Cash, Weapons and Surveillance: the U.S. is a Key Party to Every Israeli Attack
U.S. President Barack Obama (L) greets
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a press conference on
March 20, 2013 in Jerusalem, Israel. Photo credit: Lior Mizrahi/Getty
Images
Over the last decade, the NSA has significantly increased the surveillance assistance it provides to its Israeli counterpart, the Israeli SIGINT National Unit (ISNU; also known as Unit 8200), including data used to monitor and target Palestinians. In many cases, the NSA and ISNU work cooperatively with the British and Canadian spy agencies, the GCHQ and CSEC.
The relationship has, on at least one occasion, entailed the covert payment of a large amount of cash to Israeli operatives. Beyond their own surveillance programs, the American and British surveillance agencies rely on U.S.-supported Arab regimes, including the Jordanian monarchy and even the Palestinian Authority Security Forces, to provide vital spying services regarding Palestinian targets.
The new documents underscore the indispensable, direct involvement of the U.S. government and its key allies in Israeli aggression against its neighbors. That covert support is squarely at odds with the posture of helpless detachment typically adopted by Obama officials and their supporters.
President Obama, in his press conference on Friday, said ”it is heartbreaking to see what’s happening there,” referring to the weeks of civilian deaths in Gaza – “as if he’s just a bystander, watching it all unfold,” observed Brooklyn College Professor Corey Robin. Robin added: ”Obama talks about Gaza as if it were a natural disaster, an uncontrollable biological event.”
Each time Israel attacks Gaza and massacres its trapped civilian population – at the end of 2008, in the fall of 2012, and now again this past month – the same process repeats itself in both U.S. media and government circles: the U.S. government feeds Israel the weapons it uses and steadfastly defends its aggression both publicly and at the U.N.; the U.S. Congress unanimously enacts one resolution after the next to support and enable Israel; and then American media figures pretend that the Israeli attack has nothing to do with their country, that it’s just some sort of unfortunately intractable, distant conflict between two equally intransigent foreign parties in response to which all decent Americans helplessly throw up their hands as though they bear no responsibility.
“The United States has been trying to broker peace in the Middle East for the past 20 years,” wrote the liberal commentator Kevin Drum in Mother Jones, last Tuesday. The following day, CNN reported that the Obama administration ”agreed to Israel’s request to resupply it with several types of ammunition … Among the items being bought are 120mm mortar rounds and 40mm ammunition for grenade launchers.”
The new Snowden documents illustrate a crucial fact: Israeli aggression would be impossible without the constant, lavish support and protection of the U.S. government, which is anything but a neutral, peace-brokering party in these attacks. And the relationship between the NSA and its partners on the one hand, and the Israeli spying agency on the other, is at the center of that enabling.
Tally
of UN Vote on July 22, 2014 to investigate violations of international
law in West Bank and Gaza (Credit: Ken Roth, Human Rights Watch)
One newly disclosed top secret NSA document, dated April 13, 2013 and published today by the Intercept, recounts that the “NSA maintains a far-reaching technical and analytic relationship with the Israeli SIGINT National Unit (ISNU) sharing information on access, intercept, targeting, language, analysis and reporting.”
Specifically, “this SIGINT relationship has increasingly been the catalyst for a broader intelligence relationship between the United States and Israel.” Moreover, “NSA’s cyber partnerships expanded beyond ISNU to include Israeli Defense Intelligence’s [Special Operation Division] SOD and Mossad.”
Under this expanded cooperation, the Americans and Israelis work together to gain access to “geographic targets [that] include the countries of North Africa, the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, South Asia, and the Islamic republics of the former Soviet Union.” It also includes “a dedicated communications line between NSA and ISNU [that] supports the exchange of raw material, as well as daily analytic and technical correspondence.”
The relationship has provided Israel with ample support for both intelligence and surveillance: “The Israeli side enjoys the benefits of expanded geographic access to world-class NSA cryptanalytic and SIGINT engineering expertise, and also gains controlled access to advanced U.S. technology and equipment via accommodation buys and foreign military sales.” Among Israel’s priorities for the cooperation are what the NSA calls “Palestinian terrorism.”
The cooperation between the NSA and ISNU began decades ago. A top secret agreement between the two agencies from July 1999 recounts that the first formal intelligence-sharing agreement was entered into in 1968 between U.S. President Lyndon Johnson and Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol, and informally began in the 1950s. But the relationship has grown rapidly in the last decade.
In 2003 and 2004, the Israelis were pressuring the NSA to agree to a massively expanded intelligence-sharing relationship called “Gladiator.” As part of that process, Israel wanted the Americans to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to fund Israeli activities. The specific proposed “Gladiator” agreement appears never to have been consummated, derailed by Israeli demands that the U.S. bear the full cost, but documents in the Snowden archive pertaining to those negotiations contain what appear to be two receipts for one or more payments of $500,000 in cash to Israeli officials for unspecified purposes:
One top secret 2009 GCHQ project named “YESTERNIGHT” involved “Ruffle,” the British agency’s code name for ISNU. According to the document, the project involved a “trilateral (GCHQ, NSA and Third Party RUFFLE) targeting exchange agreement covering respective COMSAT accesses.” One of the “specific intelligence topics” shared between the parties was “Palestinians”, although the GCHQ document states that “due to the sensitivities” of Israeli involvement, that particular program does not include direct targeting of Palestinians and Israelis themselves. Another GCHQ document from February, 2009, describes “a quadrilateral meeting for RUFFLE, NSA, CSEC and GCHQ.”
The British agency noted in early 2009 that it had been spying on emails and telephone numbers specifically requested by ISNU, “and they have thanked us many times over.”
The NSA and GCHQ receive intelligence about the Palestinians from many sources. The agencies have even succeeded in inducing the U.S.-supported Palestinian Authority Security Forces (PASF) to provide them with surveillance and intelligence about other Arab groups in the region. One July 2008 GCHQ document states:
The document continues: “EWD provides high-interest, unique collection on targets of mutual interest, such as the Palestinian Security Forces; EWD is the sole contributor to a large body of NSA’s reporting on this target.”
But even as the NSA and its partners are directed by political branches to feed the Israelis surveillance data and technology, they constantly characterize Israel as a threat – both to their own national security and more generally to regional peace. In stark contrast to the public statements about Israel made by American and British officials, the Snowden archive is replete with discussions of the Israelis as a menace rather than an ally.
NSA documents previously published by the Guardian stated that “one of NSA’s biggest threats is actually from friendly intelligence services, like Israel.” Another notes that the National Intelligence Estimate ranked Israel as “the third most aggressive intelligence service against the U.S.”
British officials have a similar view of the Israelis, describing them as a “very real threat to regional stability.” One top secret GCHQ planning document from 2008 notes that “policy makers remain deeply concerned over the potential threat that Israel poses to a peaceful resolution of the Iran problem, and to some of Israel’s less desirable activities in the region.” Moreover, “Israel’s thinking on the long-term threat offered by Iran to its fundamental foreign policy strategy of armed deterrence may create very real threats to regional stability in 2009.”
The NSA’s 2007 Strategic Mission List, identifying priorities for surveillance targeting, repeatedly identifies Israel as one of the leading threats in a diverse range of areas, including: “Combating the threat of development of weapons of mass destruction” and “delivery methods (particularly ballistic and nuclear-capable cruise missiles).” The “focus area” for that concern is “WMD and missile proliferation activities,” and one of the leading threats is listed as “Israel (cruise missiles).”
The NSA internal discussion from that document regarding “Mastering Cyberspace and Preventing an Attack on U.S. Critical Information Systems” includes a subheading on “FIS [financial/banking system] threats.” The nations identified as the leading FIS threats include India, North Korea, Cuba and Israel. Similarly, Israel appears on the list of countries believed by the NSA to be “Enabling EW (producers/proliferators).”
Another section of the threat assessment document is entitled “Foreign Intelligence, Conterintelligence; Denial & Deception Activities: Countering Foreign Intelligence Threats.” It is defined as “Espionage/intelligence collection operations and manipulation/influence operations conducted by foreign intelligence services directed against U.S. government, military, science & technology and Intelligence Community.” The countries posing the greatest threat: “China, Russia, Cuba, Israel, Iran, Pakistan, North Korea, France, Venezuela, and South Korea.”
Asked about its cooperative relationship with Israel, an NSA spokesperson told the Intercept: “We are not going to comment on specific intelligence activities and relationships. The fact that intelligence services sometimes cooperate in a lawful and appropriate manner mutually strengthens the security of both nations. Whenever NSA shares intelligence information or technology, we comply with all applicable laws and rules.” A GCHQ official refused to comment on the record beyond the agency’s standard boilerplate claiming its activities are legal and subject to “rigorous oversight.”
Legal or not, the NSA’s extensive, multi-level cooperation with Israeli military and intelligence agencies is part of a broader American policy that actively supports and enables Israeli aggression and militarism. Every Israeli action in Gaza has U.S. fingerprints all over it. Many Americans may wish that the Israeli attack on Gaza were a matter of no special relevance or concern to them, but it is their own government that centrally enables this violence.
Andrew Fishman provided additional reporting for this article
http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/04/google-pulls-gaza-themed-app/?ncid=rrs_truncated
How about an app for coming up with solutions to the conflict. The geo-politicians don’t seem to be doing such a great job.
The readers’ editor on… averting accusations of antisemitism
Guardian reporters, writers and editors must be more vigilant about the language they use when writing about Jews or Israel
Chris Elliott
The Guardian, Sunday 6 November 2011 19.00 GMT
The Guardian has always had a strong commitment to reporting on the Middle East. That means a lot of news reporting, as well as comment and analysis, on the Israel-Palestine situation. It is one of the world’s most contested conflicts, in which thousands of people have died or have been displaced. As a newspaper the Guardian has been critical of all sides, but it is seen as being especially critical of the Israeli government and its actions. And that has led to complaints that the Guardian, in print or online, is carrying material that either lapses into language resonant of antisemitism or is, by its nature, antisemitic.
It also leads to the much more rare allegation of Islamophobia. In this column I intend to address the former rather than the latter, because recently there has been a preponderance of such complaints.
This is not a fresh concern. It is a particularly sensitive issue for a core of the Guardian’s Jewish readers because CP Scott held strong Zionist sympathies, as did WP Crozier, who came after him as editor. In the Guardian’s archives is a letter of thanks from the first president of Israel, Chaim Weizmann, thanking Scott for his help in securing the Balfour declaration, the 1917 statement by the British government approving the creation of a Jewish national home in Palestine.
A shift in attitudes came after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, as Daphna Baram outlines in her book Disenchantment: The Guardian and Israel, published in 2004. So, it’s not new. But there has been an increase in complaints of antisemitism within the last few months.
As the web has widened the debate, so it has also enabled more opportunities for articles and comments to be questioned. Individuals and organisations monitoring the Guardian’s coverage examine the language in articles – and the comments posted underneath them online – as closely as the facts.
For antisemitism can be subtle as well as obvious. Three times in the last nine months I have upheld complaints against language within articles that I agreed could be read as antisemitic. The words were replaced and the articles footnoted to reflect the fact. These included references to Israel/US “global domination” and the term “slavish” to describe the US relationship with Israel; and, in an article on a lost tribe of Mallorcan Jews, what I regarded as a gratuitous reference to “the island’s wealthier families”.
Two weeks ago a columnist used the term “the chosen” in an item on the release of Gilad Shalit, which brought more than 40 complaints to the Guardian, and an apology from the columnist the following week. “Chosenness”, in Jewish theology, tends to refer to the sense in which Jews are “burdened” by religious responsibilities; it has never meant that the Jews are better than anyone else. Historically it has been antisemites, not Jews, who have read “chosen” as code for Jewish supremacism.
One reader wrote of the column: “The despicable antisemitic tone of this rant is beyond reason or decency.”
An important feature of the Guardian online is that the comment threads are post-moderated: a team of moderators check almost half a million comments a month posted on the site for language that breaches the community guidelines across a whole range of issues – not just antisemitism. They are experienced in spotting the kind of language long associated with antisemitic tropes such as Jews having too much power and control, or being clannish and secretive, or the role of Jews in finance and the media.
Newspapers have to be aware that some examples involve coded references. They need to ask themselves, for example, if the word Zionist is being used as a synonym for Jew.
I have been careful to say that these examples may be read as antisemitic because I don’t believe their appearance in the Guardian was the result of deliberate acts of antisemitism: they were inadvertent. But that does not lessen the injury to some readers or to our reputation. The Guardian should not be oppressed by criticism – some of the language used by our critics is abusive and intimidatory – or retreat into self-censorship. But reporters, writers and editors must be more vigilant to ensure our voice in the debate is not diminished because our reputation has been tarnished.
This was your second post to me.
Your first said (from memory) we are on the same side worzel.
To which I didn’t reply.
So I will now.
We always were and always will be. Keep up the good work
££££££Rowan££££££
‘Grovelling’ as word for example I think was too strong.
IMHO.
P.s
I have Nothing against Mr Cook. Would just be interested what his take is on this ‘story’.
Thanks.
-Rowan-
In the last four articles published at the Guardian concerning Israel, only one has mentioned Hamas, the internationally recognized terrorist organization with a racist, antisemitic charter that calls for the destruction of Israel (two times but unrelated to their charter) . It’s the height of poor and cowardly journalism to neglect the role of Hamas in this war. Hamas has stated on numerous occasions, they will never recognize the Jewish state. No one can deny this simple truth and it’s the Achilles heel of supporters of the Palestinians. There simply is no answer to the terrorist organization that seeks a temporary truce, but never peace.
The murderers who kidnapped the Israeli teens are identified members of Hamas. They sometimes have been referred to as rebels i.e., rogue murderers who work outside of Hamas leadership – allowing a convenient denial by the terrorist organization that never condemned the kidnapping or murder of the teens. In fact, the kidnapping was praised by Hamas leadership. Hamas was certainly in a desperate situation in Gaza isolated without support from the usual allies so a war could serve a purpose for Hamas.
