The article “Israel out of US control” (Monday, Sept. 20 Daily 49er) by Zien Halwani contains many flaws in reasoning due to the author’s personal bias toward Israel.
The article proposes that Israel should be reprimanded or denied U.S. loans and grants due to its “violation [of] international law.” Yet, Zalwani conveniently ignores the fact that many other nations that the U.S. provides similar financial support to violate international law routinely.
Take for example the nation that gets almost as much in grants and loans as Israel, the Arab Republic of Egypt. Egypt’s treatment of Sudanese refugees is very similar to the way the author describes Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. The Sudanese are not recognized as citizens in Egypt, they are denied basic access to medical and educational resources, and they are constant victims of police and residential violence.
Had Zalwani not been as biased in his disliking of Israel, he would have pointed out that the U.S. has supported many less than reputable people in the Middle East and not just excluded Israel.
Like many anti-Israeli writers, though, Zalwani ignores the various Arab nations we support that violate International Law and makes Israel seem as if it gets a disproportionate amount of money compared to the Arab world. Israel gets $2.4 billion, while Egypt gets $1.7 billion and Pakistan and Jordan follow close behind.
This is not to say that I necessarily support Israel’s response to our criticism of its actions, but to claim that Israel “belittles” the U.S. with its actions as if it is the only nation to do so makes me question Zalwani’s true intent in writing this article.
I hope that he may soon look at the region objectively and not get swept up in the oftentimes-deceitful anti-Israeli rhetoric that lingers around this campus
Charles Davidson,
undeclared sophomore