American Exploitation

It’s puzzling when dealing with the fabrications of American politicians concerning Palestine’s people and history, while candidates for the White House and Congress vie to show their dedication and allegiance to the Zionist state. The fact that only Israel is treated as a domestic issue indicates that the main Arab-Palestinian problem is not with the aggressor and occupier, but with and because of the ever-biased U.S. government and Congress.

Another puzzling instance includes the announcement by one of the Republican candidates, Newt Gingrich, concerning the Palestinian people, whom he claimed were invented or fabricated. No one has dared say this since Golda Meir at the end of the 1960s. Gingrich, who leads the rivals for the GOP nomination so far, has not lived up to the expectations of the American press, even those biased toward Israel. The Washington Post described his words as irresponsible and as an impediment to the already frozen peace process. Even Mitt Romney, who is second in the polls, criticized Gingrich’s speech and claimed it was contrary to American foreign policy and to the position of the two major parties for decades when it comes to the Middle East.

The biggest problem relates to the politicians’ need to show their loyalty to Israel in order to obtain the Jewish vote, especially in New York and Florida. This need knows no boundaries and exceeds the positions of the Jews themselves in most cases. The American Arab voice is lost in America and has not succeeded so far in creating a strong lobby remotely comparable to the Zionist lobby.

As long as America remains a superpower and the most influential factor in the Middle East, the keys to American policy remain under the exploitative politicians who are ready to topple America’s major influences in order to please the powerful Jewish minority in the decision-making process in Washington. This game is not understood by Arabs who have been overlooked dozens of times for the interests of Israel. Of course, there are religious and ideological motivations behind the generous support for Israel and the race to satisfy the power centers represented in the U.S. capital.

Gingrich, who describes himself as a student of history and as a person well-versed in the dangers posed to America, is no stranger to public opinion and the press. When he was speaker of the house in the 1990s, he tried to promote what he called the “Contract with America,” but his rigid ideas and continual defiance of President Clinton contributed to his failure and bitter defeat. The man disappeared from the political scene, was chased by infidelity scandals and suspiciously received millions of dollars by quasi-governmental institutions in return for advice.

He is now the front-runner because the Republican party is unable to find a strong candidate to confront Barack Obama in the upcoming presidential election. When it comes to continuing in the race and his ability to defeat the president, there are questions about Gingrich’s angry and reckless reputation.

We are not interested in the success or failure of Gingrich so much as we would like to say something about people who refute the Arab position and raise a political storm in the United States. The candidates have always underestimated the Arabs, their attitudes, and the bigger interests of the United States in the region. We need a unified Arab stance condemning Gingrich’s comments to inform the American public of its seriousness. We are not in conflict with Israel, but with America who exploits and underestimates us and our history.