The US Capitol Building. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Anyone who cursorily peruses the website of the US Green Party or any component of the global Green movement would naturally expect to read about the worthy and noble aims of a movement devoted to such key values as ecological wisdom and environmental protection.

We naturally expect that such basic, natural, and literally “green” issues would be of interest and concern to the entire spectrum of humanity, crossing all political, social, and demographic lines. Such issues touch upon the very sustainability and integrity of our existence on the planet and should logically override partisan political issues, whether internal or external. They touch all of us.

In the interest of wide public support, any serious, self-respecting, and genuine Green movement should choose to steer clear of divisive, partisan political issues that could prejudice the bona fides and integrity of the movement, and pollute its overall world vision and aims by introducing elements of bias and double standards.

A self-respecting Green movement, in seeking to protect the world’s environment from pollution and destruction, should avoid “taking sides” in current political conflicts that are, by definition, replete with conflicting, partisan, national, economic, and legal interests.

A Green movement should prefer to leave such issues to the respective governmental agencies involved in such issues, as well as those international political bodies such as the United Nations and its specialized agencies whose purpose is to deal with them.

In a world that is plagued by environmental and ecological catastrophes and that faces continuing and ongoing moral and humanitarian crises such as willful bombing and wholesale killing of civilians, mass murders, mass expulsions, denial of basic social, cultural, and religious rights and freedoms, assaults on immigrants and others, it is curious that the Green Party has chosen to concentrate most of its efforts on hounding Israel.

This is even more astounding because Israel is one of the only states that excels in the very values treasured by the Green movement — creating innovative ways to protect the environment, reduce pollution, purify wastewater, desalinate seawater, and reforest and protect natural resources.

It is all the more curious that the Green Party, as a matter of policy, considers itself sufficiently credible and authoritative as to advocate dismantling the State of Israel and replacing it with “the creation of one secular, democratic state for Palestinians and Israelis on the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the River Jordan.”

The Green Party buys, lock-stock-and-barrel, into the BDS boycott and sanctions campaign aimed at undermining Israel’s very existence, naively believing “that BDS can become the most effective nonviolent means for achieving justice and genuine peace between Palestinians and Israelis.”

In this manner, it supports the hostile and irresponsible propaganda put forth by elements seeking the destruction and delegitimization of Israel.

It is strange and even sad that the foreign policy of the Green Party demonstratively supports terror organizations and rogue regimes intent on undermining Israel’s very existence. The Green Party appears to sideline the many moral crises that exist in the world, such as the slaughter in Yemen, the imprisonment of perhaps a million Uighurs in China, the continuing depredations in the Congo and Sudan, Russia’s annexations in the Ukraine, the plight of Muslims in Kashmir, and assaults on immigrants and others seeking refuge in North America and Europe, in order to focus solely on Israel.

It appears that the Green Party cannot find genuine environmental and ecological “green” issues with which to concern itself, and prefers to concentrate its efforts on its illogical fixation with and crusade against Israel.

In a recent letter, dated Sept. 12, 2018, to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the US Green Party said that it:

cries out in unison with all people of conscience and compassion for the ICC to use its momentous authority to establish and preserve peace and justice throughout the world, most urgently for the oppressed and besieged people of Palestine peacefully protesting on a weekly basis for their “Right of Return.”

The letter claims that these people “have defended themselves mostly with rocks, burning kites, balloons and tires, homemade rockets and starkly tragic human suicide bombers” in the face of “the heavily blockaded Gaza border” where “IDF snipers have used live fire and tear gas.”

The letter accuses Israel of committing crimes against humanity, including genocide. It also requests the ICC investigate the issue of Israeli settlements.

This petition basically corresponds to the Green Party’s curious policy document ironically titled “Grassroots Diplomacy: A Real Road to Peace in the Middle East,” in which it states:

Palestinian resistance to ongoing dispossession has mainly been nonviolent, including its most basic form — remaining in their homes, on their land; and that while Palestinian armed resistance is legitimate under international law when directed at non-civilian targets, we believe that only nonviolent resistance will maintain the humanity of Palestinian society, elicit the greatest solidarity from others, and maximize the chance for future reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians.

The Green Party’s focus on Israel is troubling, perplexing, and outrageous.

Ambassador Alan Baker is director of the Institute for Contemporary Affairs at the Jerusalem Center and the head of the Global Law Forum. He participated in the negotiation and drafting of the Oslo Accords with the Palestinians, as well as agreements and peace treaties with Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon. He served as legal adviser and deputy director-general of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as Israel’s ambassador to Canada.

You can read a longer version of this story at JCPA.