USA: Defund Israel, compensate black American descendants of slaves

By Richard Sudan

Richard Sudan is a journalist, writer, and TV reporter for Press TV.

The United States has a serious problem with racism and mixed up priorities.

The entire world has witnessed the carnage, which took place in Palestine in recent weeks as a result of Israel’s latest round of violence inflicted on the Palestinian people, by Israel which has one of the most sophisticated armed forces on the planet. Israel illegally occupies Palestine and is described by leading human rights organizations as apartheid and racism.

And yet, for all of Washington’s talk of human rights on the grand stage, the ongoing slaughter of Palestinians would not be possible, were it not for the ongoing financial backing of the United States.

Running into billions of dollars each year, the US funds Israel to the equivalent of approximately 10 million dollars every single day. Whatever words are spoken by whichever President happens to be sitting in the White House, the relationship between the United States and Israel remains as strong as ever, with Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine and continued land theft continuing year after year, despite growing condemnation of the brutality and global protests around the world, gaining ever more momentum.

And yet, while the United States continues to unflinchingly support racism in Palestine, it is also failing to make good on correcting and eradicating racism within its own borders.

President Joe Biden recently pledged to tackle systemic racism, as all eyes were focused on the verdict of Derek Chauvin, who was found guilty of murdering George Floyd.

But frankly, many feel he could be using the power he currently enjoys, with the influence he has to a much greater extent, if he chose to.

The historic injustices, and their impact on the modern condition faced by Black Americans, especially those descended from captive Africans, and in particular around policing, demands urgent attention.

Many point to the rhetoric offered by Biden, committing to fighting racism, and also the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act as evidence of great strides having been made in tackling anti-Black racism in the United States.

Critics however, argue that given Biden’s role in authoring the 94’ crime bill, which devastated Black communities, rhetoric is no substitute for greater action. And he of all people has a special responsibility to utilize his bully pulpit to greater effect.

Many also are adamant, that the George Floyd policing bill, while seeming good on the face of it, will do nothing to tackle out deep-rooted white supremacism corrupting police forces across the US, evidenced in numerous reports, and that new laws will not incentivize those officers who might be members of extremist groups from desisting carrying out lethal actions.

In addition, while the verdict on Derek Chauvin is a positive first step, unless it does indeed set a precedent moving forward, with more officers jailed with just sentences, police officers, and white supremacists within their ranks will continue to abuse the law with impunity.

And of course, in the backdrop of all of this, there are the ongoing demands for Black Americans, descended from captive Africans to receive reparations owed to them, in the same way other groups have been compensated for historic injustices.

The discussions around reparations were especially popular around election time, in November last year. Joe Biden made headlines for promising to meet with rapper Ice Cube, to discuss reparations and restorative justice. The meeting apparently never took place, and cynics are suggesting that all the political grandstanding about reparations, was simply an electioneering ploy.

While there is a bill on the table about the possibility of studying and looking into reparations for Black Americans, first tabled in the 1980s, many sceptics are doubtful that it will ever become law.

So, while the calls for reparations continue to move at a snail's pace, and even as human rights experts argue that anti-Black policing in the US constitutes a crime against humanity, the situation remains the same.

The United States speaks about equality and human rights, while it continues to prop up the brutal system of apartheid in Palestine.

The US also talks about human rights in other countries, while at the same time bypassing opportunities to radically transform the state of anti-Black racism in the United States, in the face of huge outcry, not just from within the US itself, but from millions who sympathize around the world.

The debt that the United States government owes to Black American descendants of slaves would arguably be a huge sum. But surely, if the US has the same political will to send billions to Israel, then there is no reason why it cannot make good on its word and begin to rectify horrendous anti-Black racism at home.

(The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Press TV.)

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