"Mention any trouble spot in the Third World over the past ten years, and, inevitably, you will find smiling Israeli officers and shiny Israeli weapons on the news pages. The images have become familiar: the Uzi submachine gun or the Galil assault rifle, with Israeli officers named Uzi and Galil, or Golan, for good measure. We have seen them in South Africa, Iran, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Namibia, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Chile, Bolivia, and many other places. From Manila to San Salvador, from Seoul to Tegucigalpa, from Walvis Bay to Guatemala City, from Taipei to Port-au-Prince, Israeli civilians and military men have been helping, in their own words, in 'the defense of the West'." (The Israeli Connection: Who Israel Arms & Why, Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi, p xii)
Beit-Hallahmi's groundbreaking expose of Israeli military involvement in conflict zones around the world, was published in 1987. Needless to say, nothing has changed:
"'If Iran tries to block the Bab al-Mandab strait, I'm sure it will find itself facing an international coalition determined to prevent it. This coalition will include all Israel's army branches as well,; declared Benjamin Netanyahu in August, following Iran's threat against American sanctions. Such a coalition had already been set up in 2015 by Saudi Arabia, who partnered with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Pakistan. Israel is also an unofficial partner. Israeli cyber companies, gun traders, terror-warfare instructors and even paid hitmen operated by an Israeli-owned company are partners to the war in Yemen.
"In September, London-based Al-Khaleej Online published a long article about Israel's involvement in training Colombian and Nepalese combatants, who were recruited by the UAE for the war in Yemen... The report also says that Israel set up special training bases in the Negev, where the mercenaries were trained by Israeli combatants... The mercenaries later took part in the war on the port town of Hodeidah and other fighting zones in Yemen. The site's sources said Israel also sold bombs and missiles to Saudi Arabia, some of which are banned. Recently it was reported and later denied that Israel also sold Saudi Arabia combat drones and intends to sell it Iron Dome systems as well.
"Many reports have been written about Israeli companies like the NSO group, which is suspected of selling Saudi Arabia Pegasus spyware accused of helping trace and survey Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, or the AGT company owned by the Israeli businessman Mati Kochavi, which in 2007 won the $6 billion bid to set up surveillance and monitoring systems in Abu Dhabi. But what remains a mystery is to what extent Israeli technology served the fighting forces in Yemen.
"Another company, Spearhead Operations group, which was set up by Israeli Avraham Golan and is registered in the United States, was responsible for assassinating Yemenite clergyman Anssaf Ali Mayo in December 2015. Mayo was one of the leaders of the Yemeni reform party, which is affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood. The latter is classified in the UAE as a terror organization... " From Yemen's war is a mercenary heaven. Are Israelis reaping the profits? Zvi Bar'el, outline.com, 15/2/19
Showing posts with label Israel/world. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Israel/world. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Thursday, November 29, 2018
Make One, Two, Three, Many Guatemalas*
Sorry, but I can't rest on this subject. Even the Lowy Institute is giving the embassy shuffle the thumbs-down:
"Moving the Australian embassy when no other first world country is would dilute the unity of Western effort further and reward Israel without getting anything in return. No wonder Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was effusive in his praise of the proposal - he probably never thought he would get two Guatemalas in his time in office." (Jerusalem embassy move is down and out on three counts, Rodger Shanahan, The Australian, 22/11/18)
Two Guatemalas? And Australia is the second! Ay caramba! So let's check out the first:
"'We have had an excellent relationship with the people of Israel since the foundation of the State of Israel,' President Jimmy Morales told CBN on Wednesday. His Central American country, now the most heavily evangelical nation in Latin America, was an early supporter of Israel's independence in 1948 and the first to establish an embassy in Jerusalem in the late 1950s. (It was later one of 13 nations that withdrew their embassies from the disputed city due to a 1980 United Nations resolution.)... Citing prayer and prophesy as their motivation, Morales and Vice President Jafeth Cabrera officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital last year and pledged to return Guatemala's embassy there. 'People in Guatemala pray for the peace in this region, pray for Jerusalem, and they are excited,' said Sarah Angelina Solis, Guatemala's ambassador to Israel, in an interview with CBN. 'I feel this is a gift from God. I know that a lot of blessings will come after this decision. This is a promise in the Bible, in Genesis...'" (Blessed through Israel: how Guatemala's evangelicals inspired its embassy move, Kate Shellnutt, christianitytoday.com, 17/5/18)
This millenarian madness, of course, is continent-wide, but the rot appears deepest in Central America, particularly in Guatemala:
"As once Catholic-dominated nations in Central and South America see the rise of evangelicos, particularly from Pentecostal and charismatic traditions, they've also grown more supportive of Israel as a political state and a holy land, keen to the Lord's words to Abraham: 'I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.' (Gen. 12:3 NIV). Guatemala and Honduras - which have undergone the most dramatic declines in Catholic identity (down nearly 50% in 45 years, according to the Pew Research Center) - were among just a handful of countries to side with the US when the UN voted to condemn its decision to recognize Jerusalem again... Guatemala's third evangelical president, Morales has prioritized Israel since his election in 2015, making the country his first official visit outside of the Americas." (ibid)
But the Lord's 'blessings' now being showered on Jimmy Morales' Guatemala actually go back to the 70s and 80s:
"Even in the midst of the endless misery and cruelty of Central America, Guatemala stands out as a country where those in power have been fighting the powerless with an unusual degree of ruthlessness and bloodiness. Over the years, reports of the horrible realities of Guatemala have been numerous and the judgments harsh. What is unique is the extent to which those who carried out the deliberate policies of endless killings have proclaimed their indebtedness to Israel, as the source not only of their hardware, but of their inspiration. Israel became the main support of the Guatemalan military regimes, as attested to by both General Romeo Lucas Garcia and General Efrain Rios Montt in no uncertain terms. It was Rios Montt, born-again Christian and dictator of Guatemala in 1982-1983, who explained the ease with which he took over in March 1982 simply: 'Many of our soldiers were trained by Israelis' (Greve, 1984) [...] In Guatemala, Israeli advisers are not just instructors: 'Israeli advisers - some official, others private - helped Guatemalan internal security agents hunt underground rebel groups' (Cody, 1983, p 7). They have been directly engaged in counterinsurgency campaigns against the Indian communities." (Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi, The Israeli Connection: Whom Israel Arms & Why, 1988, pp 79-81)
The genocidal Indian-fighter Rios Montt, it seems, is something of a role model for Morales:
"Rios Montt died in Guatemala City on April, 2018, of a heart attack at the age of 91. The government of Guatemalan president Jimmy Morales lamented his passing." (Efrain Rios Monttt - Wikipedia)
In fact, Guatemala's love affair with Israel goes back even further, as a young British officer, stationed in Mandate Palestine at the time the Irgun and Stern gangs were strutting their stuff, noted acidly in his memoir:
"This was the day, 16 June [1947], which heralded the arrival of the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine. This travelling circus, under its self-appointed ringmaster, Jorge Garcia-Granados, a Guatemalan whose country had little to learn about oppressing indigenous peoples, passed five weeks in the Holy Land, adding not a jot to its preconceived ideas. His personal conclusion was that Palestine was a police state, because, thanks to terrorism, it had been forced to spend $2,000,000 a month on security, or P7,010,000 per year. Necessity, the need to support a subjective viewpoint, in this case became the mother of invention." (Philip Brutton, A Captain's Mandate: Palestine 1946-1948, 1996, pp 99-100)
Garcia-Granados went on to pen his own memoir, which concludes thus:
"Yes, it was true, the birth of Israel had taken place in the agony of war. I was convinced that this war need not have been... Nonetheless, bloodshed had come, and we recognized the realities of the situation. Despite this unnecessary tragedy, we, who had considered the needs and problems of Palestine and its peoples, knew that Israel would live. It must live! Its existence was the first step toward the achievement of security and peace and a new awakening in the lands of the Middle East. How far from Guatemala to Israel - and yet, how near! In a world of many peoples, the struggle was one." (Jorge Garcia-Granados, The Birth of Israel: The Drama as I Saw It, 1948, pp 290-91)
Just how well that worked out we can see today in the smoking ruin that passes for the Middle East, and just how near Guatemala is to Israel today can hardly have been imagined by the deluded author of these words.
[*With apologies to Che. I have, of course, borrowed his memorable injunction, 'Make one, two, three, many Vietnams', to describe Netanyahu's attempt to circumvent apartheid Israel's pariah status.]