Hamas diverted a significant amount of precious financial resources to construct an elaborate tunnel complex designed to penetrate the borders of Israel and kidnap or kill IDF soldiers. The money could have been spent to better the lives of civilians that mistakenly elected the terrorist organization to power. If perpetual war is what the Islamic terrorist want, then why not at least construct some bomb shelters so civilians who just have an interest in raising a family and working might not become fodder for Hamas’s political game to end the embargo. The answer is self explanatory.
It’s the height of irresponsible “journalism” to ignore the role of Hamas in the current war – or even the broken cease fire. Even if Hamas had killed the soldiers a little before the cease fire officially began, they irresponsibly risked the brokered cease fire which was agreed to by all parties for humanitarian reasons. Shortly after the IDF was attacked, the truce faltered leading to more Palestinian deaths (always the Palestinians pay). It’s clear that the primary motive for Hamas is using Palestinian children as collateral for securing the end to the blockade. By ignoring the irresponsible actions of Hamas, the Intercept – the fringe left – willingly advances this narrative in service to Hamas.
In all seriousness, it’s exactly like that. Let’s say we’re discussing the Apartheid regime of South Africa, and someone points out that we shouldn’t ignore the role of the African National Congress in all the violence in South Africa. That role exists (indeed, the ANC was a US-designated terrorist organization), but that’s absolutely the wrong way to look at the issue.
So gracious yes, let’s retain focus on the sins and insufficiencies of the oppressed people, and ignore that apartheid behind the curtain. And if the Western world labels the oppressed’s resistance as “terrorists,” then that’s EVEN BETTER to divert attention from the Western monstrosity behind that fluttering curtain.
(And let’s also forget that the State of Israel was born in Jewish Terrorism. That Yitzhak Shamir innovated the letter bomb, killed hundreds, and was rewarded with being elected as one of two terrorist prime ministers — the other being Menachem Begin.)
Given how Israeli has treated the Palestinians you can hardly blame them. In any case, the charter was written over 25-years ago and Hamas has since modified it’s views:
Hamas Foreign Minister: We Accept Two-State Solution With ’67 Borders
“Look, we said, frankly, we accept the state and ’67 borders. This was mentioned many times and we repeated many times,” said Hamad….I think Hamas shows a lot of flexibility. We became more pragmatic, more realistic. Hamas is ready to go more and more for political solutions. Hamas could be a good player in making peace in this region, but don’t use sticks against him, and punishment against Hamas,” Hamad said, referring to the sanctions imposed after Hamas won a decisive majority in the Palestinian Parliament in 2006.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/05/24/136403918/hamas-foreign-minister-we-accept-two-state-solution-with-67-borders
However, the same cannot be said for the Likud party:
The Hateful Likud Charter Calls for Destruction of Any Palestinian State
By Jonathan Weiler
“There have been some updates to the platform more recently, reflecting Israel’s withdrawal of settlements from Gaza in 2005. But the Likud Party has *never* in its statements of principles, accepted a Palestinian State.”
——————————-
Never ask me about peace again
Tears flowed until my body ran dry of them when I received a telephone call on Aug. 3, informing me that my family had been targeted by two F-16 missiles in the city of Rafah. Such was the fate of our family in a war that still continues, with every family in the Gaza Strip receiving its share of sorrow and pain.
My father’s brother, Ismail al-Ghoul, 60, was not a member of Hamas. His wife, Khadra, 62, was not a militant of Hamas. Their sons, Wael, 35, and Mohammed, 32, were not combatants for Hamas. Their daughters, Hanadi, 28, and Asmaa, 22, were not operatives for Hamas, nor were my cousin Wael’s children, Ismail, 11, Malak, 5, and baby Mustafa, only 24 days old, members of Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine or Fatah. Yet, they all died in the Israeli shelling that targeted their home at 6:20 a.m. on Sunday morning.
Their house was located in the Yibna neighborhood of the Rafah refugee camp. It was one story with a roof made of thin asbestos that did not require two F-16 missiles to destroy. Would someone please inform Israel that refugee camp houses can be destroyed, and their occupants killed, with only a small bomb, and that it needn’t spend billions to blow them into oblivion?
If it is Hamas that you hate, let me tell you that the people you are killing have nothing to do with Hamas. They are women, children, men and senior citizens whose only concern was for the war to end, so they can return to their lives and daily routines. But let me assure you that you have now created thousands — no, millions — of Hamas loyalists, for we all become Hamas if Hamas, to you, is women, children and innocent families. If Hamas, in your eyes, is ordinary civilians and families, then I am Hamas, they are Hamas and we are all Hamas.
Throughout the war, we thought that the worst had passed, that this was the pivotal moment when matters would improve, that they would stop there. Yet, that real moment of pain, of extreme fear, was always followed by something even worse.
Now I understood why the photographs of corpses were so important, not only for international public opinion, but for us, the families, in search for an opportunity to bid farewell to our loved ones, so treacherously killed. What were they doing in those last moments? What did they look like after their death?
I discovered the photos of my dead relatives on social networking sites. The bodies of my cousin’s children were stored in an ice cream freezer. Rafah’s Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital was closed after being shelled by Israeli tanks, and the Kuwaiti Hospital that we visited just a day earlier had become an alternate venue, where this freezer was the only option available.
Al-Najjar’s director, Abdullah Shehadeh, told Al-Monitor, “We decided to move the patients when shells hit the main gate. Some patients, out of fear, ran out, despite the gravity of the security situation. We are now working out of this ill-equipped hospital.”
The Emirati Red Crescent Maternity Hospital, west of Rafah, has been transformed into a large container for corpses, with fruit and vegetable freezers filled with dozens of bodies.
I saw corpses on the floor, some with nametags on their chests, while others remained unknown. We held our noses, for the stench was unbearable, as flies filled the air.
Ibrahim Hamad, 27, removed his five-year-old son’s shroud-wrapped body from a vegetable freezer. Fighting back tears, he told Al-Monitor, “He died as a result of a reconnaissance drone missile attack. His body has been here since yesterday. The dangerous situation prevented me from coming to take him any sooner.”
I thank God that my relatives were quickly buried, and that my cousins Mustafa, Malak and Ismail did not remain long in a freezer, lest their bodies freeze, and their souls now rest in peace, leaving us with nothing but the silence of death and bodies forever trapped in the postures of their passing.
On the fifth day of the war, when I went to write my Rafah report about the shelling of the Ghannam family, I stopped by to visit my cousin’s house. I saw my relatives and we took photographs together. During the war, my cousin Wael’s wife had given birth to twins, Mustafa and Ibrahim, who were like two tiny angels, harbingers of hope and joy.
How could I have known that this would be our last meeting? I wish I had stayed longer and talked to them some more. Hanadi, Asmaa, my uncle and his wife laughed as they joked about the twist of fate that brought us together in the middle of a war, at a time when Israeli occupation forces had not yet begun perpetrating their wanton war crimes against Rafah.
Endings are so strange, as are living moments that suddenly become relegated to the past. We will never see them again, and the pictures that I took of the twins are now so precious, as one of them, Mustafa, was killed, while the other, Ibrahim, remained alive.
I wonder how they could differentiate between them, for they looked so much alike. Who identified them when their father died and their mother lay wounded in intensive care? Who was Mustafa, and who was Ibrahim? It was as if they had merged upon one twin’s death.
In the photos taken after their death, my family looked so peaceful, asleep with their eyes closed. None of them were disfigured or burned, unlike hundreds of dead children and civilians that US-made weapons killed before them. We wondered if they died in pain. What happened when the missile, carrying tons of explosives, impacted their modest house and exploded, creating air pressure so fierce that their internal organs burst? Their suffering was perhaps lessened by the fact that they were sleeping.
I didn’t see them when I went to Rafah on Aug. 2. I wrote about the death of the Ayad Abu Taha family, which was targeted by warplanes, and saw the corpse of Rizk Abu Taha, one year old, when it arrived at the Kuwaiti Hospital.
I observed him at length. He looked alive. One could see that he had been playing when he died, dressed in his pink pants. How could he be at such peace? The bodies of war victims look so different from how they appear on television. They are so real, so substantial, suddenly there before you, without any newscast introductions, music or slogans.
Bodies lay everywhere, and it was if everything in life had been to prepare us for this moment. Suddenly, the dead left their personal lives behind: their cell phones, homes, clothes, perfumes and daily chores. Most importantly, they left the fear of war behind.
Distances in the small Gaza Strip have grown larger, distances and time expanding as a result of the fear and death that shrank the life expectancy of the populace. We were unable to join the family for the funerals. My uncle, Ahmad al-Ghoul, later told me over the phone, “Because of the inherent danger, our goodbyes to them lasted mere seconds. Malak’s eyes laid open, as if to ask, ‘What wrong did I commit?’”
I was born in 1982, in that same house in Rafah’s refugee camp, where the family’s large household expanded. I grew up there, and everything else grew with us: the first intifada, the resistance, my nearby school that I walked to every day. There, I saw my first-ever book library. There, I remember seeing my grandfather fall asleep as he listened to the BBC. And there, I laid eyes on the first Israeli soldier in my life, striking my grandfather to force him to erase the national slogans that adorned the walls of our refugee camp home.
Now, the house and its future memories have been laid to waste, its children taken to early graves. Homes and recollections bombed into oblivion, their inhabitants homeless and lost, just as their camp always had been. Never ask me about peace again.
Also, since Hamas is not a nation, nor the leaders of a nation, why is it so important to have them “recognize” the “Jewish State?”
Also, what about Israel reciprocating some recognition? Say, why not make Israel acknowledge the right of return of Palestinian refugees in accordance with international law and that the West Bank and Gaza are occupied territories?
So, how about these things, Craig?
The grauniad seems to be singled out so wanted you all to read this. Craig you to.
Poppycock
Below, many commenters have been discussing whether the pro-Israel-no-matter-what grip on American politicians results from a movement better labeled as the Jewish Lobby, or as the Israel Lobby. I fall on Gator’s side here in opting for the latter, as I will explain, but I can also see why “Jewish Lobby” is not an obviously wrong choice.
From the Jewish Virtual Library (a very Zionist site), my emphasis:
Having just read John Judis’ book, Genesis: Truman, American Jews, and the Origins of the Arab/Israeli Conflict,, I have learned that the Jewish voting bloc’s control of U.S. policy on Israel dates back to the 1948 establishment of the Jewish State (on violent terms unfair to indigenous Arabs).
Truman was greatly resistant to recognizing the State of Israel — and felt doing so could be laying groundwork for WWIII — but, against his better judgment, finally did so. And he did so because he needed to retain the Jewish-American vote for the Democratic Party, especially in New York.
After all,Truman resignedly noted, there was not (then) an Arab voting bloc in the U.S., so there would be no political penalty for unjustly siding against them.
With the above reality in mind, I can see some justification for the phrase “Jewish Lobby,” but ultimately reject it. For two reasons: 1. Since 1948, there has arisen in America a bloc of born again, Xtian Zionist voters, and 2. Increasing numbers of American Jews have explicitly disaffiliated and renounced the Israel Lobby.
So, while I can see why electoral realities might cause some to believe at issue is a “Jewish Lobby,” for the reasons I have stated, I find that Israel Lobby is narrower, and thus more accurate.
This is pure bullshit as is your conflation of the Israel lobby with American Christian Zionists. American policy makers had been working diligently for more than a decade to establish a “Jewish State” in Palestine. Concordantly, President Truman was firmly committed to the goal of establishing as Jewish state in Palestine as can be evidenced by an October 28, 1946 communique to King Saud of Saudi Arabia wherein President Truman informed the king that he believes “that a national home for the Jewish people should be established in Palestine.”
The term “Israel Lobby” has always been understood by academics to mean a confederation consisting of Jewish-American secular and religious groups. Political references to “American Christian Zionism” date back to the late seventies when America’s Christian right leadership was courted by Israeli policy makers as potential political allies; chief among these were Billy Graham and Jerry Farwell. This was a deliberate attempt to exploit anti-Muslim sentiment among American conservative Christians that had reached a feverish pitch in the wake of the OPEC embargo of 1973. Initially, Jewish-American leaders were opposed to Israel forming an alliance with America’s Christian-Right as they were understood to be a loose knit collection of reactionary religious elements whose common concern centered around the preservation of social norms and traditional values. It was only when social and economic fears merged that the loose knit reactionary fabric of America’s Christian right coalesced into a tight-knit political front. From that point forward, America’s “Christian-Right” was perceived as a viable political force whose heightened animus could be harnessed by select members of its leadership to the political benefit of Israel. One must remember that, in the aftermath of the six day war of 1967, the leadership of America’s mainline Protestant and Catholic churches were largely sympathetic to the Palestinians. So much so, that religious scholars like Rev. Franklin H. Littell were tasked to formulate an Israeli-First ideology wherein pro Palestinian sentiment was cast as a form of antisemitism.
He did not favor the partition plan the Zionists demanded. And he certainly did not favor the ethnic cleansing and land grab of 1948 that led to the State of Israel. But, he eventually recognized that entity for reasons of sheer, craven, political necessity.
To quote from a review of Genesis in the NYT:
Truman did not stand his ground; for reasons of party politics he embraced that which he found inequitable, and even dangerous. And the world — but especially the Palestinians — has been paying the price for his caving to the Lobby ever since.
Finally, In highly recommend you read Genesis. It could further disabuse you of some of your erroneous notions.
