Watch: Palestinian liberation and resistance to US imperialism

What were the major milestones in the struggle for Palestinian liberation in 2021? And how are people across the broader region resisting US imperialism?

Those were some of the big questions we discussed when journalist Rania Khalek invited me on Dispatches, her show at Breakthrough News, last week.

We talked about the mainstreaming of Palestine solidarity in the West – recently exemplified by Harry Potter actor Emma Watson’s expression of support that sparked a smear campaign from Israel.

But this mainstreaming can be a double-edged sword when politicians seeking votes pay lip service to Palestinian rights but refuse to follow through with actions.

So how should people react to “progressive” politicians like members of Congress Jamaal Bowman and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who campaign in support of Palestinians but then concede to Israel lobby pressure once in office?

In September, Bowman voted for additional funding for Iron Dome, Israel’s supposedly defensive missile system. This and Bowman’s other pro-Israel moves spurred a movement by grassroots members late last year to expel him from the Democratic Socialists of America.

I told Khalek that Iron Dome is “defensive” the same way a home invader coming into someone’s house to murder them might wear a bulletproof vest.

“Iron Dome is a tool to make it easier for Israel to attack and kill Palestinians with impunity,” I said.

Watch the full discussion in the video at the top of this page.

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Iron Dome is “defensive” the same way a home invader coming into someone’s house to murder them might wear a bulletproof vest.
“Iron Dome is a tool to make it easier for Israel to attack and kill Palestinians with impunity”.

Can't argue with that but there's still the same basic problem without the iron dome. Would it be possible to route a gas pipeline through Gaza to say Denmark? How about basing some missile batteries there, aimed at Moscow? Then we could place a value of the "Pals" right to self-determination.