"Moving the Australian embassy when no other first world country is would dilute the unity of Western effort further and reward Israel without getting anything in return. No wonder Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was effusive in his praise of the proposal - he probably never thought he would get two Guatemalas in his time in office." (Jerusalem embassy move is down and out on three counts, Rodger Shanahan, The Australian, 22/11/18)
Two Guatemalas? And Australia is the second! Ay caramba! So let's check out the first:
"'We have had an excellent relationship with the people of Israel since the foundation of the State of Israel,' President Jimmy Morales told CBN on Wednesday. His Central American country, now the most heavily evangelical nation in Latin America, was an early supporter of Israel's independence in 1948 and the first to establish an embassy in Jerusalem in the late 1950s. (It was later one of 13 nations that withdrew their embassies from the disputed city due to a 1980 United Nations resolution.)... Citing prayer and prophesy as their motivation, Morales and Vice President Jafeth Cabrera officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital last year and pledged to return Guatemala's embassy there. 'People in Guatemala pray for the peace in this region, pray for Jerusalem, and they are excited,' said Sarah Angelina Solis, Guatemala's ambassador to Israel, in an interview with CBN. 'I feel this is a gift from God. I know that a lot of blessings will come after this decision. This is a promise in the Bible, in Genesis...'" (Blessed through Israel: how Guatemala's evangelicals inspired its embassy move, Kate Shellnutt, christianitytoday.com, 17/5/18)
This millenarian madness, of course, is continent-wide, but the rot appears deepest in Central America, particularly in Guatemala:
"As once Catholic-dominated nations in Central and South America see the rise of evangelicos, particularly from Pentecostal and charismatic traditions, they've also grown more supportive of Israel as a political state and a holy land, keen to the Lord's words to Abraham: 'I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.' (Gen. 12:3 NIV). Guatemala and Honduras - which have undergone the most dramatic declines in Catholic identity (down nearly 50% in 45 years, according to the Pew Research Center) - were among just a handful of countries to side with the US when the UN voted to condemn its decision to recognize Jerusalem again... Guatemala's third evangelical president, Morales has prioritized Israel since his election in 2015, making the country his first official visit outside of the Americas." (ibid)
But the Lord's 'blessings' now being showered on Jimmy Morales' Guatemala actually go back to the 70s and 80s:
"Even in the midst of the endless misery and cruelty of Central America, Guatemala stands out as a country where those in power have been fighting the powerless with an unusual degree of ruthlessness and bloodiness. Over the years, reports of the horrible realities of Guatemala have been numerous and the judgments harsh. What is unique is the extent to which those who carried out the deliberate policies of endless killings have proclaimed their indebtedness to Israel, as the source not only of their hardware, but of their inspiration. Israel became the main support of the Guatemalan military regimes, as attested to by both General Romeo Lucas Garcia and General Efrain Rios Montt in no uncertain terms. It was Rios Montt, born-again Christian and dictator of Guatemala in 1982-1983, who explained the ease with which he took over in March 1982 simply: 'Many of our soldiers were trained by Israelis' (Greve, 1984) [...] In Guatemala, Israeli advisers are not just instructors: 'Israeli advisers - some official, others private - helped Guatemalan internal security agents hunt underground rebel groups' (Cody, 1983, p 7). They have been directly engaged in counterinsurgency campaigns against the Indian communities." (Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi, The Israeli Connection: Whom Israel Arms & Why, 1988, pp 79-81)
The genocidal Indian-fighter Rios Montt, it seems, is something of a role model for Morales:
"Rios Montt died in Guatemala City on April, 2018, of a heart attack at the age of 91. The government of Guatemalan president Jimmy Morales lamented his passing." (Efrain Rios Monttt - Wikipedia)
In fact, Guatemala's love affair with Israel goes back even further, as a young British officer, stationed in Mandate Palestine at the time the Irgun and Stern gangs were strutting their stuff, noted acidly in his memoir:
"This was the day, 16 June [1947], which heralded the arrival of the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine. This travelling circus, under its self-appointed ringmaster, Jorge Garcia-Granados, a Guatemalan whose country had little to learn about oppressing indigenous peoples, passed five weeks in the Holy Land, adding not a jot to its preconceived ideas. His personal conclusion was that Palestine was a police state, because, thanks to terrorism, it had been forced to spend $2,000,000 a month on security, or P7,010,000 per year. Necessity, the need to support a subjective viewpoint, in this case became the mother of invention." (Philip Brutton, A Captain's Mandate: Palestine 1946-1948, 1996, pp 99-100)
Garcia-Granados went on to pen his own memoir, which concludes thus:
"Yes, it was true, the birth of Israel had taken place in the agony of war. I was convinced that this war need not have been... Nonetheless, bloodshed had come, and we recognized the realities of the situation. Despite this unnecessary tragedy, we, who had considered the needs and problems of Palestine and its peoples, knew that Israel would live. It must live! Its existence was the first step toward the achievement of security and peace and a new awakening in the lands of the Middle East. How far from Guatemala to Israel - and yet, how near! In a world of many peoples, the struggle was one." (Jorge Garcia-Granados, The Birth of Israel: The Drama as I Saw It, 1948, pp 290-91)
Just how well that worked out we can see today in the smoking ruin that passes for the Middle East, and just how near Guatemala is to Israel today can hardly have been imagined by the deluded author of these words.
[*With apologies to Che. I have, of course, borrowed his memorable injunction, 'Make one, two, three, many Vietnams', to describe Netanyahu's attempt to circumvent apartheid Israel's pariah status.]
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Axis of Evil
There is no rhyme or reason/ For any of this slash & burn/ Everybody gets a season/ This time round it's Brazil's turn (With apologies to Alistair Hulett)
***
Top analysis from James Petras: Trump's alliance with body-choppers, death squads & child-killers: Saudi Arabia, Brazil & Israel:
"In recent weeks the White House has embraced the contemporary version of the world's most murderous regimes. President Trump has embraced the Saudi Arabian 'Prince of Death' Mohammad bin Salman who has graduated from chopping hands and heads in public plazas to dismembering bodies in overseas consulates - the case of Jamal Khashoggi.
"The White House warmly greeted the electoral success of Brazilian Presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro, ardent champion of torturers, military dictators, death squads and free marketeers.
"President Trump grovels, grunts and glories before Israel, as his spiritual guide Benjamin Netanyahu celebrates the Sabbath with the weekly murders and maiming of hundreds of unarmed Palestinians, especially youngsters.
"These are President Trump's 'natural allies'. They share his values and interests while each retains their particular method of disposing of the cadavers of adversaries and dissenters.
"We will proceed to discuss the larger political-economic context in which the trio of monsters operate...
"President Trump's intimate ties with the world's most unsavory regimes flows from several strategic interests. In the case of Saudi Arabia, it includes military bases; the financing of international mercenaries and terrorists; multi-billion dollar arms sales; oil profits; and covert alliances with Israel against Iran, Syria and Yemen. In order to secure these Saudi assets, the White House is more than willing to assume certain socio-political costs. The US eagerly sells weapons and provides advisers to Saudi's genocidal invasion, murder and starvation of millions of Yemenis. The White House alliance against Yemen has few monetary rewards or political advantages as well as negative propaganda value. However, with few other client states in the region, Washington makes do with Prince Salman 'the salami slicer.' The US ignores Saudi financing of Islamic terrorists against US allies in Asia (the Philippines) and Afghanistan as well as rival thugs in Syria and Libya. Alas, when a pro-US collaborator like Washington Post journalist and US resident Jamal Khashoggi was assassinated, President Trump was forced to adopt the pretense of an investigation in order to distance himself from the Riyadh mafia. He subsequently exonerated butcher boy bin Salman: he invented a flagrant lie - blaming 'rogue elements' in charge of the interrogation, - read torture.
"President Trump celebrated the electoral victory of Brazilian neo-liberal fascist Jair Bolsonaro because he checks all the right boxes: he promises to slash economic regulations and corporate taxes for multi-national corporations. He is an ardent ally of Washington's economic war against Venezuela and Cuba. He promises to arm right-wing death squads and militarize the police. He pledges to be a loyal follower of US war policies abroad. However, Bolsonaro cannot support Trump's trade war especially against China which is the market for almost 40% of Brazil's agro-exports. This is especially the case since agro-business bosses are Bolsonaro's principal economic and congressional supporters. Given Washington's limited influence in the rest of Latin America, Brazil's neo-liberal fascist regime acts as Trump's principal ally.
"Israel is the White House's mentor and chief of operations in the Middle East, as well as a strategic military ally. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel has seized and colonized most of the West Bank and militarily occupied the rest of Palestine; jailed and tortured tens of thousands of political dissidents; surrounded and starved over a million Gaza residents; imposed ethno-religious conditions for citizenship in Israel, denying basic rights for over 20% of the Arab residents of the self-styled 'Jewish state'.
"Netanyahu has bombed hundreds of Syrian cities, towns, airports and bases in support of ISIS terrorists and Western mercenaries. Israel intervenes in US elections, buys Congressional votes and secures White House recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state.
"Zionists in North America and Great Britain act as a 'fifth column' securing unanimous favorable mass media coverage of its apartheid policies.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu secures unconditional US financial and political support and the most advanced weaponry.
"In exchange Washington considers itself privileged to serve as foot soldiers for Israeli targeted wars in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen and Somalia... Israel collaborates with the US in defending Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan. Netanyahu and his Zionist allies in the White House succeeded in reversing the nuclear agreement with Iran and imposing new and harsher economic sanctions.
"Israel has its own agenda: it defies President Trump's sanctions policies against Russia and its trade war with China. Israel eagerly engages in the sales of arms and high-tech innovations to Beijing." (petras.lahaine.org, 16/10/18)
***
In addition to his slashing and burning of Brazil, Bolsonaro, a throwback to the Brazilian military dictatorship of 1964-1985, has declared, on US television, that the first country he will visit as a Christian will be Israel.
The final word I'll leave to this 29/10 tweet of Netanyahu:
"I spoke this evening with the president-elect of Brazil, @jairbolsonaro. I congratulated him on his victory. I told him I'm certain his election will lead to a great friendship between our peoples and a strengthening of BrazilIsrael ties. We are waiting for his visit to Israel!"