Truman did not win the presidency in 1944 election, Roosevelt did. Roosevelt was firmly committed to the ongoing effort of establishing a Jewish State in Palestine. So much so that Saudi King Ibn Saud felt the need to repeatedly express his public opposition to Roosevelt’s support for the Balfour declaration beginning in 1943. it was because of the Saudi’s concerns, that Roosevelt felt the need to be duplicitous in his dealings with them. While initially making the case for the establishment of a Jewish state during his face-to-face with Saud in a 1945 trip to Great Bitter Lake in the Suez Canal, he ultimately felt the need to mask his intentions upon seeing the vehemence of the king’s reaction. Shortly after that meeting, Roosevelt is on record as having provided assurances to American Jewish leader Stephen Wise that his administration supported unrestricted immigration to Palestine and a future Jewish state. Upon Roosevelt’s death, Truman was forced to adopt Roosevelt’s strategy of providing duplicitous assurances to “Arabists” while formulating a Doctrine that would be broad enough to allow for the establishment of the Jewish state. Again, on October 28, 1946 an official communique was addressed to King Saud of Saudi Arabia wherein President Truman informed the king that he believes “that a national home for the Jewish people should be established in Palestine.” After Britain passed control of Palestine to the United Nations in 1947, it immediately proposed to partition Palestine into two states, one for an Arab majority and one for the Jewish minority. Even though Truman was advised that his support of the UN partition plan might require American military intervention, he decided to act in accord with Roosevelt’s express commitment to American Jews who were a major constituency in the Democratic Party.
It is true that, in 1943, Roosevelt was advised by Wallace Murray, head of the US State Department Near East Division, that the Saudi King might look favorably upon a binational state that would effectively deny Jews the exclusively Jewish homeland promised by the Balfour Declaration, he rejected that proposal. Murray’s proposal was fueled by the perception that the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine would alienate much of the Arab world at a time when the Russians were looking to gain a foothold in oil rich regions. This view would be echoed by the acting head of the US State Department Near East Division, Loy Henderson, when Truman became president in 1945. Henderson was convinced that Russian actions in Turkey and Greece did not bode well for Palestine at a time when British control was waning. By 1946, Truman shared Henderson’s concerns as he set to the task of formulating a doctrine that would best facilitate Russian containment while advancing American interests in said oil rich regions.
It is also true that, after hearing the declaration that the UN intended to partition Palestine, Truman briefly endorsed a plan that would have established the Jewish state as a United Nations trusteeship, rather than as an autonomous entity. However, historians generally hold the view that Truman’s endorsement was an honest mistake that resulted from confusion related to an aberrant policy-making process.
You see, they, well Wilhelmina, they… wrote the fucking book on The Israel Lobby, in a tome titled, oddly enough, The Israel Lobby.
This is how Publishers Weekly reviews it in part, my emphasis:
Always happy to help.
The fact that these two authors are described as “notorious” for attempting to advance “their explosive claims about the malign influence of the pro-Israel lobby on the U.S. government” does not speak well for their reliability as a quoted source. In making such expansive assertions, such individuals routinely blur distinctions and/or conflate terms that will aide them in inflating their claims. Before you further endeavor to blur the distinction between that which is traditionally referred to as the Israel (Jewish) Lobby and the American Christian Zionists, in service to your ideological bias, here is a 2013 study written by Samuel Mohr wherein the distinction between the two groups is clearly delineated in keeping with conventional scholarship.
Understanding American Christian Zionism: Case Studies of
Christians United for Israel and Christian Friends of Israeli
Communities
Journal of Politics & International Studies, Vol. 9, Summer 2013 ISSN 2047-7651 287
By Samuel Mohr
http://www.polis.leeds.ac.uk/assets/files/students/student-journal/sum-13/130930-sum13-mohr.pdf
This is (as I’m sure you know) why an open internet is so important, and why the corrupted powerful hate it.
It is insulting to listeners’ intelligence to claim American/Israeli actions are morally based – as the establishments of both nations claim, at the same time as asserting that it’s basically impractical to act otherwise. An example lately is Obama saying ‘we’ tortured people, which is against our values, he agrees, but ‘we’ should be excused because, well, ‘stress’ or something. Another example is saying what great ‘democracies’ Israel and America are, founded on virtuous values, while simultaneously proving that point absurd by demonstrating they are both functionally and non-democratically subservient to and corrupted by reactionary, military and corporate domination.
Greed, cruelty, indifference are not taboo in Western culture any more: they are promoted as largely ‘sensible,’ it seems to me, even while there is often an accompanying suggestion that one shouldn’t sound too politically incorrect about it – but notice the overall message is that everything is strategic, hence pragmatism trumps principles*. Having divested of principles even as something to which people should aspire, the establishment then has the temerity to claim its pragmatism is also moral, almost implying everyone decent would be identically atrocious in the same circumstances.
Which is to say I wish people could be honest, and really look at this ‘honor and integrity’ matter. Then we could discuss whether it actually IS more practical to be entirely strategic while ‘losing our soul’ in the process. Doubtless the realpolitik response would be ‘It is impractical to look at that, for philosophy means nothing in the real world.’ But, at least in my opinion, a lack of character to one’s philosophy is self-evident flirtation with sociopathic mental patterns, and to pretend to be moral merely as a pretense (while behaving unethically) is a serious and detrimental state of denial, further psychologically polluting cultures like the US and Israel.
*I’m not sure how concerted the messaging is nowadays, it seems almost unconscious.
He submits to reactionary, military and corporate domination like Anastasia Steele to Christian Grey, and only when society is outspoken in its insistence for years and years (same-sex marriage, for example) does he pretend to support any basic dissent against the status quo at all.
He is malleable, if you are powerful enough! Even as he exhibits sociopathic patterns, he cares deeply, narcissistically perhaps, how he is perceived, and the un-ignorable revulsion of many of the American people regarding Israel’s actions is in my opinion what finally made him express what amounts to mere timid doubt about the gruesome assaults he’s enabling. Not unless there is a super-strong wave of dissent from the people will he actually listen to them (remember the public option?), and even then if the establishment can mitigate that dissent through PR he will return to subservience to the corporatist, militarist status quo in an instant.
Basically I think he submits without integrity to what he PERCEIVES as powerful, and only what is truly dominant or mighty does he accord power to. Unless the public can rally itself comprehensively and unrelentingly for extended periods of time for their needs, he feels free to ignore them since the media always prefers establishment norms to any kind of change and will support him in preserving them.
Michelle I don’t know about, but she must have seen this tendency of his before now.
How very pathetic that he appeared such a champion of virtue, and what a savage betrayal. He’s made an absolute mockery of liberals’ good intentions.
Yes, indeed. I have to admit that he had me fooled.
It came across very weird because he’s trying to appear both status quo and non-corrupt, which is ultimately impossible.
The US played a key role in resolving that conflict when the Clinton administration was willing to recognize Sinn Fein as a legitimate representative of the people of Northern Ireland. This was about the most honorable thing the US government has done in my lifetime that I can recall. After Clinton met Gerry Adams at the White House it was not long before the British agreed to negotiate with him. This is what has to happen in the Middle East.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/04/david-gregory-cnn-meet-the-press_n_5647142.html
I understand that the networks are looking for ratings. Can you imagine what would happen to their goddamn ratings if they gave a primetime show to Glenn Greenwald? That would be a paradigm shift on tv. I don’t think anybody would watch anything else.
They don’t want ratings. They want to control the news AND have ratings. And that war is lost.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)
constantly repeated vetoing by the U.S. of any criticism of Israel, using the hard earned money of American taxpayers to pay for Israel’s enormous military while making cuts in Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans benefits, psychiatric and other medical care for veterans, U.S. willingness to slash funds for students lunches, and many other needed social programs all point quite clearly to a disturbingly unbalanced relationship with Israel, a supposed client state. The rest of the world, being much better informed than Americans, who get only daily propaganda from U.S. print and electronic media, sees with a certain bewilderment a former great nation gone literally mad. The U.S. congress is too cowardly and too self-serving to accomplish anything, but somehow the U.S. must break out of the hold that Israel has on its policies, morals, and principles.
This article hit the mark. The International law community.
See: “US a key party to every war crime by Israel: Grossman”
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/08/04/374036/us-key-party-to-israel-war-crimes/
“An international lawyer says the recent disclosures that the US is directly enabling Israel’s military assaults on Gaza vividly proves Washington’s complicity in every war crime committed by Tel Aviv.”
Thank you.
What do you want with the names anyway? A witch-hunt?
Furthermore, I want to know who received it. You call that receipt sheet an official document of the Israeli Government? Where’s the government letterhead? What department? How do we know this wasn’t a bribe?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=N7lcNjTRSn4
And I do not mean an ultra right one adoring Hitler and stuff, but an objective news gathering
and influential organisation. Things have gone way too far now.
Skip the Holocaustlessons at school, cause they are just being used for “loving jews”
Jews can get away with anything….others can not.
But who is willing to take the lead?
We do hear that chastened Obamafreaks are now trying to convince the world that ~O~ really isn’t a leftie in the same way their publically embarrassed antecedents attempted to convince the world the Hitler wasn’t. The more things change, the more they remain the same.
-”Israeli official calls for concentration camps…”
-”Moshe Feiglin, Deputy Speaker of the Israeli Knesset and member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud Party, posted the inflammatory message on his Facebook page at the weekend.
He lays out a detailed plan for the destruction of Gaza – which includes shipping its residents across the world – in a letter he addressed to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2715466/Israeli-official-calls-concentration-camps-Gaza-conquest-entire-Gaza-Strip-annihilation-fighting-forces-supporters.html
My first thought was…isn’t that a bit redundant? isn’t Gaza essentially already one big concentration camp? imprisonment, executions, starvation, now disease, but nevertheless, I know there has been this element in the Israeli government for some time, I’m glad its getting some sunlight now in the English language press.
Obama – “America’s commitment to Israel’s security flows from a deeper place — and that’s the values we share. As two people who struggled to win our freedom against overwhelming odds, we understand that preserving the security for which our forefathers — and foremothers — fought must be the work of every generation. As two vibrant democracies, we recognize that the liberties and freedoms we cherish must be constantly nurtured.”
http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/quotes/barack-obama-on-us-israeli-shared-values
Remember that old Gershwin song?
…” You say Gitmo. I say Gaza concentration camp….let’s call the whole thing off!!!”
gotta love those shared values.
-”Acting Knesset Speaker Moshe Feiglin ousted, one by one, three Arab Knesset Members from the Knesset on Sunday after they called Israeli soldiers “murderers.” The action was caught on the YouTube below. The audio is in Hebrew, but the visible anger of the Arab MKs and the reaction by MK Feiglin are worth 1,000 words. MK Ibrahim Sarsur started the action by citing Palestinian Authority Arabs who were “murdered” by IDF “heroes.” Feiglin pointed his arm at him and told him to leave the podium after repeating his accusation”
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/feiglin-expels-arab-mks-who-call-idf-soldiers-murderers-video/2014/08/04/
Ah, guards bustling out the elected representatives of the few Arabs that do get to vote in Israel! More shared values!!
Contrary to the lies spewed from Israeli apologists and their shills, Israel is not a democracy. It’s a racist ethnocracy that relies on apartheid to maintain their oppression over the indigenous Palestinian population who were ethnically cleansed from their land.
Israel is one big lie which the world is now waking up to. Their brutality and racist pedigree is now on open display as manifest by the slaughter of innocent civilians and their right-wing neo-Nazi like chanting mobs. What is arguably more disturbing, however, is the US enabling of this insanity. Brian Eno was correct when he said that giving money to Israel is “Like Sending Money to the Klan”. It’s worse than that though, because the US also provides them with weaponry, intelligence, and a subservient media with which to disseminate their propaganda.
Inside Israel’s Pro-War Nationalist Camp
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=12191
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.608548
Haaretz does have a difficult job here balancing those two stories in the headlines.
Yes on the one hand Israel has slaughtered almost two thousand people now and is finally being condemned by America…but on the other hand…
There ARE very loud sirens going off near Tel Aviv!!!! (or is it a car’s anti-theft alarm????) Hey! hearing loss is no joking matter!!! (Why else do you think Netenyahu and Kerry want “quiet” in the occupied territories??
Israel explains to the media the killing of civilians in Gaza
We haven’t heard reports of deaths, will check into it.
The people were killed, but by a faulty Palestinian rocket/bomb.
Ok we killed them, but they were terrorists.
Ok they were civilians, but they were being used as human shields.
Ok there were no fighters in the area, so it was our mistake. But we kill civilians by accident, they do it on purpose.
Ok we kill far more civilians than they do, but look at how terrible other countries are.
Why are you still talking about Israel? Are you some kind of anti-Semite?
Repeat from step 1. Test this against the next interview you hear or watch by Mark Regev or any other spokesperson for Israel.
http://stopwar.org.uk/news/at-last-israel-tells-the-truth-about-why-there-s-so-much-bloodshed-in-gaza
- “However, an incident occured last week at a crossing into the Gaza Strip that gave a very different impression to a senior observer. When Senator John Kerry visited the Strip, he learned that many trucks loaded with pasta were not permitted in. When the chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee inquired as to the reason for the delay, he was told by United Nations aid officials that “Israel does not define pasta as part of humanitarian aid – only rice shipments.” ”
http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/02/25/israel_denied_pasta_to_gaza
But Israel doesn’t intentionally ban things like pasta, whereas Hamas deliberately uses chocolate eclairs against diabetic israeli civilians.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0t7w_Dtrv0
http://tinyurl.com/kmsgz8q
Seconded.
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/how-silly-of-me-to-assume-it-was-israeli-bombs-causing-all-the-damage-in-gaza-9640905.html
How does Michael Oren know about those booby trapped toasters? I bet it was NSA that told him.
Glenn is relatively high profile, and of course nakedly outspoken, but there is nothing to be gained by trying to close him down in whatever ways the power structures might dream up. There are many who are now boldly speaking out. Those numbers will grow and so will the secrets be uncovered. Also, as Glenn noted towards the end of that interview, what we are seeing on twitter and other social media about the barbaric acts of Israel is nothing like we’ve been able to see in real time before. That is going to continue and it is going to grow and grow in effect.
I wish him safety and best outcomes for his concentrated endeavors.
