The United States government is violating a group of US citizens' civil rights and it has to stop. They want to throw a whole ethnic group out of their homes, and restrict where they can or can't live. Sounds racist doesn't it? The White House, State Department and other agencies, right under the noses of us all, without a peep by us, are pursuing a deliberate policy of ethnic/religious "cleansing". They haven't started for real yet, but the plans are in the making. Who could possibly stand for this discriminatory behavior on the part of the American government against its own citizens in the year 2005? A class action suit demanding an injunction to stop these law-breaking plans needs to be filed in the courts.

No, I'm not talking about African-Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders or some small, exotic, unknown tribe from who knows where. I'm talking about a group estimated to encompass at least 8-30,000 people, whose members are known to all Americans. I'm talking about a group who's been persecuted and discriminated against throughout written history. It's a group who thought they found refuge in the US, and became good, law abiding citizens, only now to find themselves being treated differently than other American citizens. Their homes are in jeopardy, their livelihoods are threatened, and their way of life is under siege. We must demand that the US government cease and desist in this discriminatory behavior. We must demand that the government put an end to violating their civil rights and sue for redress in the courts.

I'm talking about discrimination against American Jews, who once again are being told where they may or may not live, this time by the American government.

In the darkest days of Czarist Russia, Jews were told where they couldn't live. They were restricted to the "Pale of Settlement", to the west of Moscow and Petersburg. Most European cities until modern times segregated Jews into "ghettos". Earlier in European history they were thrown out of county after country, in the most brutal way. Muslim society in North Africa and the Middle East was no better, introducing distinctive clothing (the equivalent of the Nazi's Yellow Star) by Islamic Dhimmi law, from the 7th century onward and restricting Jews to certain "quarters" of the city. And now in the 21st century, in the name of "Peace," Jews are being told that they will have to leave their homes or be forced out. Such a blatant violation of civil rights must be resisted by all Americans. Not to protect the Jews, but to protect themselves.

There exists in American law the concept of the "Right of Eminent Domain". Simply put, if a governmental body, whether federal, state or local wanted to build a highway through an existing neighborhood, and people would need to be moved out of their homes to accomplish that public good, the government has the right to force people to relocate. Of course there would be zoning committee meetings, a judicial process of appeal, and ultimately if decided to proceed with the building, the payment of compensation. But if only the white people, or only the black people, or only the purple people were told they must move...well you get the idea.

That's exactly what's taking place right now. It's not Puerto Ricans or Koreans being told, "You can't live there". It's not Women or Men being told, "You can't join our club". All civil rights violations I might add. But, only American Jews are being told - by the American government - that they will have to leave their communities, their homes, schools, business, and farms in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) and Gaza; American Arabs aren't being told that.

That's a civil rights violation, pure and simple.

You might say, that it will be the Israeli government that might expel people and not the American government, and that's partially true. But the American government with its involvement in the "Peace Process," through the Quartet (US, EU, UN and Russia), the Road Map, and it's support for the Sharon government's "disengagement" plan from Gaza and Northern Samaria, calling for the dismantling of "settlements" (i.e. Jewish cities, towns, and villages), and the transfer of Jews, including American Jews to another place, has been caught red handed, with its fingers in the cookie jar!

The American CIA is being used to monitor the implementation of the "Road Map". There is a "Special Operations Committee," whose main purpose is to see that "settlement" activity is "frozen" and "outposts" are "evacuated," i.e. expel Jews, including American Jews from their homes. When the former US Secretary of State, Collin Powell spoke at an American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference last year and blankly stated, "Settlement activity is simply inconsistent with President Bush's two-state vision," quoting Bush's statement that, "as progress is made toward peace, settlement activity in the Occupied Territories must end," the American government was annunciating it's illegal and discriminatory policy, and they've continued ever since.

Two different private "peace" initiatives have been circulating around as well...

The first, the Nusseibeh-Ayalon document, called "the People Vote" is a petition that Israeli Adm. and former head of the General Security Service (Israel's F.B.I.) Ami Ayalon and Palestinian professor Sari Nusseibeh have circulated. It calls on Israel to give up all the territory the Arabs lost in the 1967 Middle East war and turn the land over to the Palestinians for a state. It assumes that all the Jewish "settlers" will be ethnically cleansed from "Palestine".