***
Top analysis from James Petras: Trump's alliance with body-choppers, death squads & child-killers: Saudi Arabia, Brazil & Israel:
"In recent weeks the White House has embraced the contemporary version of the world's most murderous regimes. President Trump has embraced the Saudi Arabian 'Prince of Death' Mohammad bin Salman who has graduated from chopping hands and heads in public plazas to dismembering bodies in overseas consulates - the case of Jamal Khashoggi.
"The White House warmly greeted the electoral success of Brazilian Presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro, ardent champion of torturers, military dictators, death squads and free marketeers.
"President Trump grovels, grunts and glories before Israel, as his spiritual guide Benjamin Netanyahu celebrates the Sabbath with the weekly murders and maiming of hundreds of unarmed Palestinians, especially youngsters.
"These are President Trump's 'natural allies'. They share his values and interests while each retains their particular method of disposing of the cadavers of adversaries and dissenters.
"We will proceed to discuss the larger political-economic context in which the trio of monsters operate...
"President Trump's intimate ties with the world's most unsavory regimes flows from several strategic interests. In the case of Saudi Arabia, it includes military bases; the financing of international mercenaries and terrorists; multi-billion dollar arms sales; oil profits; and covert alliances with Israel against Iran, Syria and Yemen. In order to secure these Saudi assets, the White House is more than willing to assume certain socio-political costs. The US eagerly sells weapons and provides advisers to Saudi's genocidal invasion, murder and starvation of millions of Yemenis. The White House alliance against Yemen has few monetary rewards or political advantages as well as negative propaganda value. However, with few other client states in the region, Washington makes do with Prince Salman 'the salami slicer.' The US ignores Saudi financing of Islamic terrorists against US allies in Asia (the Philippines) and Afghanistan as well as rival thugs in Syria and Libya. Alas, when a pro-US collaborator like Washington Post journalist and US resident Jamal Khashoggi was assassinated, President Trump was forced to adopt the pretense of an investigation in order to distance himself from the Riyadh mafia. He subsequently exonerated butcher boy bin Salman: he invented a flagrant lie - blaming 'rogue elements' in charge of the interrogation, - read torture.
"President Trump celebrated the electoral victory of Brazilian neo-liberal fascist Jair Bolsonaro because he checks all the right boxes: he promises to slash economic regulations and corporate taxes for multi-national corporations. He is an ardent ally of Washington's economic war against Venezuela and Cuba. He promises to arm right-wing death squads and militarize the police. He pledges to be a loyal follower of US war policies abroad. However, Bolsonaro cannot support Trump's trade war especially against China which is the market for almost 40% of Brazil's agro-exports. This is especially the case since agro-business bosses are Bolsonaro's principal economic and congressional supporters. Given Washington's limited influence in the rest of Latin America, Brazil's neo-liberal fascist regime acts as Trump's principal ally.
"Israel is the White House's mentor and chief of operations in the Middle East, as well as a strategic military ally. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel has seized and colonized most of the West Bank and militarily occupied the rest of Palestine; jailed and tortured tens of thousands of political dissidents; surrounded and starved over a million Gaza residents; imposed ethno-religious conditions for citizenship in Israel, denying basic rights for over 20% of the Arab residents of the self-styled 'Jewish state'.
"Netanyahu has bombed hundreds of Syrian cities, towns, airports and bases in support of ISIS terrorists and Western mercenaries. Israel intervenes in US elections, buys Congressional votes and secures White House recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state.
"Zionists in North America and Great Britain act as a 'fifth column' securing unanimous favorable mass media coverage of its apartheid policies.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu secures unconditional US financial and political support and the most advanced weaponry.
"In exchange Washington considers itself privileged to serve as foot soldiers for Israeli targeted wars in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen and Somalia... Israel collaborates with the US in defending Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan. Netanyahu and his Zionist allies in the White House succeeded in reversing the nuclear agreement with Iran and imposing new and harsher economic sanctions.
"Israel has its own agenda: it defies President Trump's sanctions policies against Russia and its trade war with China. Israel eagerly engages in the sales of arms and high-tech innovations to Beijing." (petras.lahaine.org, 16/10/18)
***
In addition to his slashing and burning of Brazil, Bolsonaro, a throwback to the Brazilian military dictatorship of 1964-1985, has declared, on US television, that the first country he will visit as a Christian will be Israel.
The final word I'll leave to this 29/10 tweet of Netanyahu:
"I spoke this evening with the president-elect of Brazil, @jairbolsonaro. I congratulated him on his victory. I told him I'm certain his election will lead to a great friendship between our peoples and a strengthening of BrazilIsrael ties. We are waiting for his visit to Israel!"
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
USraeli Policing
Jesus Christ...
"A Georgia police chief said an officer was justified in using a Taser to stun an 87-year-old woman after she failed to obey commands to drop a knife in her hand. Relatives said Martha Al-Bishara does not speak English and was merely cutting dandelions with a kitchen knife near her home in Chatsworth, about 85 miles north of Atlanta, earlier this month. Police held her at gunpoint before bringing her to the ground with a jolt from the electrified prongs of a stun gun. She was charged with criminal trespass and obstructing an officer." (Georgia police chief defends officer who used Taser to stun grandmother, 87, Associated Press/the guardian.com, 19/8/18)
Of course that has nothing to do with this:
"Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed rejected a demand from groups affiliated with the movement for Black Lives Matter to halt Israel's training relationship with local police departments... 'I happen to believe that the Israeli police department has some of the best counterterrorism techniques in the world,' Reed insisted. 'And it benefits our police department from that longstanding relationship.' It was an interesting choice of words considering that Israeli, Palestinian and international human rights organizations, as well as the UN, have repeatedly condemned Israeli forces, including the police, for a range of human rights violations, particularly for their frequent extrajudicial executions of Palestinians. It was also recently revealed that Israeli police are authorized to use lethal force as a first resort against Palestinians they suspect might throw rocks, including minors. An internal police report exposed by the Tel Aviv newspaper Haaretz this month revealed that Israeli Border Police in Jerusalem 'deliberately provoke Palestinians' in order to get a violent response... The Atlanta Police Department has been sending personnel to Israel since 1992, as part of the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange. GILEE... sends high-ranking public safety officials to Israel for 'counterterrorism' training every year." (Atlanta mayor rejects demand to end Israel police training, Rania Khalek, electronicintifada.net, 21/7/18)
"A Georgia police chief said an officer was justified in using a Taser to stun an 87-year-old woman after she failed to obey commands to drop a knife in her hand. Relatives said Martha Al-Bishara does not speak English and was merely cutting dandelions with a kitchen knife near her home in Chatsworth, about 85 miles north of Atlanta, earlier this month. Police held her at gunpoint before bringing her to the ground with a jolt from the electrified prongs of a stun gun. She was charged with criminal trespass and obstructing an officer." (Georgia police chief defends officer who used Taser to stun grandmother, 87, Associated Press/the guardian.com, 19/8/18)
Of course that has nothing to do with this:
"Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed rejected a demand from groups affiliated with the movement for Black Lives Matter to halt Israel's training relationship with local police departments... 'I happen to believe that the Israeli police department has some of the best counterterrorism techniques in the world,' Reed insisted. 'And it benefits our police department from that longstanding relationship.' It was an interesting choice of words considering that Israeli, Palestinian and international human rights organizations, as well as the UN, have repeatedly condemned Israeli forces, including the police, for a range of human rights violations, particularly for their frequent extrajudicial executions of Palestinians. It was also recently revealed that Israeli police are authorized to use lethal force as a first resort against Palestinians they suspect might throw rocks, including minors. An internal police report exposed by the Tel Aviv newspaper Haaretz this month revealed that Israeli Border Police in Jerusalem 'deliberately provoke Palestinians' in order to get a violent response... The Atlanta Police Department has been sending personnel to Israel since 1992, as part of the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange. GILEE... sends high-ranking public safety officials to Israel for 'counterterrorism' training every year." (Atlanta mayor rejects demand to end Israel police training, Rania Khalek, electronicintifada.net, 21/7/18)
Thursday, December 28, 2017
Guatemala: Israeli Fingerprints All Over
Some fun facts about the Israeli-Guatemalan connection:
*Guatemala, one of the 9 states that voted with the US to recognise Israel's control over Jerusalem, has now declared that it will follow Trump in relocating its embassy to Jerusalem.
*Guatemala was the first Latin American country to recognise Israel in 1948. Its UN ambassador said in October 1947: "Palestine was no more Arab than certain Spanish counties of Latin America were Indian."
*Israel's 1948 genocide against the indigenous Arab population of Palestine in 1948 is mirrored in Guatemala by its 1982-83 genocide against the country's indigenous Mayans.
*The president of Guatemala at the time was a former general and Evangelical Christian, Efrain Rios Montt (1982-83). His army was armed and trained by the Israelis.
*The current president, Jimmy Morales, is another Evangelical Christian.
*"Guatemala is to the Mayans what Israel is to the Palestinians: sanctimonious annihilators."
(Final quote and other data from The ideological reasons behind Guatemala's decision to move embassy to Jerusalem, Ahmad Moussa, middleeasteye.net, 26/12/17)
***
President Jimmy Morales on his decision: "Guatemala is historically pro-Israeli. In 70 years of relations, Israel has been our ally. We have a Christian way of thinking that, as well as the politics of it, has us believing that Israel is our ally and we must support it. Despite us only being nine in the world (in the UN vote), we have the total certainty and conviction that this is the right path." (Guatemala leads move to Jerusalem, AFP, AP, The Australian, 26/12/17)
***
From a proud Israeli Zionista living and working in Guatemala (Israel-Guatemala, a surprisingly close friendship, Marina Smolyanov, Jerusalem Post, 4/10/14)
"Even before I arrived in Guatemala, a country mysterious and foreign, I stumbled upon evidence that Israeli footprints can be found in many aspects of everyday life in the Central American country. Why, my curiosity asked, did Israel feel such an ethical, historical and economic obligation to help Guatemala resolve its day-to-day challenges? While on the plane, I met an Israeli delegation of doctors making their way to Guatemala for a unique mission - volunteering their time and expertise to perform surgery on children from poor neighborhoods in Guatemala City."
"There is a fascinating collaboration between the Jewish community and the Evangelical community of Guatemala, in support of Israel."
"... I found Israeli fingerprints in every place and in every industrial field within this wild and untamed country... "
"Many Israelis coming from elite combat units in Israel, and with a significant security background, realized that their experience is a great added value in Guatemala."
"An endearing aspect of Guatemalans is their tranquilo (quiet/relaxed) way of life. In a country surrounded by 33 volcanoes... and with the constant threat of earthquakes and floods, you try to hold on to your peace of mind and calm before nature brutally breaks the silence one day. Similarly, Israel lives with a different threat to its citizens' way of life, surrounded by hostile neighbours that have threatened to wipe us off the map. Instead of enjoying a tranquilo way of life, many Israelis live each day as if it could be their last... "
Jesus wept.
*Guatemala, one of the 9 states that voted with the US to recognise Israel's control over Jerusalem, has now declared that it will follow Trump in relocating its embassy to Jerusalem.
*Guatemala was the first Latin American country to recognise Israel in 1948. Its UN ambassador said in October 1947: "Palestine was no more Arab than certain Spanish counties of Latin America were Indian."
*Israel's 1948 genocide against the indigenous Arab population of Palestine in 1948 is mirrored in Guatemala by its 1982-83 genocide against the country's indigenous Mayans.
*The president of Guatemala at the time was a former general and Evangelical Christian, Efrain Rios Montt (1982-83). His army was armed and trained by the Israelis.
*The current president, Jimmy Morales, is another Evangelical Christian.
*"Guatemala is to the Mayans what Israel is to the Palestinians: sanctimonious annihilators."
(Final quote and other data from The ideological reasons behind Guatemala's decision to move embassy to Jerusalem, Ahmad Moussa, middleeasteye.net, 26/12/17)
***
President Jimmy Morales on his decision: "Guatemala is historically pro-Israeli. In 70 years of relations, Israel has been our ally. We have a Christian way of thinking that, as well as the politics of it, has us believing that Israel is our ally and we must support it. Despite us only being nine in the world (in the UN vote), we have the total certainty and conviction that this is the right path." (Guatemala leads move to Jerusalem, AFP, AP, The Australian, 26/12/17)
***
From a proud Israeli Zionista living and working in Guatemala (Israel-Guatemala, a surprisingly close friendship, Marina Smolyanov, Jerusalem Post, 4/10/14)
"Even before I arrived in Guatemala, a country mysterious and foreign, I stumbled upon evidence that Israeli footprints can be found in many aspects of everyday life in the Central American country. Why, my curiosity asked, did Israel feel such an ethical, historical and economic obligation to help Guatemala resolve its day-to-day challenges? While on the plane, I met an Israeli delegation of doctors making their way to Guatemala for a unique mission - volunteering their time and expertise to perform surgery on children from poor neighborhoods in Guatemala City."
"There is a fascinating collaboration between the Jewish community and the Evangelical community of Guatemala, in support of Israel."
"... I found Israeli fingerprints in every place and in every industrial field within this wild and untamed country... "
"Many Israelis coming from elite combat units in Israel, and with a significant security background, realized that their experience is a great added value in Guatemala."
"An endearing aspect of Guatemalans is their tranquilo (quiet/relaxed) way of life. In a country surrounded by 33 volcanoes... and with the constant threat of earthquakes and floods, you try to hold on to your peace of mind and calm before nature brutally breaks the silence one day. Similarly, Israel lives with a different threat to its citizens' way of life, surrounded by hostile neighbours that have threatened to wipe us off the map. Instead of enjoying a tranquilo way of life, many Israelis live each day as if it could be their last... "
Jesus wept.
Thursday, September 14, 2017
The Way Forward
"The human rights and Palestine solidarity organization, BDS South Africa, welcomes the calling-off of the Africa-Israel Summit which was meant to take place in Togo next month. The decision comes following several boycott threats. This is welcomed as good news by human rights organisations and the global BDS movement which has called for the isolation of Israel over its human rights abuses and violations of international law... Last month it was reported that several countries, including South Africa, were planning to boycott the summit. South African Ambassador Sean Benfeldt explained that South Africa will not take part because the summit was viewed as a step by Israel to normalize relations between Africa and an 'occupation state.' In addition, the head of International Relations for South Africa's governing ANC party, Minister Edna Molewa, is quoted as saying on the issue: 'We cannot turn a blind eye to Israeli efforts to galvanise support from Africa and elsewhere, with a view to undermining the Palestinian cause.' BDS South Africa welcomes the decision and commends South Africa and other African states who were to boycott the summit. However, our governments must continue to resist all Israeli attempts to influence, corrupt or weaken our solidarity with the Palestinians - including attempts, in contradiction to our policies, by some within our own Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). The Palestinians were a people that supported us during the darkest days of Apartheid, while Isreal, we painfully remember, was supplying arms to the Apartheid government." (BDS South Africa Press Statement: Israel-Africa Summit called off following boycott threats, 11/9/17)
Thursday, September 7, 2017
The Refugee Specialists
"Mention any trouble spot in the Third World over the past ten years, and, inevitably, you will find smiling Israeli officers and shiny Israeli weapons on the news pages." (The Israeli Connection: Whom Israel Arms & Why, Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi, 1987, p xii)
"Israel has continued to sell weapons to Myanmar as thousands of Rohingya refugees flee the military's violent crackdown in the Rakhine state. The weapons sold to Myanmar include over 100 tanks, weapons and boats used to police the country's border, according to human rights groups and Burmese officials Israeli arms companies such as TAR Ideal Concepts have also been involved in training Burmese special forces who are currently in the Rakhine state where most of the violence has taken place." (Israel arming Myanmar amid ongoing massacre of the Rohingyas, Areeb Ullah, mintpressnews.com, 5/9/17)
"Israel has continued to sell weapons to Myanmar as thousands of Rohingya refugees flee the military's violent crackdown in the Rakhine state. The weapons sold to Myanmar include over 100 tanks, weapons and boats used to police the country's border, according to human rights groups and Burmese officials Israeli arms companies such as TAR Ideal Concepts have also been involved in training Burmese special forces who are currently in the Rakhine state where most of the violence has taken place." (Israel arming Myanmar amid ongoing massacre of the Rohingyas, Areeb Ullah, mintpressnews.com, 5/9/17)
Friday, September 1, 2017
Sectarian Birds of a Feather
"It was in 1989, soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union, that the Government of India turned in its membership in the Non-Aligned Movement and signed up for membership in the Completely Aligned, often referring to itself as the 'natural ally' of Israel and the United States.* (They have at least this one thing in common, all three are engaged in overt, neocolonial military occupations: India in Kashmir, Israel in Palestine, the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan.) (Listening to Grasshoppers: Field Notes on Democracy, Arundhati Roy, 2009, p 146)
1989, it seems, also saw the birth of India's 'Temple Mount' movement:
"Claims that the [17th century Muslim mausoleum known as the] Taj Mahal is a Hindu temple have surfaced periodically, either from lone Hindu mavericks, revisionists, or extremist Hindu groups ever since PN Oak, an Indian writer, published his 1989 book Taj Mahal: the True Story, in which he claimed it was built before Muslim invaders came to India. Proponents of this theory resent that its glory belongs to India's Muslim heritage and argue that since some of the Mughal invaders destroyed Hindu temples or converted them into mosques, it follows that the Taj Mahal must have originally been a Hindu structure." (Taj Mahal is Muslim tomb not Hindu temple, Indian court told, Amrit Dhillon, theguardian.com, 30/8/17)
In fact, a group of Hindu lawyers, who claim that the Taj Mahal "had originally been a temple called Tejo Mahalaya dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva," are currently petitioning the Agra court for the right to perform Hindu prayers at the Taj Mahal.
Sound depressingly familiar?
[*Israel is currently India's chief weapons supplier.]
1989, it seems, also saw the birth of India's 'Temple Mount' movement:
"Claims that the [17th century Muslim mausoleum known as the] Taj Mahal is a Hindu temple have surfaced periodically, either from lone Hindu mavericks, revisionists, or extremist Hindu groups ever since PN Oak, an Indian writer, published his 1989 book Taj Mahal: the True Story, in which he claimed it was built before Muslim invaders came to India. Proponents of this theory resent that its glory belongs to India's Muslim heritage and argue that since some of the Mughal invaders destroyed Hindu temples or converted them into mosques, it follows that the Taj Mahal must have originally been a Hindu structure." (Taj Mahal is Muslim tomb not Hindu temple, Indian court told, Amrit Dhillon, theguardian.com, 30/8/17)
In fact, a group of Hindu lawyers, who claim that the Taj Mahal "had originally been a temple called Tejo Mahalaya dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva," are currently petitioning the Agra court for the right to perform Hindu prayers at the Taj Mahal.
Sound depressingly familiar?
[*Israel is currently India's chief weapons supplier.]
Monday, December 12, 2016
Everything to Hide
Back in 2011, Labor's Shadow Minister for CIA (Covering Israel's Arse) moved a motion in federal parliament:
"Amid all the rancor of that final sitting last week, Labor's Michael Danby introduced to the House of Representatives a motion that highlighted the best in public debate. He called on Parliament to recognise each July 11 as Srebrenica Remembrance Day, as a reminder of the evil that led to the genocide of more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys at the hands of the rebel Serb forces of Ratko Mladic in Bosnia in 1995. 'It was,' Danby said, 'what the Russians would call an act of pamyat - memory'." (Rising from the mire, Paul Daley, The Sun-Herald, 27/11/11) [See my 28/11/11 post Fine & Danby.]
I wonder if Danby, who'll happily discourse on every human rights abuse under the sun, unless of course it occurs between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, would have moved his motion if he'd known about this:
"Israel's Supreme Court last month rejected a petition to reveal details of Israeli defense exports to the former Yugoslavia during the genocide in Bosnia in the 1990s. The court ruled that exposing Israeli involvement in genocide would damage the country's foreign relations to such an extent that it would outweigh the public interest in knowing that information, and [lead to] the possible prosecution of those involved. The petitioners, Attorney Itay Mack and professor Yair Oron, presented the court with concrete evidence of Israeli defense exports to Serbian forces at the time, including training as well as ammunition and rifles. Among other things, they presented the personal journal of General Ratko Mladic, currently on trial at the International Court of Justice for committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Mladic's journal explicitly mentions Sebia's ample arms ties with Israel at the time. The exports took place long after the UN Security Council placed an arms embargo on various parts of the former Yugoslavia, and after the publication of a series of testimonies exposing genocide and the creation of concentration camps. The Israeli State Attorney's reply and the court's rejection of the petition are a de facto admission by Israel that it cooperated with the Bosnian genocide: if the government had nothing to hide, the documents under discussion would not pose any threat to foreign relations." (Supreme Court rules against exposing Israel's role in Bosnian genocide, John Brown*, 972mag.com, 5/12/16) [*The pseudonym of an Israel academic and blogger.]
And will he, I wonder, have anything to say from now on about the following nasties?:
"Earlier this year, the same Supreme Court rejected a similar claim regarding defense exports during the Rwandan genocide... The state faces a series of similar requests regarding its collaboration with the murderers of the Argentinian Junta, Pinochet's regime in Chile, and Sri Lanka." (ibid)
At any rate, it looks as though we're going to be hearing a lot more of this sentence: "The court ruled that exposing Israeli involvement in genocide would damage the country's foreign relations to such an extent that it would outweigh the public interest in knowing that information, and [lead to] the possible prosecution of those involved."
"Amid all the rancor of that final sitting last week, Labor's Michael Danby introduced to the House of Representatives a motion that highlighted the best in public debate. He called on Parliament to recognise each July 11 as Srebrenica Remembrance Day, as a reminder of the evil that led to the genocide of more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys at the hands of the rebel Serb forces of Ratko Mladic in Bosnia in 1995. 'It was,' Danby said, 'what the Russians would call an act of pamyat - memory'." (Rising from the mire, Paul Daley, The Sun-Herald, 27/11/11) [See my 28/11/11 post Fine & Danby.]
I wonder if Danby, who'll happily discourse on every human rights abuse under the sun, unless of course it occurs between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, would have moved his motion if he'd known about this:
"Israel's Supreme Court last month rejected a petition to reveal details of Israeli defense exports to the former Yugoslavia during the genocide in Bosnia in the 1990s. The court ruled that exposing Israeli involvement in genocide would damage the country's foreign relations to such an extent that it would outweigh the public interest in knowing that information, and [lead to] the possible prosecution of those involved. The petitioners, Attorney Itay Mack and professor Yair Oron, presented the court with concrete evidence of Israeli defense exports to Serbian forces at the time, including training as well as ammunition and rifles. Among other things, they presented the personal journal of General Ratko Mladic, currently on trial at the International Court of Justice for committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Mladic's journal explicitly mentions Sebia's ample arms ties with Israel at the time. The exports took place long after the UN Security Council placed an arms embargo on various parts of the former Yugoslavia, and after the publication of a series of testimonies exposing genocide and the creation of concentration camps. The Israeli State Attorney's reply and the court's rejection of the petition are a de facto admission by Israel that it cooperated with the Bosnian genocide: if the government had nothing to hide, the documents under discussion would not pose any threat to foreign relations." (Supreme Court rules against exposing Israel's role in Bosnian genocide, John Brown*, 972mag.com, 5/12/16) [*The pseudonym of an Israel academic and blogger.]
And will he, I wonder, have anything to say from now on about the following nasties?:
"Earlier this year, the same Supreme Court rejected a similar claim regarding defense exports during the Rwandan genocide... The state faces a series of similar requests regarding its collaboration with the murderers of the Argentinian Junta, Pinochet's regime in Chile, and Sri Lanka." (ibid)
At any rate, it looks as though we're going to be hearing a lot more of this sentence: "The court ruled that exposing Israeli involvement in genocide would damage the country's foreign relations to such an extent that it would outweigh the public interest in knowing that information, and [lead to] the possible prosecution of those involved."
Friday, August 28, 2015
Christian Zionism in PNG
If you thought idol-smashing zombies were confined to ISIS-controlled Iraq and Syria, think again.
They're on Australia's doorstep:
"Today (26/8) is Repentance Day in Papua New Guinea, when highlights include the public burning of traditional carvings used in what the organisers call 'idol worship and witchcraft'. The day will also, bizarrely, feature a national collection of money as an 'Aliyah' offering - to promote the migration of Jewish people to Israel, which some American evangelical Christians view as a prerequisite for the second coming of Christ. The day is a public holiday, marked by 'prayer ceremonies' across the country.
"The president and vice-president of the PNG Council of Churches... warned that the cash collection aroused concern. They said the country's mainstream churches had not been consulted about the introduction, four years ago, of Repentance Day as a 'covenant' originally signed by then prime minister Michael Somare, nor about today's program... Parliamentary Speaker Theodore Zurenuoc* was accused of Taliban-style cultural terrorism when in 2013 he launched a 'cleansing exercise' to destroy the building's totem poles which he viewed as demonic, and which were ordered to be chopped up and burned." (PNG to torch its 'demonic' carvings, Rowan Callick, The Australian, 26/8/15)
[*"The Papua New Guinea Trade Union Congress, PNGTUC, has called on the police to arrest the Speaker of Parliament Theo Zurenuoc for destroying public property. The Post-Courier paper says the appeal comes on the back of more condemnation of the cleansing exercise which the Speaker began last week to remove ungodly images and idols from the House. A lintel containing 19 ancestral masks from the provinces was removed and chopped up in the first wave of the exercise. A four-tonne pole which contained carving traditions from around the country was next on the list until Prime Minister Peter O'Neill personally intervened... and stopped the work. PNGTUC general secretary, John Paska, praised the prime minister but said Mr Zurenuoc's actions were criminal in nature and he should be arrested. He also says the Community Development Minister Loujaya Kouza, who told the Post-Courier that an Israel-based Messianic group advised her to push for the removal of the intricate carvings, should be stripped of her portfolio." (PNG union want Zurenuoc arrested for destroying public property, radionz.co.nz, 17/12/13)]
Worth a read: Purging Parliament: A New Christian Politics in PNG? (ANU SSGM Discussion Paper 2014/1)
Here's an extract from an essay in that publication, The rise of Christian fundamentalism & the link to Israel (pp 8-9):
"At the core of Christian Zionism is the belief that the return of the Jews to their Holy Land and the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 fulfils biblical prophecies and foreshadows the second coming of Christ.The State of Israel has given official encouragement to Christian Zionism and Israeli religious leaders have fostered the sorts of linkages which took Loujaya Kouza and others to Israel in 2013. State-to-state linkages between Papua New Guinea and Israel have also been strengthened in recent years and in 2012 Papua New Guinea was one of 41 countries that abstained from the UN General Assembly vote on according Palestine non-member observer status in the United Nations (Solomon Islands, where Christian Zionism is also growing, was among the 138 voting in favour). Prime Minister O'Neill led a delegation to Israel in October 2013 where he visited religious sites, signed a joint Declaration of Co-operation (specific areas of prospective Israeli assistance include defence, security and intelligence capability, agriculture, and information technology and communications) and an agreement reciprocally waiving visa requirements, and proposed to establish a Papua New Guinea embassy in Israel. The O'Neill Government has since approved a joint venture partnership with an Israeli group to develop the agro-industry... Although there is not necessarily wrong with these ties to Israel, it may be that the spread of Christian Zionism has implications for Papua New Guinea's foreign policy."
One to watch.
They're on Australia's doorstep:
"Today (26/8) is Repentance Day in Papua New Guinea, when highlights include the public burning of traditional carvings used in what the organisers call 'idol worship and witchcraft'. The day will also, bizarrely, feature a national collection of money as an 'Aliyah' offering - to promote the migration of Jewish people to Israel, which some American evangelical Christians view as a prerequisite for the second coming of Christ. The day is a public holiday, marked by 'prayer ceremonies' across the country.