“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”
— Helen Keller, The Open Door (1957).
-”Sophie Tal, 23, is a history student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She has two brothers and a boyfriend serving in the Israeli army and explains why she thinks hospitals and UN shelters are legitimate targets for Israeli rockets.”
http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/world-28630442
https://twitter.com/MaxBlumenthal/status/496160882187988992
> One newly disclosed top secret NSA document, dated April 13, 2013 . . .
The link immediately following goes to a document dated April 19.
-”The toll Gaza’s war takes on mental health
We want Israel to win, but thoughts of wounded Palestinians keep us up at night. We blame Hamas, but know they were Israeli shells. What’s driving us mad and how do we cope? This British psychiatrist explains.”
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-opinions/.premium-1.608704
The Israeli massacre of civilians in Gaza is taking a toll. on…..Israeli mental health (poor dears)
It is one of a series of articles including one by Joseph Stalin entitled “I’m the victim here!!”
Reality is that Israel is a country that has about 50,000 asylum seekers (called “infiltrators” in Israel), and only about 200 people have been granted refugee status in the last half century. The Israeli government wants to expel the rest. I can name poor countries that have granted refugee status to tens or hundreds of thousands of foreigners for humanitarian reasons that aren’t nearly as bad as what people are experiencing in Gaza.
Take names, publish them, hold feet to the fire.
I understand that’s not any goal of this piece, Mr. Glenn, but it also convinces your analysis hit home.
http://www.salon.com/2014/08/04/they_were_war_crimes_the_specific_legal_case_for_international_charges_against_israel/
In my opinion, this is very important post. These war crimes are Internationally recognized. Unfortunately, many of the people commenting on this thread choose to overlook the simple facts. Israel is committing war crimes and the United States is acting in clear collusion. What more needs to be said?
why the Palestinians don’t just leave. I think this is the reason why they are talking
about concentration camps and genocide
in the knesset. The only thing standing in
their way now is Obama’s broken heart and
he’ll be gone in two years.
Can you blame them!!..listen, It all stems from America with its slavery problem, by all rights if the Blacks in America had wanted their rights, they should have gone to Africa, there were plenty of countries with Blacks already! While there’s only one America!!
By giving citizenship to Blacks, even ones that had lived for generations in America, America’s example only encourages others to fight for thier freedom
That is why Palestinians who have lived for generations in what is now Israel, and in Gaza and the West Bank, have gotten it in their heads that they have rights…instead of peacefully relocating somewhere else that is Muslim or Christian and letting Jewish immigrants from London and New York have their land!!!
Same goes for South Africa. White South Africans didn’t ask Black South Africans to be born in South Africa! Instead of demanding the vote in the country in which they live, why didn’t they go to one of the many countries that were already ruled by blacks!!!
Instead they listened to this guy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW_JuwG67PE
Try this article for some sanity:
http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/israel/articles/20140801.aspx
July 23 (Bloomberg) –- Palestinian BDS Movement Co-Founder Omar Barghouti discusses launching his campaign for the most effective, non-violent ways to support Gaza through boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel. He speaks to Mark Barton on Bloomberg Television’s “Countdown.” (Source: Bloomberg)
http://www.bloomberg.com/video/everyone-in-gaza-supports-bds-movement-barghouti-V7loF89qRJK954Jh~TyflA.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/05/world/middleeast/israel-gaza.html?_r=0
I think “cease-fire” will have to be added as a new chapter next to “terrorism” in Obama’s/Netenyahu’s co-written upcoming new book: “how to make no sense whatsoever while spinning madly” released by neo-con press!!
…no , hold on there is precedent for this…I found a article from the NYT in the early days of WWII:
“Despite the advance of Panzer brigades across Europe, Hitler’s declared unilateral and partial ceasefire, has been confirmed! Not a single German shot has been fired anywhere except where there were, well, Germans shooting!!!”
What is consistently missing to explain this paradox is, the ‘Christian Dominion’ belief in literal Armageddon which rules at the Pentagon, backed by too many politicians and cohorts in DC to possibly begin to explain here, including Hillary Clinton, it’s not only right-wing nut jobs. Ever wonder how it is Hillary never met a conflict she did not like? Try googling ‘hillary clinton, doug coe’ after you’ve watched this video (beginning at minute 10:45)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-a7AYQblig
^ “the prevalence in the military of “Dominionism,” the radical Evangelical Christian theology that anticipates the imminent return of Jesus Christ, and why the fight for religious freedom within the military may be all that stands between us and global nuclear destruction” (‘Young Turks’ promo)
The video explains quite a bit more; Hitler controlled Germany with 8% of his military dedicated NAZIs. The present day USA military is estimated at 28-35% extreme Christian right wing personalities, especially concentrated in the Air Force, and special operations commanders at the Pentagon, essentially people who embrace ‘pre-millennial’ literal Armageddon theology.
And yeah, they have custody of the world’s most lethal arsenal, and feed the conflict in the middle east with tears of joy at prayer meetings, seeing themselves as ‘God’s new chosen’ while anticipating blowing up the world to see the return of Jesus.
Think that’s far fetched? Like I heard a Black woman comedian (I don’t recall her name) “Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt”
http://ronaldthomaswest.com/2013/05/14/gods-chosen-a-dumb-idea/
^ A sort of ‘nutshell’ version of events
Glad that you keep trying to expose the Christian Zionists/Nazi’s. I commend your efforts.
So, you believe you are a ‘new Jew’ like mental whack-job (and super-zionist) Ann Coulter? I wrote ‘God’s Chosen is a Dumb Idea” to describe criminal mentalities such as that, it’s worth a read
But perhaps more important for you to know (I’m not holding my breath you’ll be in love with this) is:
The Five Gospels: The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus. New York: MacMillan Publishing Company, 1993.
“For Paul, the Christ was to be understood as a dying/rising lord, symbolized in baptism (buried with him, raised with him), of the type he knew from the hellenistic [Greek] mystery religions. In Paul’s theological scheme, Jesus the man played no essential role.”
“Eighty-two percent of the words ascribed to Jesus in the gospels were not actually spoken by him, according to the Jesus Seminar.” Page 5
“The church appears to smother the historical Jesus by superimposing this heavenly figure on him in the creed: Jesus is displaced by the Christ, as the so-called Apostle’s Creed makes evident.” Page 7
“The first step is to understand the diminished role the Gospel of John plays in the search for the Jesus of history. The two pictures painted by John and the synoptic [Matthew, Mark, Luke] gospels cannot both be historically accurate.” Page 10
“The Fellows of the Seminar were unable to find a single saying [in John] they could with certainty trace back to the historical Jesus.” Page 10
“The words attributed to Jesus in the Fourth Gospel.. ..are the creation of the evangelist for the most part..” Page 10
“Words borrowed from the fund of common lore or the Greek scriptures are often put on the lips of Jesus.” Page 22
“The evangelists frequently attribute their own statements to Jesus.” Page 23
“We know that the evangelists not infrequently ascribed Christian words to Jesus-they made him talk like a Christian, when, in fact, he was only the precursor of the movement that was to take him as its cultic hero.” Page 29
“Jesus rarely makes pronouncements or speaks about himself in the first person. Jesus makes no claim to be the Anointed, the messiah.” Page 32
“Jesus taught that the last will be first and the first will be last. He admonished his followers to be servants of everyone. He urged humility as the cardinal virtue by both word and example. Given these terms, it is difficult to imagine Jesus making claims for himself-I am the son of God, I am the expected One, the Anointed-unless, of course, he thought that nothing he said applied to himself.” Page 33
Exactly. People of the Jewish faith just get blamed for it.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)
Pro-Israel Political Action Committees (PACs)
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
The American Israel Education Foundation (AIEF)
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP)
Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (aka Stand for Israel)
Christians United for Israel (CUFI)
Simon Wiesenthal Center
The Israel Project
Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces (FIDF)
Hadassah (Women’s Zionist Organization of America)
America’s Voices in Israel (AVI)
The Jewish Agency for Israel
Stand with Us
Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI)
Jewish Community Relations Councils, Jewish Federations,Hillels
Organizations that target students and youth:
Hillel
Birthright
David Project
Amcha Initiative
Young Israel
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Jewish National Federation (JNF)
Zionist Organiation of America (ZOA)
American Jewish Committee (AJC)
World Jewish Congress
Friends of Aish Hatorah
Chabad
Republican Jewish Coalition
National Jewish Democratic Council
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
JINSA
Saban Center at Brookings
Center for Security Policy, neo-con brain center
Foreign Policy Initiative (PNAC 2.0)
MEMRI
2 UBS Switzerland $2,280 trillion
3 Allianz Germany $2,213 trillion
4 Vanguard Group US $2,080 trillion
5 State Street Global Advisors (SSgA) US $1,908
6 PIMCO (Pacific Investment Management Company) US $1,820 trillion
7 Fidelity Investments US $1,576 trillion
8 AXA Group France $1,393 trillion
9 JPMorgan Asset Management US $1,347 trillion
10 Credit Suisse Switzerland $1,279 trillion
11 BNY Mellon Asset Management US $1,299 trillion
12 HSBC UK $1,230 trillion
13 Deutsche Bank Germany $1,227 trillion
These are the controllers.
Btw, the video link posted in the original comment feature a prominent Jew, Mikey Weinstein, who is perhaps radical right Christian Zionism’s (and by extension, AIPAC’s) most dangerous opponent
‘Jewish lobby’ is a simplistic, inaccurate term, perhaps best personified by anti-Semitic personalities who hold fantasies of Illuminati.
With that said, of course there are organizations, consisting largely or wholly of Jews, that lobby for US support of Israel. Most Jews, however, are not members of these organizations. The organizations’ members comprise a very small fraction of the American Jewish population. These groups do not represent or speak for all Jews by any stretch of the imagination. To insist on using the term “Jewish lobby” in the face of these fairly obvious facts is, well, weird.
Jews and Israel are distinct things. The 70+ percent of American Jews that believe a Palestinian state should be based on the pre-1967 borders (J Street poll) can hardly be defined as part of the ‘Jewish lobby’ as many people would interpret the term in pro-aggressive sense of Israeli policy. It is simplistic and misleading to use the general term “Jewish” in regards to ‘lobby’ & ‘Israel’ because the term “Jewish” is altogether too disparate to jam into one mold and portray a community’s ideas and differences accurately. It is this error or negative communication phenomena lends power to stereotype (my opinion)
“Israel lobby” has the virtue of accurately referring to the focus of the lobby’s endeavors. “Jewish lobby” is accurate only in that it identifies the religious affiliation of many (though by no means all) of the individuals comprising the lobby.
Suppose some Americans started forming organizations to oppose US aid to Israel, and many, but not all, of the people in these groups were Arab-American Muslims. Would you call this the “Islamic lobby”? Would you refer to Christian groups lobbying for abortion restrictions as the “Christian lobby”? Of course you wouldn’t. So how is this different?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_lobby_in_the_United_States
http://ronaldthomaswest.com/2014/04/05/intelligence-agencies-wikipedia-2/
^ Sort of like trusting the CIA world facts book on Syria
As Hedges writes: “Israel engages in the kinds of jaw-dropping lies that characterize despotic and totalitarian regimes. It does not deform the truth; it inverts it. It routinely paints a picture for the outside world that is diametrically opposed to reality. And all of us reporters who have covered the occupied territories have run into Israel’s Alice-in-Wonderland narratives, which we dutifully insert into our stories—required under the rules of American journalism—although we know they are untrue.”
THANK YOU Glenn Greenwald and Chris Hedges for fearlessly speaking truth to power!!
I’m confused about the 2007 Strategic Mission List – is this a document that has been released, or no? I think what exactly led to the things discussed in this article (Israel as a leading FIS threat, etc.) are important. I’d need some context on that before I can comment.
As to the ‘throwing up of the hands’ in regard to Israel Palestine. Well (I feel like I’m at confession or something… slides open wooden door…) I have to say I get it. It is nice to take a moral high ground stance, or, if that’s not possible, at least a ‘tut tut, people in that culturally foreign and very far away place need to learn to get along’ removed stance. But the situation of Israel is like one of those ethical conundrums they give you about throwing people in front of trolleys – no answer will let you go home feeling good about yourself. It’s either “Yes, the Israeli’s have to accept some death and destruction of their people for the sake of living up to a democratic ideal”, or, “Yes, the Palestinians have to accept some oppression and death and destruction for the sake of Israeli safety”. Who wants to point a finger and say “You – I choose death for you. Woo hoo, glad that’s done, now, how about that new Kardashian app, huh? Maybe we should debate whether or not it’s right for them to be famous. Now there’s a good moral conundrum. I mean, what do they do for a living, really, huh, am I right or am I right? But then again, what with the free market… ok, this might be a long talk, so, which side do you…”
Israel makes Germany seem like gentlemen. All aid should be stopped. The Kool-aid narratives we are supposed to swallow is insulting and gut- wrenching. I weep for the Palestinians and our choice of friends. As a retired RN,wish I were there to help in Gaza
think it can be taken for granted that Israel
is needed for strategic reasons. As for the
general population our relationship with
Israel is so enmeshed in religious absurdities as to make a rational approach
to the I/P conflict impossible.
If you google Max Blumenthal on YouTube
you can find a video of a conference he attended hosted by the Rev. James Haggie
having to do with American/Israeli relations. It’s quite an eye opener.
It has been the intent of Zionist before WW I to claim all of that land for “Jews only.”
Nor would the United States be interested in it all except for Middle East oil; “our oil.”
Obama is just another complicit president passing through nor will the next president be any different when it comes to the rights of the Palestinians.
Israel controls the American government and most of our Congress are too stupid to see it.
I think the Israeli far right is in need of a lesson on just what their situation is. Netanyahu is alleged to have said that we are not to question him again when it comes to dealing with the Palestinians. If true, that’s an amazing thing to say to the nation that has supported and helped guarantee your nation’s existence amidst a sea of enemies who you claim would like nothing better than to extirpate it (and you individually). “Biting the hand that feeds you” is not a recipe for success, I would think.