When US Deputy Defense Secretary, Paul Wolfowitz, met with Ayalon and Nusseibeh, praising their efforts as, "a significant grass-roots movement," the American government was pursuing a policy that will lead to civil rights violations.

Then there was Powell's meeting with former Israeli Justice Minister Yossi Beilin and former Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo, after their PR inspired "Geneva Accord" signing ceremony was held in Switzerland last year. The "Geneva Accord" also came up with a plan for a Palestinian state on nearly all of the West Bank and Gaza, with most Jewish "settlers" being uprooted.

The then Secretary of State, Colin Powell, responded just before the signing ceremony held in Switzerland with an encouraging letter to Beilin and Rabbo. "Dear Yossi and Yasser," Powell wrote, "The US remains committed to the president's two-state vision and to the road map, but we also believe that projects such as yours are important in helping sustain an atmosphere of hope."

And now, the American government is again encouraging a process that will impact negatively on Jewish American citizens. They are continuing to carry out such a discriminatory policy, with their support for Sharon's "Gaza Expulsion Plan". Bush and company aren't calling on Arab Americans living in Gaza to leave, only working to force American Jews out. American officials need to be careful not to be discriminatory in their behavior.

You see, making plans, pursuing a policy, and calling for the expulsion of American Jews - and not - American Arabs or non-Jewish American citizens married to "Palestinian" Arabs from some area, whether its Hebron, Illinois, or Hebron on the West Bank, is a discriminatory policy, that violates the Jews' civil rights protections, and is patently illegal!

You might try to tell me, that civil rights protections are for what goes on inside the United States only. Well think through this one. Two American citizens who are living overseas, in Paris, Tahiti, or where ever; go to their local American Consulate or Embassy, requesting IRS tax forms, to update their passport, to register a birth of a child, or any other standard service. They request the identical service. The white guy gets processed quickly without any problems. The black guy is hassled. He's told to come back tomorrow, and that he needs to bring other types of documentation, etc. He decides that he's being treated differently than the white guy. He feels he hasn't been given the same type of consular services because he's black. He screams racial discrimination, calls his stateside attorney, and sues the United States government for civil rights violations.

How many of you don't think that he might get somewhere in court?

Of course civil rights protections extend overseas. Of course American government agencies and their agents must follow American laws when dealing with American citizens overseas. Of course American government policy can't discriminate between different groups because of ethnic, racial, religious, or gender differences, overseas.

All decent and fair-minded Americans must demand the US government stop pursuing this discriminatory policy. Write to your Congressman, Senator, the President, the media, and tell them so.

The US State Department issues travel advisories for troubled areas, and it occasionally calls on its citizens to leave an area temporarily that it deems dangerous, but it never implements any policy to force American citizens to leave an area or country. Either it must call on all American citizens, Jew and non-Jew, to leave the "West Bank" and Gaza, but do nothing to encourage them to be forced out - i.e. using the CIA; or simply trash this discriminatory policy just like racial segregation was trashed stateside, in the 1950's and 60's.

Jews have a right to live anywhere they want in America. We wouldn't accept anything less today. Not for Blacks, not for Hispanics, and not for Jews. Why accept such blatant segregation of Americans, just because they're Jews and not Arabs. "Palestinian" Americans aren't being told by the US government to leave, their communities aren't in danger, and their livelihoods aren't being threatened. The same equality of treatment should go for American Jews too.

The US government is breaking its own laws, in violating the civil rights of some of its citizens, overseas. It must be stopped through the courts or the ballot box.

Where will it happen next, Paris and Tahiti, or New York, Texas and California?

Any ideas, suggestions, or offers to help work on this issue can be directed to Ariel Natan Pasko at: ariel7-AT-lobbyist.com or, Shmuel Neumann at: yeshahomestead-AT-hotpop.com (re: class action suit).

Ariel Natan Pasko is an independent analyst & consultant. He has a Master's Degree in International Relations & Policy Analysis. His articles appear regularly on numerous news/views and think-tank websites, in newspapers, and can be read at:

www.geocities.com/ariel_natan_pasko

(c) 2004/5765 Pasko

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