Today, Israel's Defense Minister announced Israel will not withdraw from land it seized in Lebanon, Syria, or Gaza. Is anyone surprised?
In Lebanon alone, Israel now occupies 770 square miles of territory. Nearly one-fifth of the country. They pushed the border 6 miles north and kept going.
There is a law against this. A clear one.
UN Security Council Resolution 242 states explicitly that territory cannot be acquired by force. It was passed unanimously in 1967 because of Israel. Israel had just seized the West Bank, Gaza, the Sinai, and the Golan Heights in the Six Day War.
The resolution written to stop Israel from keeping land it took by force is now being violated by Israel keeping land it took by force.
Israel is a member of the United Nations. It is bound by Resolution 242. It is bound by Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity of any state.
This isn't complicated. The law exists. Violation is clear. And the country providing Israel diplomatic cover at the UN, the country that has vetoed more Security Council resolutions on Israeli conduct than any other, is the United States.
The past just keeps repeating itself, and we're the ones that keep making it possible.