Liked your article – your premise about allies having a part or being complicit in Israel’s aggression against its enemies states the obvious.
It seems you assume partnering with an ally is improper whether it is sharing intelligence or supplying munitions – not sure why these actions bother you.
Others say supporting Israel puts God on our side – “…he who blesses Israel I will bless…” thus says the Lord (paraphrased).
Maybe one might speculate Israel provides strategic advantage or excuse to US for intervention to protect our ally and sustain the MIC of Eisenhower’s warning – economic stimulation.
Pick your poison
Also, some if not all of this has to be laid at the feet of the Bush Administration. One more idiotic policy decision among the many they made was to refuse to recognize Hamas as the duly-elected government of the Palestinian Territories. That gave Israel license to do the same. Like everything else those idiots did, that’s worked out well.
America considers Israel to be its staging area, in the event of a major military struggle in the Middle East. That is the number one reason why American bombs and bullets are stored there. As powerful as the Israeli lobby is, first and foremost, America looks after itself first.(just like any other country).
You will find weapons stockpiled in Germany and Japan too. What do they get out of it? reasurance that nearby powers (such as China/Russia) will be detered from a military attack. perhaps like what is happening in Ukraine.
Specifically, America has strategically valued its freedom of passage through the Suez canal, and access to all the oil in the area.
I mention all this, merely to point out that any honest discussion about what is happening in Gaza, and to Palestine, and to America’s military support of Israel, both in bullets and intelligence, must factor in America’s longstanding consensus position among the military planners that job one for America is keeping Israel as a reliable staging ground for a US troop buildup in preparation for a war against the potential adversaries such as Russia or Iran
consider:
-”Israel is not, of course, situated in some geographical backwater, but at the junction of paramount American interests. Its prominence on the eastern Mediterranean littoral, at the nexus of North Africa and Southwest Asia, has enabled the United States to minimize its military deployments in the area. In the Persian Gulf, by contrast, the absence of a dependable and sturdy ally like Israel has impelled the United States to commit hundreds of thousands of troops and trillions of dollars. Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig’s observation 30 years ago still resonates today: “Israel is the largest American aircraft carrier in the world that cannot be sunk, does not carry even one American soldier, and is located in a critical region for American national security.” ”
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/04/25/the_ultimate_ally?page=0,0#sthash.s3RAvoXG.dpbs
In these terms, in the terms of America’s government, in the eyes of successive American presidents, including Obama, all the blown up schools, all the dead Palestinains, all the lip service given to the values of human rights and self determination and justice and peace,…these are merely public relations files that need to be handled so as to not endanger America’s strategic plans for Israel and the Middle East
-”Campaigners are most worried about £42m of arms export licences granted to 130 British companies, including two supplying components for the Hermes drone and one selling components for Israel’s main battle tank.”
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/04/uk-government-reviews-arms-sales-israel-gaza
Don’t worry, Britain!, just before they cross the border into Gaza, all the British parts pop off the Israeli drones and tanks (it’s only momentum that allows them to complete their missions!!!)
What I have observed over the years are efforts to exaggerate how important Israel is to the US. Whenever I hear of something such as this, that is the first thing I think of.
War Reserves Stock Allies-Israel also known as War Reserve Stockpile Ammunition-Israel or simply WRSA-I was established in the 1990s and is maintained by the United States European Command.[2] It is one of the US’ biggest War Reserves, located within Israel.[3] Initially the WRSA-I stock had $100 million,[4] however prior to Operation Protective Edge had nearly $1 billion dollars worth of reserves,[5] with authorization to increase this up to $1.2 billion.[6] The stock includes ammunition, smart bombs, missiles, military vehicles and a military hospital with 500 beds, all spread around the country in 6 different locations.[7]
When needed, Israel can request to access the WRSA-I stock, which would then need to be approved by the US congress.[8] One such example is during Operation Protective Edge, the US authorized Israel to access 120mm mortar rounds and 40mm grenade launcher ammunition,[9] which were some of the older items in the stock, which would need to be replaced soon there after anyway.[10]
It is common knowledge among educated people.
So is it a real US ammo dump, or is its only purpose to boost Israel’s actual access to munitions well beyond the huge amounts that are common knowledge among educated people? Getting permission from the US Congress to use it is a given. There are only a handful who would ever vote no.
Now we can mention the “Gorilla in the room” which is…
Does the US store nuclear munitions in Israel?
How much of the Israeli nuclear arsenal was attained from the United States?
Those are the real questions when a country seems pointed to ethnic cleansing with no seeming recourse.
http://www.smh.com.au/world/us-restocks-israel-with-ammunition-as-it-condemns-attack-on-united-nations-school-20140731-zyv3w.html
However, they seem to be rotating the stock.
Hi, Mike, well it’s been in the news this past week, Obama giving Netanyahu permission to dip into it, so I didn’t think I needed to put a link to that…try “google”
on your second point, I guess my point is that what is left unsaid about America’s real motivations explains WHY you may hear about how important Israel is to the US. in other terms, for example, instead you may hear about “Shared values” and all that crap. (Tell the dead Palestinians about those shared values)
And I find it notable that reporters/commentators on tv are loathe to talk about it in terms that you will find in “Foreign Policy” magazine, as I quoted, but it is nevertheless on those terms that the American government, from WWII onward has operated.
Our relationship is, imo, based more on the need to control US Christians and, as an added attraction as a test bed for development of future weapons.
In either case, it is an un-holy alliance that portends nothing good for the world. One way or the other, it must stop NOW.
Things aren’t always easy. In every US military attack in the Middle East, concern is raised about Israel being openly part of offensive operations (for ex. Israeli troops joining the “coalition of the willing” next to the ten guys from Poland or the British troops)
…and staging the Iraq attacks from Israel? looking at a map there seems to be the problem there of getting troops and planes out of Israel, past countries such as Jordan, to Iraq.
Jordan quietly granting overfly, base rights to US planes is one thing, but letting troops invade from Israel? That would be asking a lot from the monarchy.
Yeah, Israel is no ‘mere’ weapons’ dump. … and, lord knows, there are some u.s. ‘Christians’ who believe the one&only road to the Second Coming runs through Israel!
*don’t mind me, I was just reading, slack-jawed, at the suggestion of some long-ago Foreign Policy-type ‘strategic’ value by killing all those poor people! … if that is so, we desperately need some new strategic planners.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/us-confirms-it-resupplied-israel-weapons-during-gaza-conflict-1459128
I suppose that’s one method of inventory management.
http://images.smh.com.au/2014/07/31/5640011/1406778101272.jpg-620×349.jpg
You’ll notice that the round is fixed, that is, that the projectile and the cartridge are ready-made. Field artillery ammunition tends to separate the fuze, projectile and propellant, so this appears to be a tank round, I’m guessing 105mm. The yellow diamonds are a standard U.S. marking, indicating that it’s a beehive antipersonnel round; the fuze can be rotated so it will burst at a set distance downrange in a spray of flechettes. Your tax dollars in action!
Israel is more useful as a demonstration of the efficacy of US armaments. Oil producing countries in the region, especially Saudi Arabia, sell their oil for dollars and then use them to buy American weapons. However, the US now has taken the initiative of launching its own wars to show off its arsenal and in addition, Israel has been undermining this model by building up its own arms industry, in some cases undercutting the US. So it is a less valuable strategic ally than formerly – hence the references in NSA documents to Israel as a potential adversary. There is an underlying tension developing between the Israeli and US administrations, which is evident if you follow the news – even if they don’t admit it publicly.
However, it’s a big world, and the strategy which has worked so well in the Middle East appears to have great promise in Africa, another resource rich region. It may even be possible to translate the model to the former Soviet Republics. So I think there will be plenty of business for everybody, and there is no need for close allies to squabble in such an unseemly fashion, especially since Israel is too small to make a big dint in global US arms sales.
Good point Benito, but doesn’t all you’ve learned make you wish you had another crack at the Ehepia campaign??
“I don’t like violence, Tom. I’m a businessman. Blood is bad for business.” -The Godfather
When a “rogue” regime (or indigenous political movement) threatens this stability, it must be eliminated — with an invasion as in Iraq, with a coup as in Egypt while Morsi was in power, and with active opposition when political opposition looks viable (wahabis in SA, ISUS in Syria/Iraq.)
Stifling political dissent in foreign regimes helps maintain an appearance of stability while actually fueling nationalist (and religious) opposition. People without a voice in their own destiny target and attack their (perceived) oppressors. Thus a smoldering war against the oppressed — otherwise known as the “war on terror” — develops, targeting indigenous political opposition.
From this perspective, from the perspective of an imperial power devoted to the maintenance of the status quo — cooperation among “friendly” regimes (especially among their State police services) makes good sense. Identify and isolate dissident movements in key States, marginalize and assassinate dissident leadership, and empower and arm compliant regimes. (with the added bonus of kickbacks of US taxpayers’ money to US defense industries supplying weapons and support in material and training.)
But what happens to countries where there’s no viable political opposition? (See Central American death squads and drug gangs.)
When States disallow or subvert viable and realistic political opposition, various foreseeable consequences follow.
Dissident politicval groups like Al-qaeda, religious nationalists (Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Ruhollah Khomeini in Iraq), ISUS, Hamas, the Taliban (in Pakistan) and desperate refugees fleeing the tyranny of war inevitably follow. This dynamic strengthens the police agencies in these compliant states — which generates more resistance which generates more overt repression which further strengthens police agencies … etc.
Chaos becomes the enemy and political orthodoxy becomes the demand. Stability at any cost!
Worse, the police agencies in our sponsoring “democracies” (like Britain, the US and Israel) increase their own domestic power and inevitably turn that power against their own citizens which opportunistic politicians parlay into greater power for themselves.
What happens next should be obvious.
-”What a refreshing change from that tired old thinking that always blames murder on the murderer. Mister Drome, once a spokesman for the Israeli government, said the Israelis were “lured into a trap, now Hamas sheds crocodile tears about the dead”.
If only more of us understood bombed schools in this way. We always rush to judge some poor kid in an American town who mows down his classmates, without even pausing to consider the dead kids probably tricked him into it, and now to make it worse their parents are all pretending to cry.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/how-silly-of-me-to-assume-it-was-israeli-bombs-causing-all-the-damage-in-gaza-9640905.html
Rampant speculation–
How else would they BRAINWASH the ENTIRE US populations?
When viewed through a historical prism,
It seems fair to relate
That the Israeli State
Will be seen as an Oasis of Freedom in a Desert of Despotism.
As an Island of Hope in a Sea of Despair.
As an Oasis of Democracy in a Desert of Tyranny.
As an Island of Modernity in a Medieval Sea.
As an Island of Enlightenment in a Sea of Ignorance.
As an Island of Reason in a Sea of Irrationality.
As an Island of Prosperity in a Sea of Envy.
As an Oasis of Mental Health in a Desert of Psychoses.
As an Oasis of Success in a Desert of Failure.
And any current attitudes to the contrary will reside, as ‘t were, in the dust bin of history.
Selah
In reality both historical instances were/are intentionally caused 100% by r1b’s and their stolen intel apparatus.
It is not going down in history as a crime committed by Jews accompanied by the statement “see everybody does it” (actually nobody does it but r1b’s), rather it’s going down in history as another crime being 100% orchestrated and committed by r1b all by themselves as usual and trying to blame it on someone else…. as usual.
They Bolshevik-Communists murdered over 60 Million Christians in Russia and surrounding European countries.
The National Socialists of Germany were fighting against these people. Don’t believe the Jewish media and entertainment industry – they’ve been lying for years.
Just look at slavery – they put out the movie ‘Roots’ claiming it was based on a true story – however, the author of the book was sued for taking whole pieces of story from another book that was a work of fiction.
They lie.
Titus 1:14 “Not giving heed to Jewish Fables and commandments of men that turn from the TRUTH”
The Bolshevik-Communists murdered over 60 MILLION Christians in Russia and other European countries.
Call them what they are, Communists.
Given this, I’m not precisely sure where my leverage is as an American citizen. In isolation, doubtless, not much. But, it does clarify for me that I might have to engage in some less-than-desirable-under-normal-conditions alliances to amplify the little leverage I have. That does speak to me in terms of where my limited campaign donations are going to go, and where my energy will be placed in a voting booth. An otherwise strong set of preferences for US domestic policy has just been pushed to the bottom of my priority list.
Not. In. My. Name.
https://twitter.com/search-advanced
It beats any brute-force method I’ve tried instead.
The Doomsday Machine
I’d sooner he reopen the Whiskey Bar, but until he can be convinced, I’ll take whatever he offers.
What is with the commenters who cannot take a breath without excusing themselves, entering extreme denial of their own culpability and duplicity in these international war crimes of their own nation-state. and otherwise babble on and on about how the US is not responsible for what Israel does?
What does it take to awaken a victim of a self-inflicted coma?
This is nothing new. The Jewish lobby’s influence goes back decades. As the Jewish intellectual Irving Kristol wrote in 1973,
Irving Kristol is Bill Kristol’s father. The Jewish lobby’s evangelical, conservative, Democrat and Republican cronies are a problem too in the American political scene but ultimately a side show.
Source:
http://mondoweiss.net/2007/05/30_years_ago_ne.html
Maybe the Nazis did not intend to commit genocide, since they did feed the inhabitants of the Warsaw Ghetto.
The mistake that Israel is making is that it is allowing too many civilian causalities. But it is within its rights to defend itself against Hamas. We have struggled with that ourselves in our battles with Al Qaeda. When they hide in areas with lots of civilians it is difficult to get them without hurting civilians.
israel is KILLING civilians and don’t worry’ your israeli friends admit it and say: “we know children are getting killed, but hey, our kids can’t go to kindergarten, it’s totally fair, an eye for an eye…”
sorry but FUC… You ALL ZIONIST murdering PIGS…
Israel is quickly becoming a clone of Hitler’s Germany, if it has not already surpassed it.
