Heidi Rimpila, Editorial in Star Tribune, April 26, 2010

The conflict in the Middle East continues to escalate at an alarming rate. The violence and the destructiveness experienced by both the people of Israel and Palestine is unacceptable.

Unfortunately, the United States continues to come up short of taking real action to put an end to the occupation and oppression of Palestinians. After the recent American vow to halt Israel building settlements in East Jerusalem, the response from Israel should be a big eye-opener for all of us. This action taken by Israel should make us all question how much of a bilateral relationship there really is between Israel and the United States. It seems that Israel will do what it wants to do, with or without our consent.

If there is going to be any real action to bring about peace, there needs to be more than simply peace talks and negotiations between the United States, Israel and Palestine.

When is the United States going to see its role in this issue and take egalitarian action to bring about an end to this awful occupation that is hurting so many people on both ends?

Instead of trying to engage in peace talks that have so far done no good, the U.S. needs to stop providing financial support for Israel’s continuing oppression of the Palestinian people. By taking this step, America will engage in real action to stop Israel’s occupation of Palestine and move closer to bringing about a just peace.

Heidi Rimpila is a resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota.