US must change its policy towards Palestine

Since 1947, the US has been pursuing a policy of unilaterally supporting Israel in expanding its settlements in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem, triggering the displacement of Palestinians and thwarting their right to live in a sovereign state. The latest example of this blinkered policy occurred when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his delegation were blocked by the US from attending the UN General Assembly session in New York this month, with the US blaming them for undermining peace efforts and seeking unilateral recognition of a prospective Palestinian state. The ban came just as France was leading international efforts to recognise a Palestinian state at the upcoming UN session.

Supported by the US, Israel has consistently rejected the idea of a two-state solution - the long-standing international formula to resolve the decades-old Israel-Palestinian conflict. This solution envisages the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

While US foreign policy repeatedly asserts that it supports and promotes democracy, human rights, and the sovereignty of states worldwide, its stance on the establishment of a Palestinian state has frustrated the entire Muslim world. There is an urgent need for a change in the US policy towards the Middle East crisis, particularly regarding Palestine.

The call for this change is gaining momentum even within the US, with people demanding a reconsideration of its future relations with Israel, while the right-wing Israeli government continues committing atrocities in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, defying global calls to halt the violence. If the current US policy persists, it is likely to negatively impact its relations with the rest of the world.

Abu Taher

Kawran Bazar, Dhaka

abutaher011@gmail.com