“Just because we (the United States) supply weapons and intelligence to Israel doesn’t mean that we are causing them to do what they are doing. The US is trying to broker a peace deal where Hamas in Gaza stops firing rockets at Israel and building tunnels into Israel and in return Israel withdraws its forces.”
~~~~~~
Let me help you with your wordage…. I think you meant: [and in return Israel stops the wanton killing, war crimes, and the savagery of its attacks on a trapped and helpless civilian population]
~~~~~~
Person continues the propaganda: “The mistake that Israel is making is that it is allowing too many civilian causalities. But it is within its rights to defend itself against Hamas. ..snip”
~~~~~
I think you meant: [The mistake that Israel is making is that it is PURPOSELY CAUSING too many civilian causalities, and that Hamas has a right to defend itself]
~~~~~
Person goes on:
“We have struggled with that ourselves in our battles with Al Qaeda. When they hide in areas with lots of civilians it is difficult to get them without hurting civilians.”
~~~~~
I think you meant: It’s a really tough job killing people we don’t know by remote control. We struggle with it like the bully struggles to keep from beating up on the weak… that is to say, not at all.
You are welcome.
It is obvious that those who are defending the so called Palestinians have very conveniently ignored the following:
1. A two states solution was on the table by the UN in 1947 which was utterly refused by ALL the Arabs whose publicly declared intention was to EXTERMINATE the Jews
2. Israel had to fight to survive Arab aggression and terror in 1948; 1956; 1967; 1973; 1982 etc
3 Israel returned every square inch of Sinai to Egypt (territory THREE times bigger than Israel) over a piece of paper that Morsi was going to overturn
5 Hamas Charter is to EXTERMINATE all Jews
6 The very so called Palestinians many of you are so heart broken over were the ones who were so happy at the HOLOCAUST of 3000 Americans on 911 they celebrated throwing sweets at each other
7 The hatred of many comments of Israel & Jews also ignore the FACT that the IDF uses missiles to shield its people from Hamas indiscriminate rocket attacks while Hamas uses its people to shield their missiles
8 Last but not least NEVER in the history of warfare has any nation attempted to reduce civilian collateral damage as Israel while Hamas does its utmost to put its civilians in harm’s way to solicit the sympathy of Jew haters such as many of you
IQ al Rassooli
Kafir & Proud!
It is amazing how incompetent Israel is at their attempts to: “reduce civilian collateral damage” as you put it. By which I’m guessing you are referring to the mass slaughter of men women and children. Let me help you, you ignorant and biased fool. Israel is a country that is committing war crimes. I don’t give a flying fuck what the predominant religion or race of that country is. Now do you get it? No, of course not.
Keep trotting out that same shit and pretending it is not redolent of the ugly bias in that brainbox full of steamed cheese atop your shoulders.
What is it that blind, hegemonic, supporters of this “fake state” don’t understand?
Israel is ruthless, rascist and will not stop until they ethnically cleanse Palestinians from their land, which Israel thieved from them.
Do note, Christian Zionists, particularly, that Israel have no place for you, either. Unless you are in their exclusive club, you are deemed inhuman and treated accordingly.
A rogue state which should NOT be receiving ANY support and dismantlement of their WMD cache before they wreck humanity.
“…….. The NSA and GCHQ receive intelligence about the Palestinians from many sources. The agencies have even succeeded in inducing the U.S.-supported Palestinian Authority Security Forces (PASF) to provide them with surveillance and intelligence about other Arab groups in the region……..Jordan also feeds surveillance data about the Palestinians to the NSA. One classified NSA document from 2013 describes how “NSA’s partnership with EWD [the Jordanian Electronic Warfare Directorate] is a well established, long-standing and trusted relationship dating back to the early 1980’s.” Specifically, the two agencies “cooperate on high-priority SIGINT targets of mutual interest” that includes the Palestinian Security Forces……“EWD provides high-interest, unique collection on targets of mutual interest, such as the Palestinian Security Forces; EWD is the sole contributor to a large body of NSA’s reporting on this target.”
A politically-motivated article timed to coincide with the current conflict in Gaza. The overall message is that the US is complicit in the war in Gaza because we supply weapons and munitions to the Israeli government. In addition, the article seeks to undermine US support for Israel and politically embarrass (or worse) the Palestinian Authority and Jordan governments for cooperating with the US. This release of this information could empower Hamas – as will any settlement in this conflict that ends the embargo (except one which coincides with the disarming of Hamas).
US-Israel intelligence cooperation is a real shocker, Mr. Greenwald. A recent publication verified a joint venture by Israel and US intelligence agencies which temporarily disabled the Iranian nuclear program using a computer virus called “Stuxnet”. The US and Israel are suspected in the murder of Iranian nuclear scientists working on the Iranian nuclear program (speculative, but who would be surprised?). There is nothing earth shattering about US-Israel intelligence and military cooperation. The US has been arming Israel essentially since the Yom Kippur War in 1973. The US brokered peace between Israel and Egypt in 1979 and has been arming both countries since that time.
The timing of this publication is exquisite and (probably) rushed to coincide with the ongoing war in Gaza – a war in which the international community has witnessed Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza and on the Hamas terror network. Hamas has used a large amount of capital to construct an elaborate tunnel system into Israel, ostensibly to bypass the crowded Israeli streets to markets on weekends. Some of the finances could have been spent on Palestinians living in Gaza – possibly even for a bomb shelter. Hamas has vowed to continue fighting until the blockade is lifted – or the last Palestinian in Gaza is killed (whichever comes first).
The US has nothing to gain politically by the war in Gaza. The Obama administration yesterday condemned the shelling of the UN school which left 10 people dead:
The State Department issued a statement Sunday condemning Israel’s “disgraceful” shelling of a United Nations school sheltering civilians in Gaza…….”The United States is appalled by today’s disgraceful shelling outside an UNRWA school in Rafah sheltering some 3,000 displaced persons, in which ten more Palestinian civilians were tragically killed,”……..Psaki continues: “UN facilities, especially those sheltering civilians, must be protected, and must not be used as bases from which to launch attacks. The suspicion that militants are operating nearby does not justify strikes that put at risk the lives of so many innocent civilians.”………”
Finally, it’s laughable that you publish information by US intelligence which calls Israel one of the greatest threats to “…… “Espionage/intelligence collection operations and manipulation/influence operations conducted by foreign intelligence services directed against U.S. government, military, science & technology and Intelligence Community.”…..”
Indeed, didn’t the Intercept publish how the US spies on friends like Germany? That is just one of many jobs of intelligence agencies. Remember Jonathon Pollard? Notice how France is also on the list.
Since when are real reporters in the biz of sparing people and governments the embarrassment of their lies and deceit? Greenwald doesn’t work for the inept mainstream press or the lame Washington press corp — where reporters get up every morning and think how best to kiss the government’s ass. And this article is no surprise at all. If our government will spy on its own senators, it will surely help an ally spy on its enemies in a far off land where life is cheap. I expected nothing less was going on between the US and Israel — so no shocker there.
Tell us the details about how the ignorantly named “greatest generation” (that would be our founding generation for you ignoramouses) that gave us the US national insecurity cults that now rule US foreign policy on behalf of Wall Street psychopaths/sociopaths – tell us about how this generation was so brilliantly benevolent and innocent and had nothing to do with the stupidest historical blunder ever committed – the Cold War – how was all this wonderful angelic generation so manifest and where do you find all the evidence – as opposed to your Tom Brokaw TV-ignorance inspired assertions?
I also read the news today;Half minute to decipher everything(wapo,nyts) they had to say,which was nada.Oh,they had a story on GG at the NYTs how he’s not really internet connected in the jungle or some rot or another.Behind their paywall I would imagine,as they go belly up in self destruction for Eretz Israel.
No prophecies here, pretty obvious that the loan shark owns you when you need quick cash for your rent because you blew all your wad at the blackjack table. And we already are bowing to an Asian dictator.
And yes, the Greatest Generation wasn’t perfect, but they didn’t lie and deceive us AS MUCH as our leaders do now. You could count on them to tell the truth at least SOME of the time, and PROFIT wasn’t the ONLY thing we cared about.
During the Depression we TRIED to get people back to work, now we just blame the jobless. The Greatest Generation at least prosecuted securities fraud SOME of the time and TRIED to regulate the banks from doing stupid things. Our current generations says “let em’ eat cake.”
IKE ay least TRIED to slow down the war machine and FDR was working on universal healthcare in the “Second Bill of Rights.” Now we have a president who can only write health care law for the benefit of the medical industrial complex.
There was a time when how well your workers were paid was a good reflection on business and captains of industry, now American business hates the worker. Now it seems that how much money you hide off shore and how much loss you can hide off-the-books is a reflection of of success. Pretty fucking sad!
The murderers who kidnapped the Israeli teens are identified members of Hamas. They sometimes have been referred to as rebels i.e., rogue murderers who work outside of Hamas leadership – allowing a convenient denial by the terrorist organization that never condemned the kidnapping or murder of the teens. In fact, the kidnapping was praised by Hamas leadership. Hamas was certainly in a desperate situation in Gaza isolated without support from the usual allies so a war could serve a purpose for Hamas.
Hamas diverted a significant amount of precious financial resources to construct an elaborate tunnel complex designed to penetrate the borders of Israel and kidnap or kill IDF soldiers. The money could have been spent to better the lives of civilians that mistakenly elected the terrorist organization to power. If perpetual war is what the Islamic terrorist want, then why not at least construct some bomb shelters so civilians who just have an interest in raising a family and working might not become fodder for Hamas’s political game to end the embargo. The answer is self explanatory.
It’s the height of irresponsible “journalism” to ignore the role of Hamas in the current war – or even the broken cease fire. Even if Hamas had killed the soldiers a little before the cease fire officially began, they irresponsibly risked the brokered cease fire which was agreed to by all parties for humanitarian reasons. Shortly after the IDF was attacked, the truce faltered leading to more Palestinian deaths (always the Palestinians pay). It’s clear that the primary motive for Hamas is using Palestinian children as collateral for securing the end to the blockade. By ignoring the irresponsible actions of Hamas, the Intercept – the fringe left – willingly advances this narrative in service to Hamas.
Who are the secret American controllers of the Beltway marionettes operating in secrecy, soiling our credibility and using our tax dollars. Who does Netanyahu call when he is unhappy with the President or the Secretary of State and wants then to follow his lead? A strong dose of daylight followed by more daylight is needed here.
The evidence is all over the internet. All we have to do is a little reading and searching. It is no secret except to tv addicts and others who refuse to do a little civic homework.
“The lesson of the Holocaust is not that Jews are special. It is not that Jews are unique. It is not that Jews are eternal victims. The lesson of the Holocaust is that when you have the capacity to halt genocide, and you do not, no matter who carries out that genocide or who it is directed against, you are culpable. And we are very culpable …”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy9XRvvLAW0#t=362
Where’s the evidence that multiple such tunnels exist? Where’s the evidence that these tunnels have been used to kill civilians? Surely, if you’re going to construct hundreds of these tunnels, each one must have some purpose.
These are just unsubstantiated talking points, aren’t they?
(as an aside: LOVE the jews, done GREAT progressive resistance work for HUNDREDS of years in the us of a; zionists ? fuck’em with a backwards pineapple, WORSE than nazis, as they have NO EXCUSES for their immorality, having suffered as they are making others suffer now…)
firstly, WHAT other options do the palestinians have but to tunnel ? drones ? yeah, right…
secondly, i guess the tunnels prob come in all sizes, but let’s say a typical one is 6′wide by 6′ tall and uses 4″ thick concrete (prob thicker on the ceiling, but let’s keep it simple)… that would be about 8CF of CONCRETE (NOT ‘cement’, which is only ONE constituent of concrete) per linear foot of tunnel… concrete weighs about 150 lbs per CF, and cement makes up approx 10-15% of that weight, so say 10-12 lbs per cf, so if there is approx 8 CF of concrete per lineal foot, that would be approx 8 X 10 or 12 = 80 to 96 lbs of cement per lineal foot of tunnel…
at 600 000 tons X 2000 = 1 200 000 000 lbs of cement divided by 100 (rounding up the 96 to account for waste/etc) = 1 200 000 lineal feet of tunnels = 227 miles of tunnels potentially…
hell, wouldn’t it just be cheaper to treat them as human beings ? ? ?
10-15% of 150 lbs is not ’10-12′, but ’15-22′, so you can break out the calculator from there, the point remains…
Israel has greatly benefited from the 9/11 attacks and it’s time the truth comes out. Look up dancing Israelis on 9/11, it all makes sense now. Great work Glenn.
It is really nice to see that someone has grasped the larger picture. 9/11 = Inside job.
Bahahahahahahahahahahah …hohohohohohoh…hahhahahaha!
Israeli definition of GOOD=http://www.google.com/search?q=gaza+jpg+dead+children&nord=1&tbm=isch&imgil=KhQGdRmeXpZqaM%253A%253B3S2qT6rLuw5npM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%25252Fnews%25252Farticle-2698150%25252FExodus-40-000-civilians-forced-leave-homes-300-dead-Israel-vows-significantly-widen-ground-offensive-Gaza.html&source=iu&usg=__VXr-McHoCb0FN_lM5OGInHC9uBg%3D&sa=X&ei=arXfU6fMNIeeyASBn4CIDg&ved=0CCUQ9QEwAw&biw=1120&bih=582#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=KhQGdRmeXpZqaM%253A%3B3S2qT6rLuw5npM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fi.dailymail.co.uk%252Fi%252Fpix%252F2014%252F07%252F19%252Farticle-2698150-1FCBFB5700000578-566_964x672.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%252Fnews%252Farticle-2698150%252FExodus-40-000-civilians-forced-leave-homes-300-dead-Israel-vows-significantly-widen-ground-offensive-Gaza.html%3B964%3B672
Spare me you scumbag.
the NDTV video is shocking. this is unconscionable behaviour. if UN Security Council cannot act, we must find another forum to hold Israel and its accomplices accountable for these war crimes.
enough is enough.