"The president and vice-president of the PNG Council of Churches... warned that the cash collection aroused concern. They said the country's mainstream churches had not been consulted about the introduction, four years ago, of Repentance Day as a 'covenant' originally signed by then prime minister Michael Somare, nor about today's program... Parliamentary Speaker Theodore Zurenuoc* was accused of Taliban-style cultural terrorism when in 2013 he launched a 'cleansing exercise' to destroy the building's totem poles which he viewed as demonic, and which were ordered to be chopped up and burned." (PNG to torch its 'demonic' carvings, Rowan Callick, The Australian, 26/8/15)
[*"The Papua New Guinea Trade Union Congress, PNGTUC, has called on the police to arrest the Speaker of Parliament Theo Zurenuoc for destroying public property. The Post-Courier paper says the appeal comes on the back of more condemnation of the cleansing exercise which the Speaker began last week to remove ungodly images and idols from the House. A lintel containing 19 ancestral masks from the provinces was removed and chopped up in the first wave of the exercise. A four-tonne pole which contained carving traditions from around the country was next on the list until Prime Minister Peter O'Neill personally intervened... and stopped the work. PNGTUC general secretary, John Paska, praised the prime minister but said Mr Zurenuoc's actions were criminal in nature and he should be arrested. He also says the Community Development Minister Loujaya Kouza, who told the Post-Courier that an Israel-based Messianic group advised her to push for the removal of the intricate carvings, should be stripped of her portfolio." (PNG union want Zurenuoc arrested for destroying public property, radionz.co.nz, 17/12/13)]
Worth a read: Purging Parliament: A New Christian Politics in PNG? (ANU SSGM Discussion Paper 2014/1)
Here's an extract from an essay in that publication, The rise of Christian fundamentalism & the link to Israel (pp 8-9):
"At the core of Christian Zionism is the belief that the return of the Jews to their Holy Land and the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 fulfils biblical prophecies and foreshadows the second coming of Christ.The State of Israel has given official encouragement to Christian Zionism and Israeli religious leaders have fostered the sorts of linkages which took Loujaya Kouza and others to Israel in 2013. State-to-state linkages between Papua New Guinea and Israel have also been strengthened in recent years and in 2012 Papua New Guinea was one of 41 countries that abstained from the UN General Assembly vote on according Palestine non-member observer status in the United Nations (Solomon Islands, where Christian Zionism is also growing, was among the 138 voting in favour). Prime Minister O'Neill led a delegation to Israel in October 2013 where he visited religious sites, signed a joint Declaration of Co-operation (specific areas of prospective Israeli assistance include defence, security and intelligence capability, agriculture, and information technology and communications) and an agreement reciprocally waiving visa requirements, and proposed to establish a Papua New Guinea embassy in Israel. The O'Neill Government has since approved a joint venture partnership with an Israeli group to develop the agro-industry... Although there is not necessarily wrong with these ties to Israel, it may be that the spread of Christian Zionism has implications for Papua New Guinea's foreign policy."
One to watch.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
'Moses' Mandela
How sweetly they're singing now:
"Nelson Mandela was one of the most prominent role models of our time. He was the father of his nation, a man of vision, a fighter for freedom who denounced violence. He gave a personal example to his people during the long years he was imprisoned." Benjamin Netanyahu, israelhayom.com, 6/12/13
But back in the 70s and 8os they were singing a very different tune:
"The Israeli-South African relationship was not only about profit and battlefield bravado... After Menachem Begin's Likud Party came to power in 1977, these economic interests converged with ideological affinities to make the alliance even stronger. Many members of the Likud Party shared with South Africa's leaders an ideology of minority survivalism that presented the two countries as threatened outposts of European civilization defending their existence against barbarians at the gates.
"Indeed, much of Israel's top brass and Likud Party leadership felt am affinity with South Africa's white government, and unlike Peres and Rabin they did not feel a need to publicly denounce apartheid while secretly supporting Pretoria. Powerful military figures, such as Ariel Sharon and Rafael (Raful) Eitan, drew inspiration from the political tradition of Revisionist Zionism - a school of thought that favoured the use of military force to defend Jewish sovereignty and encouraged settlement of the biblical lands of Greater Israel, including the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Sharon, Eitan, and many of their contemporaries were convinced that both nations faced a fundamentally similar predicament as embattled minorities under siege, fighting for their survival against what they saw as a common terrorist enemy epitomized by Nelson Mandela's African National Congress (ANC) and Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)." (The Unspoken Alliance: Israel's Secret Relationship with Apartheid South Africa, Sasha Polakow-Suransky, 2010, p 8)
***
"The end of the Cold War dramatically altered the political and strategic landscape of Southern Africa. Cuban troops were already withdrawing from Angola when F.W. de Klerk replaced P.W. Botha as president in August 1989. The Berlin Wall fell 3 months later and de Klerk soon embarked on a radically different course that led to the release of Nelson Mandela in early 1990. With the Soviet and Cuban threat gone, South Africa could no longer appeal for Western support by invoking anticommunist arguments, nor could it rationalize repression of the democratic opposition by cloaking apartheid in Cold War rhetoric.
"... In Pretoria, the Israeli government went to great lengths to improve its image after Mandela's release. Veteran left-wing critics of apartheid were appointed to key posts, including Alon Liel, who became ambassador in 1992 and worked hard to redefine Israeli-South African relations for the postapartheid era. Even so, the legacy of the 1970s and 1980s left Mandela with a sour taste.
"A year before South Africa's first democratic elections, Elazar Granot of Israel's far-left Mapam Party addressed the delegates of the Socialist International - a global gathering of Social Democratic leaders attended by many European heads of state. Granot lavished praise on Mandela, comparing him to Moses and arguing that South Africa's president-in-waiting was even greater than Moses for he had actually reached the Promised Land. But Mandela did not succumb to his flattery. As Granot recalls it, the first words from South Africa's icon of foregiveness and reconciliation were: 'The people of South Africa will never forget the support of the state of Israel to the apartheid regime'." (ibid, pp 218-219)
That was in 1993. Today, neither the people of South Africa nor its government have forgotten worse-than-apartheid Israel's alliance with apartheid South Africa:
"As reported by South Africa's Mail & Guardian newspaper, Times LIVE, [and] Israel's Haaretz newspaper... South Africa's Minister for International Relations, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, has confirmed a long-standing South African government position of not engaging with Israel. Speaking on Friday... Minister Nkoana-Mashabane said: 'Ministers of South Africa do not visit Israel currently... our Palestinian friends have asked us in formal meetings to not engage with the [Israeli] regime. We have agreed to slow down and curtail senior leadership contact with that regime until things begin to look better.' [She] also criticised the Israeli regime's recent announcement to build new, illegal, Jewish-only settler units on confiscated Palestinian lands: 'That arrangement there in Palestine keeps us awake... the last time I looked at the map of Palestine, I could not go to sleep. Its 'dots', smaller than those of the [former South African] homelands.'... Finally, [she] expressed her solidarity with the Palestinian people, saying: 'The struggle of the people of Palestine is our struggle'." (South Africa to 'curtail' relations with Israel, OptionsBDS South Africa, 2/12/13)
"Nelson Mandela was one of the most prominent role models of our time. He was the father of his nation, a man of vision, a fighter for freedom who denounced violence. He gave a personal example to his people during the long years he was imprisoned." Benjamin Netanyahu, israelhayom.com, 6/12/13
But back in the 70s and 8os they were singing a very different tune:
"The Israeli-South African relationship was not only about profit and battlefield bravado... After Menachem Begin's Likud Party came to power in 1977, these economic interests converged with ideological affinities to make the alliance even stronger. Many members of the Likud Party shared with South Africa's leaders an ideology of minority survivalism that presented the two countries as threatened outposts of European civilization defending their existence against barbarians at the gates.
"Indeed, much of Israel's top brass and Likud Party leadership felt am affinity with South Africa's white government, and unlike Peres and Rabin they did not feel a need to publicly denounce apartheid while secretly supporting Pretoria. Powerful military figures, such as Ariel Sharon and Rafael (Raful) Eitan, drew inspiration from the political tradition of Revisionist Zionism - a school of thought that favoured the use of military force to defend Jewish sovereignty and encouraged settlement of the biblical lands of Greater Israel, including the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Sharon, Eitan, and many of their contemporaries were convinced that both nations faced a fundamentally similar predicament as embattled minorities under siege, fighting for their survival against what they saw as a common terrorist enemy epitomized by Nelson Mandela's African National Congress (ANC) and Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)." (The Unspoken Alliance: Israel's Secret Relationship with Apartheid South Africa, Sasha Polakow-Suransky, 2010, p 8)
***
"The end of the Cold War dramatically altered the political and strategic landscape of Southern Africa. Cuban troops were already withdrawing from Angola when F.W. de Klerk replaced P.W. Botha as president in August 1989. The Berlin Wall fell 3 months later and de Klerk soon embarked on a radically different course that led to the release of Nelson Mandela in early 1990. With the Soviet and Cuban threat gone, South Africa could no longer appeal for Western support by invoking anticommunist arguments, nor could it rationalize repression of the democratic opposition by cloaking apartheid in Cold War rhetoric.
"... In Pretoria, the Israeli government went to great lengths to improve its image after Mandela's release. Veteran left-wing critics of apartheid were appointed to key posts, including Alon Liel, who became ambassador in 1992 and worked hard to redefine Israeli-South African relations for the postapartheid era. Even so, the legacy of the 1970s and 1980s left Mandela with a sour taste.
