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America in the Middle East

A speech we?d have liked to hear


By Stan Goodenough
January 28, 2005

On January 24, 2005, for the first time in its history, the United Nations convened in a special session to memorialize the victims of the Holocaust. The occasion marked the 60th anniversary of the Allies’ liberation of the Jews who survived in Auschwitz. Those who spoke included UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, and US Congressman Tom Lantos.

No doubt for reasons of etiquette set according to the rank of the national officials in attendance (mostly foreign ministers) US President George W. Bush was not present. It is a pity. As the head of the nation that played a major role in the war to end the Holocaust, we would have liked to see him there. And given the purpose of the event — which provided nations with a public platform from which to reaffirm their oath to never again allow another Holocaust to take place, we would have liked to hear him make a speech along the following lines:

“Today, as we gather to commemorate the liberation of Auschwitz and the other Nazi death camps, and as we consider the high price paid by those imprisoned in the camps, and by those who laid down their lives to liberate them, that perennial, unavoidable question confronts us once again:

“How could it happen? How could something of such horrendous magnitude occur in the heart of the enlightened world? How could civilized, Christianized nations either participate in such a thing, or permit it to take place?

“It is a question we are duty bound to answer if we are truly to prevent it from happening again. But even as we stand here grappling with its dimensions and ramifications, the answer is staring us right in the face. For there are nations in our 21st century world, many of whom are represented in this United Nations, who applaud what Nazi Germany did to Europe’s Jews, and who see themselves as Hitler’s heirs — destined to complete the final solution that he began.

“This gathering, this commemoration, will prove to be a farce, an empty gesture that will make no enduring impact on the world, and will do nothing to prevent another act of genocide against the Jews, unless we are finally prepared to acknowledge this truth.

“The time for emotion-laden speeches and dramatic declarations is past. Verbal commitments couched in painfully poignant phrases fade into meaninglessness against the realities that surround us.

“For the United States of America, when we today vow that never again will we allow another Holocaust of the Jews, our actions will solidly back up these words.

“The United States of America is no longer prepared to participate in policies that could in any way constitute, or contribute to, an existential danger to the State of Israel.

“Aware of the growing threat Israel faces from the nations all around it, and recognizing that the land-for-peace process has perilously weakened the Jewish state in the face of this mushrooming regional hatred — the United States is making a major shift in its foreign policy in the Middle East, with immediate effect.

“As of today, the United States of America supports Israel’s right to retain, and make permanent, its administration of all territory it took control of in 1967, with the exception of the lands which were returned to Egypt under the 1977 Camp David Agreement.

“Our position going forward is that the land known recently as occupied territories, but which for previous millennia were regarded as the heartland of Israel, is indeed Israel’s territory. The Israeli government has the right, if it so chooses, to extend its full and permanent sovereignty over those parts of the land, annexing them to the Jewish state.

“We will fully support such a move.

“Deeply concerned about the statelessness of the Palestinian Arab refugees, and sincerely seeking to bring an end to their suffering, the United States commits itself to helping relocate, house and settle these people in Arab states of their choosing.

“We invite the Arab world to co-sponsor and co-operate with us in this resettlement effort, confident that, with the resources jointly at our disposal, this decades-old blight on the conscience of mankind can finally be removed.

“The Arab nation is a great and proud nation with a rich history stretching over hundreds of years. It has been blessed with lands and natural resources in abundance. With their numerous states, the Arabs have more territory than we do in the United States. The oil lakes beneath those lands make them some of the wealthiest countries in the world.

“Israel, a small nation in a tiny land — a land that can fit 52 times into my home state of Texas — has repeatedly proven its willingness to take risks for peace — risks no nation that has barely survived should ever be asked to take.

“It is time for the Arab states to take the risks.

“Let us be clear in our reasoning, firm in our resolve. The Jewish people have endured more hatred and persecution than any other nation in history. Just a few years ago, a massive effort to annihilate them came perilously close to success. In 1947, those who survived the Holocaust were granted the right to establish a Jewish homeland in the land they had always loved and called their own.

“But while the State of Israel was meant to be a refuge, a haven for the remnant of that once great nation — its establishment promising the Jews a home in which they could finally live free from fear — from that day to this, the people of Israel have known no respite from those who remain determined to wipe them out.

“My predecessors and I have genuinely wanted peace and prosperity for all the peoples of the Middle East. The United States has spent billions of dollars and an enormous amount of political capital to help bring the parties together in a peaceful agreement that would give generations of future Jews and Arabs the chance to live out their lives in peace.

“But for too long, as we held out one hand of support and assistance to Israel, our other hand has been strengthening those meaning to destroy her.

“In our efforts to be an honest broker, we have tried to relate equally to both aggressor and victim.

“In fact we have been dishonest, because while we have effectively pushed the Israeli side to repeatedly compromise, to relinquish millennia-old claims to the cherished cradle of its nationhood, and to “take risks for peace,” the Arab side has never risked its security or been prepared to surrender any of its claims.

“We are here today to say:No more. Never again will we stand by as those who hate the Jews muster to destroy them. Truly we will never again allow another holocaust to take place; we will work actively and tirelessly to ensure it does not.

“To the people of Israel we say:The United States has always been your ally and your friend. We admit, however, that we have not always been loyal. Too often we have placed our own perceived needs and priorities above the security of your state and your people, leading you to pay a painful price for our sakes. Forgive us. We did not see what we were doing. From today we pledge to stand with you; not only side by side against your enemies, but between you and them.

“To any state that would seek to inflict pain and death upon the people of Israel we say:From the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, the small Land of Israel belongs to the Nation of Israel, and to them alone. We will defend Israel’s right to that land. From now on, anyone aiming to hurt Israel will have to go through us. For whoever touches Israel touches the nation that gave us our faith — the apple of our God’s eye.

“As a nation, Israel, the United States wants to serve you and to stand with you. For in your miraculous preservation through the ages, and your glorious return to your homeland, we can see that God is with you. We want to enjoy His blessings as we seek to bless you.

“We are not doing this because it is easy. We are not doing this because we think it might help. We are doing this because it is the right thing to do, the only right thing to do.

“God bless America. God bless Israel.”

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