Looking at the larger picture, Congress seems to have outlived its usefulness. Laws can more effectively be implemented as Executive Orders and covert payments provide much more flexibility than publicly voted budgets. It could be argued that Congressional committees provide an oversight function in accordance with the Constitution. However, the past year has revealed that officials simply lie to those committees, without consequence, and then spy on them – so the oversight only exists in theory.
So Congress is a bit like the Roman Senate after the end of the Republic – continuing to exist long after it had lost any political relevance. So they may be upset, but they won’t get too upset. That might jeopardize their ongoing ceremonial role as the representatives of the people and comfortable sinecures.
Perhaps that’s a bit harsh, since it’s possible that private funding of congressional political campaigns provides a useful feedback mechanism for the government when it sets its policy priorities. After all, a government that loses the support of its moneyed elite soon loses its legitimacy.
Alison Weir, NOT the British historian with the same name, has been an important supporter of Palestine since 2000. She went there alone and spent time with the people. She has done an extensive job of documenting the Israel destruction of the place and the people and how it is covered up by the US media.
She runs an org and a web site
If Americans Knew: What Every American Should Know about I/P
the link
http://www.ifamericansknew.org/
it looks like the data, for example, killed children, has not been updated after the slaughter this month
here is an excellent presentation she made – she started going there in about 2000 and spent time with the Palestinians and saw the destruction of their land and murder of their people
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-UwcVP_k2Y&feature=youtu.be
and she wrote a book
“AGAINST OUR BETTER JUDGEMENT: The hidden history of how the U.S. was used to create Israel”
After hearing your interview on emoprog, and your description there of warnings about writing about Israel, I can only say, please stay safe.
Why can’t those darn Jews behave the way they used to?. Lining up properly to go into the “showers”. Such uppity people…
1906:
“Startling reports of the condition and future of Russia’s 6,000,000 Jews….”
query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F50A16FF3A5A12738DDDAC0A94DB405B868CF1D3
1921:
_”BEGS AMERICA SAVE 6,000,000 IN RUSSIA”_
query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F60A12FA3C551A738DDDA90A94DF405B818EF1D3
1938:
_”PERSECUTED JEWS SEEN ON INCREASE; Dr. Kahn Returns With Report of Rise in Europe of Those Deprived of Rights 6,000,000 VICTIMS NOTED 25,000 Refugees Said to Be in Need–Rumania Menaces 800,000 With Anti-Semitism”_
select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10D17FB385415768FDDA00894D9405B888FF1D3
1943:
“Of these 6,000,000 Jews almost a third have already been….”
encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ30DEqxVkcWDL2Y_6B_q_dZ6VScgpaArhoyF-MycmGJrb4Kstp
Elsewhere, others report 236 references to 6,000,000 Jews prior to the Nuremberg Trial announcement. What’s the fixation, before the Nuremberg trials, with 6,000,000?
Nothing in your list of persecution of Jews can explain or justify, why Israel is doing the same against the Palestinians. Is this Israel’s entitlement for ‘Revenge’?
If it was revenge, why choose the the Palestinians to massacre and steal their land? Wouldn’t make more sense to declare war on Germany? Or this is not possible because Germany now is a cash cow for the Israelis?
His quotes are all found at Holocaust denial sites and places such as the neo-Nazi Stormfront. His purpose is to promote a conspiracy theory about the # 6,000,000; as if “they” had been plotting before WWII to perpetuate hoaxes using this same figure.
If his posting volume gets as excessive as it always has done before, he’ll be banned again.
In the meantime: Please don’t feed the trolls!
He is a loony tunes conspiracy freak, and no doubt beleives he;s citig the same number if Jewish victims
In short you are a personal growth-stunted, wilfully ignorant, rabid groupie (who even once claimed to have a black velvet painting with Glenn’s image affixed over Christ’s).
deborah’s posts lasted all of three before effectively criticizing the founding editor you worship.
She wrote “AGAINST OUR BETTER JUDGEMENT: The hidden history of how the U.S. was used to create Israel”
She has been working full time since 2000 to bring to light what Israel has done to the Palestinians
here is an excellent presentation which begins with what happened in 2000 – 2001 time frame and how the Israel military action has continued
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-UwcVP_k2Y&feature=youtu.be
here is her web page
http://alisonweir.org/
“FINNANCE MANEGER”???
Exactly. You don’t have that right. You can do it. You have the might. You sure as hell don’t have the fucking right.
For example, if after having robbed a series of banks, the owner of the banks located the thief and started to fire a bb-gun at the him, the bank robber is within his right to defend himself from those bb’s to ensure that he’s not injured. However, the thief is not allowed to use undo force with which to protect himself, especially in light of the crimes he committed.
The above is an unrealistic scenario because under ordinary circumstances the bank robber would’ve been arrested and have gone to a criminal court; which is where Israel belongs: the ICC.
In addition, given that Obama and the US congress supplied lethal weaponry and provided other means (intelligence) with which to carry out those crimes, they are accessories in the commission of those crimes and well aiders and abetters. As such, the US government is complicit and should be charged so that they can be brought to justice.
By infiltrating the White House and the Pentagon, Israel knew exactly how to use their energy and build strategic partners in belligerence and deceit.
1. In 2013, Unit 8200 purportedly intercepted a conversation between Syrian officials regarding the use of chemical weapons which the Obama administration attempted to use as justification for an armed response against Assad.
2.In 2010, Unit 8200 developed and deployed the stuxnet and flame virus against Iran in an attempt to disrupt its nuclear development program.
3. Two Israeli companies, Verint and Narus, were founded by veterans of the IDF’s cyber-warfare Unit 8200. Verint and Narus created programs which offered the NSA backdoors to all the major U.S. telecommunications and technology companies including Facebook, Microsoft, Google. In 2006, Kobi Alexander, the founder and former chairman of Verint, was named as a fugitive by the FBI on nearly three dozen charges of fraud, theft, lying, bribery, money laundering and other crimes. And two of his top associates at Comverse, Chief Financial Officer David Kreinberg and former General Counsel William F. Sorin, were also indicted in the scheme and later pleaded guilty.
4. In 1986, An Israeli wiretap company, NICE Systems, was formed by seven veterans of Unit 8200. In 2001, Employees of NICE Systems were caught posing as Art Students while engaging in espionage against various US targets including the Drug Enforcement Agency.
5. In 2004, Unit 8200 purportedly broke a sophisticated Iranian code which allowed them to secretly monitor communications between Iran and Pakistan about Iran’s nuclear-weapons program. This intelligence was passed on to the Bush administration with the intention of fomenting war against Iran.
6. In 1996, Unit 8200 was instrumental in constructing a network of special intercept antennas that were located in hilltop settlements throughout the West Bank. The network was used to intercept all cell phone calls coming from Palestinian controlled territory. The cell phone calls placed by security officers of the Palestinian Authority were monitored 24/7. Cell Phone tracking capabilities allowed Israeli Defense Forces to proactively target key individuals during periods of Palestinian unrest.
7. In 1967, the Israeli SIGINT National Unit was responsible for intercepting the communications from the USS liberty as it monitored the aftermath of Israeli preemptive attacks on Egypt from its position in international waters. Upon be discovered, the USS Liberty was targeted and sunk by Israeli Defense forces. To this day, Israel claims that the ship was misidentified as that of Egyptian registry in spite of its clear markings.
Very informative and spot-on post.
Thanks.
I don’t think I have seen a massacre this bad except for the Syrian Army indiscriminately bombing and killing civilians. It is so horrific and cruel one cannot fully fathom the reality of it.
It sickens me that my tax dollars are paying for the weapons that killed these children, women and men who are innocent victims of Israeli armed forces stupefying brutality and immorality.
Syria is fighting a US and Israeli backed insurgency,as are the Shia in Iraq.It’s all more divide and conquer which has destroyed the ME,and if you think Israelis are immune to their own depredations,you aint seen nothing yet.Samson option is coming!Seppeku by atheist monsters using religion as cover.What a bad joke on our world as OT wackos destroy the Enlightenment..
Oh and I don’t agree with their warmongering about Iran either, which you may recall AIPAC recently was engaged in.
It may be a naive dream to expect our politicians to stop kissing Israel’s ass but one can hope.
That’s the essence of the con. It isn’t. See mythology created by AIPAC, political contributions etc.
NDTV reports from Rafah in South Gaza
Published on Aug 3, 2014
“The war in Gaza has taken on a new intensity, and as NDTV reaches Rafah, where the conflict is most intense, we see ghost towns and a long empty road which had seen heavy bombardment from the east. Israel had attacked Rafah, breaking the ceasefire, claiming that Hamas had kidnapped one of its soldiers. But yesterday Israel said the solider might be dead. Yet, as we found, Rafah continues to be under heavy attack, and the targets are young children, women, entire families, even a UN shelter.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=N7lcNjTRSn4
However, it occurred to me that some of you may not watch the video unless I say it contains disturbing images. So, be warned, it’s hideous. Everybody, please contact the WH and your representatives and demand that they put a stop to Israel’s aggression so that what you see in the video doesn’t continue. And it will if we don’t speak out. Thank you.
PHONE NUMBERS
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/write-or-call
I never paid attention to the last two wars in Gaza – I was too busy buying stuff on eBay. Besides, the MSM never really conveys a visceral sense of the reality of what these wars mean for the people and children of Gaza. Not like this video. But I’m looking now, and I’m reading, a lot, and I can’t help thinking, this has happened twice before in the last few years, and I never even noticed.
arming every country in the ME with high
tech weaponry. Many of these countries have ties to the Taliban and ISIS. This is how the US works for peace in the ME.
The only country the US is not arming is
Iran. The less democratic a country is the
more weapons they get.
http://rt.com/news/177716-us-israel-funding-aggression/
You will be interested in following the NAM meeting in Tehran. They have already urged UN backing of humanity efforts to evacuate hospitals. Egypt is a NAM member.
See: “Iran after trial of Israeli criminals: Official”
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/08/04/373965/iran-seeks-trial-of-israeli-criminals/
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/08/04/373967/nam-palestine-meeting-opens-in-tehran/
It is simply an amazing, and most, most enlightening piece of investigative journalism. (The Guardian’s editor Alan Rusbridger is interviewed about the lobby’s attempts to shape how the paper covers Israel and the Palestinians. Also reported is how the BBC was bullied by the lobby into canceling plans to air a charity appeal for Palestinian children.)
Until we have a U.S. version of this program, here is the fine one from the UK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lby-BP5xVRI
AIPAC Is the Only Explanation for America’s Morally Bankrupt Israel Policy
“This Orwellian situation is eloquent testimony to the continued political clout of AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) and the other hardline elements of the Israel lobby. There is no other plausible explanation for the supine behavior of the U.S. Congress–including some of its most “progressive” members–or the shallow hypocrisy of the Obama administration, especially those officials known for their purported commitment to human rights.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephen-m-walt/aipac-americas-israel-policy_b_5607883.html
And why is it another article I ought to read? It’s just regurgitated material from Walt’s book. If he were a physicist he would’ve been labeled a crank. Unfortunately political science does not require empirical evidence.
No. It is is because they are, far and away, one of the most powerful U.S. lobby groups, and unquestionably the largest constituent group of the Israel Lobby.
Had you placed a period after “Israel” I’d agree, for that sentence would be true. But you continued with the absurd claim that the Xtian Zionist organization is equally powerful and influential.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_lobby_in_the_United_States
But getting to the point where we’d be large enough to pay off politicians as effectively as AIPAC et al., well, that’s gonna take a lot of work.
Moreover, while BDS’s methods are non violent, one of its goals is the de-facto destruction of Israel which is violent, therefore I seriously doubt it will gain any mainstream acceptance.
I don’t mind a boycott or divestments, it’s all good, but only if the goal is a two state solution. BDS’s fantasy land – Yugoslavia in the Middle East – vision is absurd and violent and this I cannot get behind.
They are a huge, if not the hugest, force in the U.S. on matters pertaining to the Middle East: http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/American_Israel_Public_Affairs_Committee
As for your prattle about BDS, it is simply wrong.
Also, I have to point out that you are rude, condescending and logically challenged. “Virtually everybody” is not a number, I hope that they at least teach that in law school.
Here’s just one link: http://972mag.com/israel-crosses-the-tipping-point-becomes-an-economic-liability/87298/
There is much, much more reading on this topic available online.
From the horse’s mouth:
In practical terms this means the destruction of Israel and thus the movement will never gain acceptance beyond a small cabal of fringe lunatics. This is in fact unfortunate because without this part it could actually make a difference (I’d join for example).
“And as Ellison’s frank comments suggest, lawmakers have to worry about alienating Jewish constituents before November’s midterm elections. For example, a recently leaked memo from Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Michelle Nunn’s campaign was explicit in tying a pro-Israel message to support from Jewish voters and fundraisers.”
“[Activists] look at Congress as hopeless. Moving Congress or moving the administration is hopeless,” said Kevin Martin, executive director of Peace Action, an anti-war group. “That’s why there’s a shift to [the BDS movement] rather than…trying to influence congressional or administrative policy on Israel.”
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/30/even-left-wing-congressmen-can-t-quit-israel.html
“New York is the ATM for American politicians. Large amounts of money come from the Jewish community,” he said. “If you’re running for president and you want dollars from that group, you need to show that you’re interested in the issue that matters most to them.”
http://www.nysun.com/national/clinton-edwards-will-square-off-at-aipac-tonight/47843/
The article does give a bit of “color background” as the influence of AIPAC is discussed.
I don’t think the newyork times and the washingtonpost would report this even if the NSA wanted to make it public.