"A year before South Africa's first democratic elections, Elazar Granot of Israel's far-left Mapam Party addressed the delegates of the Socialist International - a global gathering of Social Democratic leaders attended by many European heads of state. Granot lavished praise on Mandela, comparing him to Moses and arguing that South Africa's president-in-waiting was even greater than Moses for he had actually reached the Promised Land. But Mandela did not succumb to his flattery. As Granot recalls it, the first words from South Africa's icon of foregiveness and reconciliation were: 'The people of South Africa will never forget the support of the state of Israel to the apartheid regime'." (ibid, pp 218-219)
That was in 1993. Today, neither the people of South Africa nor its government have forgotten worse-than-apartheid Israel's alliance with apartheid South Africa:
"As reported by South Africa's Mail & Guardian newspaper, Times LIVE, [and] Israel's Haaretz newspaper... South Africa's Minister for International Relations, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, has confirmed a long-standing South African government position of not engaging with Israel. Speaking on Friday... Minister Nkoana-Mashabane said: 'Ministers of South Africa do not visit Israel currently... our Palestinian friends have asked us in formal meetings to not engage with the [Israeli] regime. We have agreed to slow down and curtail senior leadership contact with that regime until things begin to look better.' [She] also criticised the Israeli regime's recent announcement to build new, illegal, Jewish-only settler units on confiscated Palestinian lands: 'That arrangement there in Palestine keeps us awake... the last time I looked at the map of Palestine, I could not go to sleep. Its 'dots', smaller than those of the [former South African] homelands.'... Finally, [she] expressed her solidarity with the Palestinian people, saying: 'The struggle of the people of Palestine is our struggle'." (South Africa to 'curtail' relations with Israel, OptionsBDS South Africa, 2/12/13)
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Israel Studies Comes to China
From the Angry Arab:
"From my Saudi student source in China: 'I had a long and fruitful conversation with Prof. X that might be of interest to you regarding Zionist outreach efforts in China. (You can quote but please delete [his name as] they can really hurt him.) He was quite forthcoming since, he admitted, he was hoping for someone to come [from] outside the Israeli-Zionist circles and ask him what they are doing. He added that despite his affiliation with many Zionist groups here, he is pro-Palestinian. However, they still co-opt his name for their projects (as in the Project3500*) and other groups like SIGNAL.** He added that the Zionists have been active in buying scholars since the salaries of scholars in China is quite low, which also explains why there has been such a flowering of Israel studies programs across China (10 have opened over the last 2 years). Most institutions and universities resisted this initially, especially those staffed by the older generation of scholars but the new generation is cracking across the board. (Beijing University doesn't have one. He resisted opening an Israel studies program since he saw it for what it was but he suspects one will open as soon as he leaves.) A lot of the funding for these programs does not come from the Israeli government but from Zionist groups in the US such as AJC [American Jewish Committee]. An indigenous organization called SIGNAL, headed by a Yale alumni businesswoman*** is also doing a lot of work in China... The rationale behind these programs is to fight the so-called de-legitimisation campaign globally and influence Chinese and Indian elites. Zionist advocacy has another angle - working through Christian channels in China. Apparently, the Israeli Tourism Ministry is inviting the leaders of evangelical Christian communities to visit the Holy Land. Many of them end up being very supportive of Israel." (Israel & Chinese universities, angryarab.blogspot.com, 19/5/13)
Can a Max Brenner outlet be far behind?
[*"History is being rewritten to portray Israel as a colonial State built on the lands of the indigenous people, the Palestinian Arabs. This willful erasing of 3,500 years of Israel's history has not yet infected the 1.3 billion Chinese. Dry Bones Project: educating China about Israel's 3500 year history before 1948 through a series of free, online, digital Chinese-language graphic books written and drawn by Dry Bones cartoonist Yaakov Kirschen. Each work will tie the history of China to the history of Israel, emphasizing the concept of the Jews and the Chinese as two ancient civilizations which have survived centuries of attack by barbarian forces and foreign empires." (drybonesproject.com); **Sino-Israel Global Network & Academic Leadership (SIGNAL): "Enhancing China and Israel's relationship through high-level academic interchange. SIGNAL established the first Israel Studies Programs (ISPs) at universities in China. During 2011-2012, SIGNAL opened ISPs in cooperation with Sichuan International Studies University (SISU) in Chongqing, Henan University in Kaifeng, Shanghai International Studies University (SHISU) in Shanghai and Shihezi University in Shihezi, Xinjiang... SIGNAL sponsored Israel Studies research paper competitions expose an ever growing number of students to the modern Jewish State. For a full semester, under faculty-supervised research, the students focus on a range of topics including Israel's history, society, culture and politics." (en.sino-israel.org) ***Carice Witte]
"From my Saudi student source in China: 'I had a long and fruitful conversation with Prof. X that might be of interest to you regarding Zionist outreach efforts in China. (You can quote but please delete [his name as] they can really hurt him.) He was quite forthcoming since, he admitted, he was hoping for someone to come [from] outside the Israeli-Zionist circles and ask him what they are doing. He added that despite his affiliation with many Zionist groups here, he is pro-Palestinian. However, they still co-opt his name for their projects (as in the Project3500*) and other groups like SIGNAL.** He added that the Zionists have been active in buying scholars since the salaries of scholars in China is quite low, which also explains why there has been such a flowering of Israel studies programs across China (10 have opened over the last 2 years). Most institutions and universities resisted this initially, especially those staffed by the older generation of scholars but the new generation is cracking across the board. (Beijing University doesn't have one. He resisted opening an Israel studies program since he saw it for what it was but he suspects one will open as soon as he leaves.) A lot of the funding for these programs does not come from the Israeli government but from Zionist groups in the US such as AJC [American Jewish Committee]. An indigenous organization called SIGNAL, headed by a Yale alumni businesswoman*** is also doing a lot of work in China... The rationale behind these programs is to fight the so-called de-legitimisation campaign globally and influence Chinese and Indian elites. Zionist advocacy has another angle - working through Christian channels in China. Apparently, the Israeli Tourism Ministry is inviting the leaders of evangelical Christian communities to visit the Holy Land. Many of them end up being very supportive of Israel." (Israel & Chinese universities, angryarab.blogspot.com, 19/5/13)
Can a Max Brenner outlet be far behind?
[*"History is being rewritten to portray Israel as a colonial State built on the lands of the indigenous people, the Palestinian Arabs. This willful erasing of 3,500 years of Israel's history has not yet infected the 1.3 billion Chinese. Dry Bones Project: educating China about Israel's 3500 year history before 1948 through a series of free, online, digital Chinese-language graphic books written and drawn by Dry Bones cartoonist Yaakov Kirschen. Each work will tie the history of China to the history of Israel, emphasizing the concept of the Jews and the Chinese as two ancient civilizations which have survived centuries of attack by barbarian forces and foreign empires." (drybonesproject.com); **Sino-Israel Global Network & Academic Leadership (SIGNAL): "Enhancing China and Israel's relationship through high-level academic interchange. SIGNAL established the first Israel Studies Programs (ISPs) at universities in China. During 2011-2012, SIGNAL opened ISPs in cooperation with Sichuan International Studies University (SISU) in Chongqing, Henan University in Kaifeng, Shanghai International Studies University (SHISU) in Shanghai and Shihezi University in Shihezi, Xinjiang... SIGNAL sponsored Israel Studies research paper competitions expose an ever growing number of students to the modern Jewish State. For a full semester, under faculty-supervised research, the students focus on a range of topics including Israel's history, society, culture and politics." (en.sino-israel.org) ***Carice Witte]
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Finally, an Honest Politician!
An honest Australasian politician:
"Two women have won seats in Papua New Guinea's elections so far, doubling the number of women MPs. The journalist, poet and singer Loujaya Toni, 46, won a seat in Lae... Ms Toni, who has a master's degree in communications, dropped to her knees when the result was announced and sang a song of praise to God in Hebrew, the Port Moresby newspaper The National reported. 'I have no blood on my hands. I did not bribe anybody. I come with clean hands,' she said. 'My heart is singing hope so loud right now!'" (PNG tally of women MPs rises to two and counting, Hamish McDonald, Sydney Morning Herald, 25/7/12)
Notice I said Australasian and not Australian. That was deliberate. No Australian politician possesses the spontaneous honesty of a Loujaya Toni MP. With our lot, you've really got to do some digging to expose the Zionist within. The most you'll get out of the Australian ms media is an occasional hint. It's all sooo very elephant-in-the-room, know what I mean?
Take Christopher Pyne for example. We all know he's got the hots for Israel, so why isn't he shouting it from the rooftops? Or at least wearing an Israeli flag badge on his lapel?
Now if only he'd take a leaf out of Ms Toni's book, drop to his knees, and warble a song of praise to Herzl in Hebrew every now and then, we'd know where the bugger was really coming from, wouldn't we?
'At last,' we'd sigh, 'an honest Australian politician. A self-confessed, unabashed, fire-breathing Zionist.'
He wouldn't even need to add the bit about having clean hands or not bribing anybody. The sheer, naked honesty of his performance, there in the House of Reps or out in front of the meeja, would make such a declaration entirely unnecessary. I mean, what could be more transparent than outing oneself as a member of the world's most bizarre cult in this manner?
How about it, Christopher?
