a democracy entitles you to commit war crimes. We hear the dark-skinned Palestinian natives called "terrorists" while the white Israeli terrorists are just "defending" themselves. Similar words were used to describe the Native Americans who fought back against westward expansion. The white Israelis and the white Americans have an even more powerful propaganda tool, however, one that is beyond reason: religion.
In America it was called "Manifest Destiny" and the idea was simple: It's ok to displace and/or kill the native savages because God likes us better. God wants us to have this land for Him, and the misguided pagans will just have to deal with that.
In Israel, it is known as Zionism and the idea is almost identical: It's ok to displace and/or kill the native savages because God likes us better. God promised this land to us, and the misguided Muslims will just have to deal with that. Israel was founded on Zionism, it's a radical extremist theology of Jewish supremacism. Zionism remains a dominant force in Israel, still oppressing Arabs and driving more and more desperate Palestinians to Wahhabi-inspired theology, an equally dangerous religious movement, in a vicious circle of hate and fanaticism.
History is repeating itself. The racism, the treaty-breaking, the idea of Divine Right, the genocide, it's all happening again. This time we are here to stop it. We can hold the corrupt Israeli government accountable for their actions. As Americans, as Israel's only real ally, we are in a position to help stop the persecution. Let's try to learn from history this time before it's too late.
