A proposed New Year’s Resolution: in 2015, let’s not punish the Palestinians for joining the International Criminal Court.
No doubt some members of Congress – presumably, the ones who aren’t busy resigning for felony tax evasion or defending themselves for schmoozing with white supremacists – will try to gin up an outrage festival and demand sanctions on the Palestinians for exercising their rights.
“Ring out the old, bring in the new.” Let’s ignore these voices. Let’s see if we can find 10 conscientious members of Congress who are willing to say, “Actually, the Palestinians have the right to do this if they want, and they shouldn’t be punished for signing up for the rule of law.”
It’s kind of funny, in a not ha-ha way, how twisted the public discourse in the United States is, that we even have to defend the proposition that the Palestinians should join the ICC if they want.
But we do.
Exhibit A: this New York Times editorial, slamming Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for applying for Palestine to join the ICC.
The “liberal” New York Times editors concede that “prospects for a two-state solution grow dimmer by the day, with . . . the Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, steadily expanding settlements, making the creation of a viable Palestinian state harder,” and that “in joining the International Criminal Court . . . the Palestinians could bring charges against Israeli officials for cases against their settlement activities.” But then – in complete contradiction to that which they just conceded – they claim that “Abbas’ actions will almost certainly make the situation worse, setting back the cause of statehood even farther.”
Sadly, like still-too-many American liberals, the New York Times editors claim to oppose Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank, but object far more strenuously to anyone actually trying to do anything concrete to stop it.
Is it any wonder that “prospects for a two-state solution grow dimmer by the day,” when the purported tribunes of American liberalism oppose any practical and concrete measure to try to save it?
Fortunately, in 2015, we don’t need to rely on the “liberal” New York Times to defend the basic principles of decency and fair play. We can do it ourselves. You can write to Congress and the president here.
Truthout Is Preparing to Meet Trump’s Agenda With Resistance at Every Turn
Dear Truthout Community,
If you feel rage, despondency, confusion and deep fear today, you are not alone. We’re feeling it too. We are heartsick. Facing down Trump’s fascist agenda, we are desperately worried about the most vulnerable people among us, including our loved ones and everyone in the Truthout community, and our minds are racing a million miles a minute to try to map out all that needs to be done.
We must give ourselves space to grieve and feel our fear, feel our rage, and keep in the forefront of our mind the stark truth that millions of real human lives are on the line. And simultaneously, we’ve got to get to work, take stock of our resources, and prepare to throw ourselves full force into the movement.
Journalism is a linchpin of that movement. Even as we are reeling, we’re summoning up all the energy we can to face down what’s coming, because we know that one of the sharpest weapons against fascism is publishing the truth.
There are many terrifying planks to the Trump agenda, and we plan to devote ourselves to reporting thoroughly on each one and, crucially, covering the movements resisting them. We also recognize that Trump is a dire threat to journalism itself, and that we must take this seriously from the outset.
After the election, the four of us sat down to have some hard but necessary conversations about Truthout under a Trump presidency. How would we defend our publication from an avalanche of far right lawsuits that seek to bankrupt us? How would we keep our reporters safe if they need to cover outbreaks of political violence, or if they are targeted by authorities? How will we urgently produce the practical analysis, tools and movement coverage that you need right now — breaking through our normal routines to meet a terrifying moment in ways that best serve you?
It will be a tough, scary four years to produce social justice-driven journalism. We need to deliver news, strategy, liberatory ideas, tools and movement-sparking solutions with a force that we never have had to before. And at the same time, we desperately need to protect our ability to do so.
We know this is such a painful moment and donations may understandably be the last thing on your mind. But we must ask for your support, which is needed in a new and urgent way.
We promise we will kick into an even higher gear to give you truthful news that cuts against the disinformation and vitriol and hate and violence. We promise to publish analyses that will serve the needs of the movements we all rely on to survive the next four years, and even build for the future. We promise to be responsive, to recognize you as members of our community with a vital stake and voice in this work.
Please dig deep if you can, but a donation of any amount will be a truly meaningful and tangible action in this cataclysmic historical moment. We’re presently working to find 1500 new monthly donors to Truthout before the end of the year.
We’re with you. Let’s do all we can to move forward together.
With love, rage, and solidarity,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy