The rising bipartisan anger at Israel for Iran and the Gaza genocide offers a new hope for American independence and global freedom.
When America’s founders were
considering whether to reject royal rule, the central question was “Are men
good enough to rule themselves?” The answer depends on whether a People will
support representatives who adopt policies that promote the common good. For
most of our history, this has not been the case.
Washington warned us to “beware the rise of factionalism.” Having ignored his
counsel early on, we now find ourselves at the mercy of a two-party system dominated by
an amoral Epstein class that pays for the elections of candidates who will
maximize returns on their domestic and international investments.
Having a choice between two candidates supported by an economic elite cannot
produce government of, by, and for the People. Ours represents those who profit
most from its policies. This is in no sense a “democracy,” representative
or otherwise, yet the illusion persists.
Politicizing social issues creates hostility between those who consider
themselves “conservative” or “liberal.” American voters increasingly cling
to their parties, however reluctantly, more out of fear of the other party than
enthusiasm for their own. Unless one party controls both Congress and the
White House, this produces Congressional gridlock on social issues, while the
two major parties remain united in supporting Wall Street war profiteers.
Until recently, the costs of Mideast wars have not been a factor in elections.
That may change soon. The economic fallout of the Israeli-American attack on
Iran has shown to average Americans that equating US interests with those of
Israel comes at a cost.
If we recognized this attack as the direct consequence of American imperial
policies it is, liberals and conservatives might unite in opposition to them.
Instead of increasing the budget of the War Department to over $1 trillion, we
could work together to slash it by eliminating overseas bases, investing the
peace dividend in America.
Washington cautioned us to beware “foreign entanglements.” This bedrock
principle of national security has been abandoned in the pursuit of imperial
spoils. The last president who seriously challenged Israel was Kennedy. While he was trying to
rein in the CIA following the Bay of Pigs, he was also pushing Israel to allow
inspection of the reactor in which it was developing nuclear weapons. He was also pushing to have AIPAC designated a foreign lobby until the day he was assassinated.
Recently declassified documents from the JFK files reveal that during this time, CIA Chief of Counterintelligence James
Angleton worked closely with Israel to undermine Kennedy’s efforts. This is not to imply that Israel was
complicit in the murder. The point is that Angleton, like the foreign policy
establishment today, saw Israel as essential to the US imperial project.
Four
years later, LBJ took a fateful step in wedding US foreign policy to that of
Israel when he covered up the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty in
international waters on June 8, 1967. The pattern was set.
The desire to control global oil supplies and the rise of the neocons led to
our unholy alliance with Israel. Growing bipartisan disgust with Israeli
aggression could end it.
After decades of unquestioned US support for its apartheid and expansionist
policies, Israel’s angry rejection of President Trump’s attempts to end the war
with Iran presents an opportunity for liberals and conservatives to find common
ground.
It is time to declare independence from
Israel. A People that supports genocide and wars across the globe for corporate profit is morally incapable of ruling itself. Only when Americans unite to oppose war can we liberate ourselves and
the victims of colonialism and imperialism.
None of us are free until all of us
are.
This is a lightly edited version of a guest column published on June 27, 2026 in the Albany (OR) Democrat-Herald and Corvallis Gazette-Times.
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