Thank you for this Glenn
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israelgaza-conflict-israeli-military-using-flechette-rounds-in-gaza-strip-9617480.html
Oh, and 40mm rounds for grenade launchers. That’s a very low-velocity, low-range round used for close-in missions, for whatever that’s worth. Interesting.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/03/israel-spied-kerry-peace-effort-report
Maybe Kerry’s out of the loop? This doesn’t question this story, which is an eye-watering bit of news, but it does add a layer of bizarre to it, don’t it?
Congrats on a new and enormous scoop — and more questions they need to answer.
I don’t want to pick on the religious, but what you wrote above is patently absurd, and quite offensive. Don’t come back and tell me that it’s part of God’s fucking plan for which all these Palestinian children had to die. Don’t tell me that. I don’t care who’s coming back, Christ or the anti-Christ. Let him come some other fucking place. There is no reason for a single Palestinian child to die, because of your God’s ridiculous, morally repugnant, and unholy fucking plan.
I generally value your comments, but I really found this reply to James just a bit outside the line. You seem to dismiss any talk of religion as “not about the real world.” I happen to be a Christian and I have found that my faith is what helps me get through in the real world. Not only that, but trying to understand different points of view, religiously or otherwise helps us understand motivations and contexts of today’s problems.
You bring up the problem o suffering. I’m not sure I have a good answer for that. It’s something that even as a Christian I struggle with. I often wonder why people suffer and why aren’t prayers answered. I wish I had an answer, but I do still believe in God, or a Supreme Being, or a Great Spirit, or Allah, or “something bigger, ” Supreme Cosmic Force – I firmly believe in something “MORE.”
Personally, I have seen prayers answered and have experienced some, as a buddy of mine calls them, “happy coincidences.”
All that said, I conclude that I don’t fully understand why these bad things happen or are allowed to happen. Maybe indeed someday, I/we won’t be seeing through a glass darkly anymore. Until then, my strategy is to pray and to muddle through as best I can.
2:205 When he leaves, he sets out to spread corruption in the land, destroying crops and live-stock- God does not like corruption.
2:206 When he is told, ‘Beware of God,’ his arrogance leads him to sin. Hell is enough for him: a dreadful resting place.
2:207 But there is also a kind of man who gives his life away to please God, and God is most compassionate to His servants.
Study the Quran and what you are saying is not in there. If you are in any way referring to the Hadith – the Hadith are not God’s revelation, God said obey the Messenger and the Messengers duty was to deliver the Message, not write down so called Hadith which are more like hearsay. The anti-christ as I recall is not mentioned in the Quran but in Hadith. God swt said He would preserve the Quran which is firstly a recitation in Quranic Arabic, with an incredibly intricate structure that would be very difficult to maintain etc. God never said write down the Hadith. The Hadith include punishments like stoning. The Quran does not. The Quran includes other punishments and these Hadith go against the Quran.
I am not getting into a religious debate. I want to put this down since you seem to want to “attest” to God giving something. God swt will judge between us our differences on the Last Day.
In general, considering some of the other comments on here: This whole conflict is also not about religion. If most Jews became atheists, the atrocities would still go on. This is about Zionism – it’s so popular and trendy to blame religion for everything. This means people do not deal with the real issues and rabid nationalism is not dealt with.
How much longer must we listen to the b/s spewed by israel and its enablers about israel’s alleged superior science and vaaaaast contributions to world economy? Israel’s own economy is a disaster, its genocidal army depends on the US tax payers’ largesse, its best educated/smartest people are a steady stream of humanity emigrating; most to Germany….
According to archeologists Finkelstein/Silberman’s “Bible Unearthed” biblical Israel (of David, Solomon, Moses, et al) never existed as anything more than an underpopulated land of illiterate pagan goatherders. The reason the religion is called Judaism, not Israelism, is b/c it was invented around 700BC in Judea, first as a pagan, polytheistic cult, that gradually around 100 BC evolved into a monotheistic religion that has survived into the present b/c of massive proselytising (Shlomo Sand “The Invention of the Jewish people”), i.e., conversion of pagans living around the Mediterranean basin and beyond. In effect, there is nothing unique about Judaism: it is just another religion invented by the rich and powerful to exert their power over useful idiots, such as the present day muslim, christian and jewish unsophisticated naifs and fanatics to do their masters’ bidding.
Present day Israel is a fraud. Israel of the Antiquities never existed, Judea was never an independent, self-governing entity, but rather a colony trampled by just about every power in the region: Egyptians, Sumerians, Persians, Hittites, Greeks, Romans. Judea is where the cult/religion was invented and practiced as one of many in the region.
Not until the world Jewry learns to separate its personal religious choice from the physical reality of their citizenship, nothing will change, beyond the escalating self-tarnishing of their faith that gradually is being equated with the cult of Naziism. Unfair, yes. But that’s what happens when a religion is equated with a secular presence: just like in Iran, S.Arabia or any other fanatical religious state.
Time for the US to withdraw its props and let the ME warmonger learn to stand like the rest of humanity, or fall under the weight of its own barbaric stupidity.
The American public needs to be made aware of this; that their government officials are lying to them about how glorious and wonderful “the only democracy” is.
In private, they know what we all do, to wit: that Israel is a an aggressor and a menace to both the Palestinians and to regional peace.
So why then, one must wonder, do our elected officials — knowing the menace that Israel is — lavish it with money and diplomatic cover?
Answer: $$$THE ISRAEL LOBBY$$$
Because of this pernicious cancer in our body politics, the U.S. supports Israel in matters against our own interest, that are murderous to Palestinians, and which militate against regional peace.
It goes all the way back to 1948, when Harry Truman was very distressed by pressure from Zionists at home and abroad, who eventually extorted him onto recognizing the State of Israel against his better judgement.
Truman feared that by doing so he and the world were laying the groundwork for WWIII — but he had to keep the Zionist vote. There was no significant Arab voting block in the U.S. at the time, as he wryly noted.
And so it has usually gone with the U.S. government ever since: placating the Israel Lobby no matter what. (But privately snarling at the Zionists, as Truman most certainly did.) It wold be magnificent if Snowden documents can bring this ugly reality to the light of the American public.
For more on Zionism, Israel and Harry Truman, I highly recommend John Judis’ book here: http://www.amazon.com/Genesis-American-Origins-Israeli-Conflict/dp/0374161097
It isn’t. It specifically states “lobby,” as in paying for votes.
“As it is, it’s offensive.”
No, it’s unequevically accurate. Thinking otherwise is offensive.
” The corporations don’t have to lobby the government anymore. They are the government.”
Jim Hightower
Indeed, Business Pundit ranks the Israel Lobby among the 10 Most Powerful in the U.S., right up their with Big Oil.:
And again, this lobby and its $$ explains why U.S. officials trip all over themselves to say nice and supportive things about Israel in public, while in private they admit it is a terrible menace.
We have a lobby in the U.S. that is so powerful it extorts our officials into adopting policies in favor of a foreign country, even if doing so is unjust and/or runs counter to U.S. interests.
I was referring specifically to your $$$THE ISRAEL LOBBY$$$ line. It is the offensive part because it is an obvious (if not particularly clever – that’s why it’s obvious) play on an old antisemitic conspiracy theory.
I suggest that you take a look at this website and educate yourself.
I’ve said not a word about silly conspiracy theories in which Jews control the world through banks & etc.
That’s the strawman you’ve interjected here. Has nothing to do with me or my arguments.
I am discussing the widely known phenomenon of the American Israel Lobby. The same lobby Glenn writes about in this other article — of the many in which he has addressed the topic. This one is about the lobby going after Obama hammer and tongs: http://www.salon.com/2011/05/22/israel_48/
Once again, the phrase $$$THE ISRAEL LOBBY$$$ with the dollar signs and all caps is an obvious nod to THAT conspiracy theory. It’s no strawman.
The fact that you keep trying to paint it as some innocent and pure comment relating to the Israeli lobby merely underscores that you know exactly what you meant and really don’t like being called out on it.
Frankly it’s a little bit disgusting, if not unexpected.
This is your brain on Zionism, GC. It isn’t uncommon for the Zionist-deluded to imagine people saying things other than what they clearly said. Or to deny a manifest fact.
It’s a Lobby. The Israel Lobby. And it’s $$$ buys American politicians. See Tujay’s comment here: https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/08/04/cash-weapons-surveillance/#comment-63930 -and the one of his below it in that thread.
Hoping to clarify:
Where you say “If it weren’t a play on that old “Jews controls all the banks” chestnut it’d be just plain childish,”I respond with:
“It isn’t [a play on anything] It specifically states “lobby,” as in paying for votes.”
You then go on to say “As it is, it’s offensive,”to which I respond with:
“No, it’s unequevically accurate. Thinking otherwise is offensive.”
So it is you, GC, that is constructing straw-men where non exist, as well as conflating a country, Israel, with a culture, Jewish, in order to try to discredit an easily verifiable argument.
““Now that I have you thoroughly confused, let me pause to hear your own dismayed cry.”
Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing
Furthermore when Mona mentions the Israeli lobby, it’s always AIPAC, the Jewish organization that’s part of that lobby that she speaks of, not any of the others, so I’m not the one conflating Jews and Israel.
You are welcome.
Just as reality has a well-known liberal bias, I guess it is also is biased toward what hardcore Zionists would deem to be “antisemitic.”
Do read both the book, and Greenwald’s article about it and the authors, the latter which I linked to above.
I am familiar with the book and I disagree with it. It’s predicated on the premise that Israel wanted and pushed for the war in Iraq, which is false. If it has no foundation to stand on, the entire argument collapses.
The profitable and mutually beneficial relationship between the countries’ arms industries explain the support Israel receives much better than a lobby.
And as Glenn’s above revelations show, in private U.S. officials will state the truth: that Israel is a menace. They won’t say these things publicly, or act on them, because of the Israel Lobby’s influence and $$$ in U.S. politics.
The book has been widely discussed, now in mainstream, Establishment circles. Whatever else is true, the books influence and arguments have not collapsed.
Seriously the bar for social science arguments is so low. No proof or calculations needed to promote one’s conjectures. All that’s needed is to write a book. Bam! Now we have a theory.
There is no French Lobby. And I, for one, would be delighted if we treated France as we do Israel, in terms of public support for its foreign policy positions (including at the UN) and foreign military aid. As it is, we often reject and distance ourselves from France.
But, zut alors, there is no French Lobby, while in contrast, the U.S. Israel Lobby rivals Big Oil and Big Finance for control of our body politic. So, the U.S. kisses Israel’s ass.
France is also referred to as a menace, privately, by U.S. officials. If there is no French lobby, why won’t those officials say that publicly?
I don’t see how that observation makes your point for you.
Also you forgot a bunch of lobbies in your list, like big Pharma, health insurance, Hollywood, various agri business lobbies (why is pizza considered a vegetable? why are American supermarkets full of corn byproducts?), Monsanto and friends, and many many others.
Also, I’m not sure where you get that writing “$$$THE ISRAEL LOBBY$$$” like so is anti-Semitic. You might have a leg to stand on if she had written it as “$$$THE JEWISH LOBBY$$$” – but most of us here understand that not all Jews are Israel-Firsters and Zionists as well.
But, we have no French Lobby, much less one in the Top Ten, up there with Big Pharma, Tech, Big Finance and Big Oil. Yup, Israel Lobby is right up and snug with those guys in power and influence, on behalf of a foreign country.
How about numbers? Give us the numbers that prove the Israel lobby is so powerful. Show me the money Mona.
Clearly Israel is not the only one. And of course that still doesn’t include the Cuban [exiles] lobby and many others.
Show me, Mona, that the pro Israel lobby spends more than anyone else. You too Señor Paul Fleischer, show me the money.
AIPAC yields 886,000 results.
Do you not understand what the AIPAC acronym stands for? American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
It is a domestic lobbying group, albeit lobbying on behalf of a foreign country.
And the most recent disgusting item I have learned. MEDIA MATTERS of America who I have given tons of air time to on my various radio/tv outlets (now retired) over the years are now in bed with the Bibi’s making sweet snuggles with the child killers. I mean people really buy into this “chosen” crap. What incredible marketing. Like Cedric, The Great Entertainer. I am Jack Jett, The Great Chosen Anti-Semitic F*g Wussie!
Justice is Demanded by Humanity. Justice is Demanded by Humanity. Justice is Demanded by Humanity.
Governmental Fraud Revealed. Governmental Fraud Revealed. Governmental Fraud Revealed.
The Dark Mask has been removed. The Dark Mask has been removed.
Each Individual must take responsibility to hold these criminals to account for their actions.
Each Individual must take responsibility to hold these criminals to account for their actions.
The fiction, the illusion, the deception, the lies are now revealed to Humanity.
Humanity has renounced all deceptive contracts with these corporate governments because they are a Fiction and a Fraud.
The Inhumanity must STOP.
Action begins NOW.
The sleep is still in my eyes
The dream is still in my head
I heave a sigh and sadly smile
And lie a while in bed
I wish that it might come to pass
Not fade like all my dreams
Just think of what my life might be
In a world like I have seen
I don’t think I can carry on
Carry on this cold and empty life
Oh no!
My spirits are low in the depths of despair
My lifeblood spills over…
“God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” {Jas. 4:6}
“The destinies of men are subject to immutable laws that must fulfill themselves. But man has it in his power to shape his fate, according as his behavior exposes him to the influence of benevolent or of destructive forces.” # 15 Image, I-Ching
“Only through having the courage to marshal one’s armies against oneself, will something forceful really be achieved.” # 15 Line 6, I-Ching
Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation
Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation
We have assumed control
We have assumed control
We have assumed control
That is to say, with all of this spying and with all of Israel’s claims about precision targeting, the killings have been wildly indiscriminate. Not to mention the fact that Israel is just now discovering the Terror Tunnels.
Flight 17;It’s obvious by now that our boys did the deed,hence the silence from the US and it’s serial liars.