But frankly, even if Christopher Pyne did a Loujaya Toni, he still wouldn't be fit to tie her bootlaces (or thonglaces as the case may be). After all, she's more than just your common & garden journalist, poet and singer - she's actually done something useful. She's come up with a cure for cancer! Dinkum:
"Among other things I am known for, being a naturopath since 2005 through my husband and I, our connection with the nation of Israel and its messianic Jewish community will come as a surprise to those who have known me personally. Since 2005, through our connection with the nation of Israel and its messianic Jewish community, James and Loujaya Toni have conducted fieldwork and created a product called TONIQ herbal formula bar which is said to cure cancer." (Herbal cure for cancer, Loujaya Toni, postcourier.com.pg)
Top that Christopher! That's what I call serving the community.
"Two women have won seats in Papua New Guinea's elections so far, doubling the number of women MPs. The journalist, poet and singer Loujaya Toni, 46, won a seat in Lae... Ms Toni, who has a master's degree in communications, dropped to her knees when the result was announced and sang a song of praise to God in Hebrew, the Port Moresby newspaper The National reported. 'I have no blood on my hands. I did not bribe anybody. I come with clean hands,' she said. 'My heart is singing hope so loud right now!'" (PNG tally of women MPs rises to two and counting, Hamish McDonald, Sydney Morning Herald, 25/7/12)
Notice I said Australasian and not Australian. That was deliberate. No Australian politician possesses the spontaneous honesty of a Loujaya Toni MP. With our lot, you've really got to do some digging to expose the Zionist within. The most you'll get out of the Australian ms media is an occasional hint. It's all sooo very elephant-in-the-room, know what I mean?
Take Christopher Pyne for example. We all know he's got the hots for Israel, so why isn't he shouting it from the rooftops? Or at least wearing an Israeli flag badge on his lapel?
Now if only he'd take a leaf out of Ms Toni's book, drop to his knees, and warble a song of praise to Herzl in Hebrew every now and then, we'd know where the bugger was really coming from, wouldn't we?
'At last,' we'd sigh, 'an honest Australian politician. A self-confessed, unabashed, fire-breathing Zionist.'
He wouldn't even need to add the bit about having clean hands or not bribing anybody. The sheer, naked honesty of his performance, there in the House of Reps or out in front of the meeja, would make such a declaration entirely unnecessary. I mean, what could be more transparent than outing oneself as a member of the world's most bizarre cult in this manner?
How about it, Christopher?
But frankly, even if Christopher Pyne did a Loujaya Toni, he still wouldn't be fit to tie her bootlaces (or thonglaces as the case may be). After all, she's more than just your common & garden journalist, poet and singer - she's actually done something useful. She's come up with a cure for cancer! Dinkum:
"Among other things I am known for, being a naturopath since 2005 through my husband and I, our connection with the nation of Israel and its messianic Jewish community will come as a surprise to those who have known me personally. Since 2005, through our connection with the nation of Israel and its messianic Jewish community, James and Loujaya Toni have conducted fieldwork and created a product called TONIQ herbal formula bar which is said to cure cancer." (Herbal cure for cancer, Loujaya Toni, postcourier.com.pg)
Top that Christopher! That's what I call serving the community.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
In Bed With Argentina's Generals
I see that one of Argentina's imprisoned 'Dirty War' (1976-84) generals, Jorge Videla, has just been sentenced to a further 50 years in prison for stealing the babies of female prisoners who were then tortured and executed. A charming gent, the old Jorge.
And quite talented too. Did you know, for example, that he speaks fluent Israeli?
No?
Well here's the proof:
"The women giving birth, who I respect as mothers, were militants who were active in the machinery of terror,' the former dictator said in his closing remarks. 'Many used their unborn children as human shields.'" (Robbery of infants: Videla sentenced to 50 years in prison, Buenos Aires Herald, 5/7/12)
So where did Videla learn to throw around such quintessentially Israeli words as terrorists and human shields?
Why, from the masters of course:
"President Isabel Peron was overthrown by the Argentine military in March 1976. Thus began 8 years of military rule, during which the relations between Israel and Argentina were cordial and intimate. The first junta, in control to 1981, was headed by General Jorge Rafael Videla, and included also Admiral Emilio Massera and Brigadier General Orlando Agosti. Lieutenant General Roberto Eduardo Viola succeeded Videla in April 1981 as Argentina's president, and ruled with the help of Admiral Armando Lambruschini and General Omar Graffigna. The third and last junta was made up of General Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri, Admiral Jorge Isaac Anaya, and Brigadier General Basilio Lami Dozo. The last junta had to relinquish power after a long series of economic and military fiascos, and Argentina was returned to civilian rule.
"Generals Viola, Videla, Valin, and Galtieri became gracious hosts to Israeli military and civilian leaders, and their names grew familiar to their Israeli counterparts during the years of military rule. Israeli generals Peled and Lahav and Reshef and Rahav, names as interchangeable and forgettable as their Latin American colleagues', had many good meetings with the Argentines. They were liked and admired; they enjoyed the friendly times. There were 'three countries that enjoyed a special sympathy in Argentine military circles: the United States, South Africa, and Israel' (Yediot Aharanot, 1983a, p. 7).
"Argentina has been one of Israel's major arms customers, especially since President Carter suspended US military aid in 1977 (a move partly reversed by by President Reagan in July 1981). The script is familiar to us from Nicaragua, Guatemala, and other places: Israel filled the demand. It sold Argentina nearly a hundred jet fighters - mostly improved versions of the French Mirage, plus 24 US A-4 Skyhawks - and Shafir missiles to arm them. The navy received 4 Dabur-class patrol boats and 50 Gabriel missiles. Spare parts, ammunition, and small arms were also sold in large quantities.
"Israel's supplying arms to Argentina during the Falklands-Malvinas War of 1982 brought much comment and understandable British concern, but it merely reflected a long-standing relationship (Taubman, 1982). Judging by reports of arms delivered, Israel played a role in helping the Argentine armed forces to replace armaments and aircraft lost during the war, with Nesher planes, Mirage planes, Gabriel missiles, spare parts, and ammunition (Schumacher, 1982). Supplies also came from South Africa (Dabat & Lorenzano, 1984) and numerous other countries, including Libya.
"Although many Israeli leaders visited Argentina during the years of the generals, former military leaders drew the most attention. General Mordecai Gur followed up his visit to Chile in 1978 with one to Argentina, and was warmly received by General Alfredo Ciola, Argentine chief-of-staff, and other generals. The former chief-of-staff (1964-1968) and prime minister (1974-1977) Yitzhak Rabin visited Argentina in August 1980, and lectured at the Argentine Armed Forces National College. Lately it has come out that after the Malvinas War of 1982, when the military regime was on its last legs, its Israeli friends came up with a grand rescue plan, designed to make Argentina into a 'South Atlantic power,' and to save the generals' future (Shipler, 1986)." (The Israeli Connection: Whom Israel Arms & Why, Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi, 1987, pp 101-103)
And quite talented too. Did you know, for example, that he speaks fluent Israeli?
No?
Well here's the proof:
"The women giving birth, who I respect as mothers, were militants who were active in the machinery of terror,' the former dictator said in his closing remarks. 'Many used their unborn children as human shields.'" (Robbery of infants: Videla sentenced to 50 years in prison, Buenos Aires Herald, 5/7/12)
So where did Videla learn to throw around such quintessentially Israeli words as terrorists and human shields?
Why, from the masters of course:
"President Isabel Peron was overthrown by the Argentine military in March 1976. Thus began 8 years of military rule, during which the relations between Israel and Argentina were cordial and intimate. The first junta, in control to 1981, was headed by General Jorge Rafael Videla, and included also Admiral Emilio Massera and Brigadier General Orlando Agosti. Lieutenant General Roberto Eduardo Viola succeeded Videla in April 1981 as Argentina's president, and ruled with the help of Admiral Armando Lambruschini and General Omar Graffigna. The third and last junta was made up of General Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri, Admiral Jorge Isaac Anaya, and Brigadier General Basilio Lami Dozo. The last junta had to relinquish power after a long series of economic and military fiascos, and Argentina was returned to civilian rule.
"Generals Viola, Videla, Valin, and Galtieri became gracious hosts to Israeli military and civilian leaders, and their names grew familiar to their Israeli counterparts during the years of military rule. Israeli generals Peled and Lahav and Reshef and Rahav, names as interchangeable and forgettable as their Latin American colleagues', had many good meetings with the Argentines. They were liked and admired; they enjoyed the friendly times. There were 'three countries that enjoyed a special sympathy in Argentine military circles: the United States, South Africa, and Israel' (Yediot Aharanot, 1983a, p. 7).
"Argentina has been one of Israel's major arms customers, especially since President Carter suspended US military aid in 1977 (a move partly reversed by by President Reagan in July 1981). The script is familiar to us from Nicaragua, Guatemala, and other places: Israel filled the demand. It sold Argentina nearly a hundred jet fighters - mostly improved versions of the French Mirage, plus 24 US A-4 Skyhawks - and Shafir missiles to arm them. The navy received 4 Dabur-class patrol boats and 50 Gabriel missiles. Spare parts, ammunition, and small arms were also sold in large quantities.
"Israel's supplying arms to Argentina during the Falklands-Malvinas War of 1982 brought much comment and understandable British concern, but it merely reflected a long-standing relationship (Taubman, 1982). Judging by reports of arms delivered, Israel played a role in helping the Argentine armed forces to replace armaments and aircraft lost during the war, with Nesher planes, Mirage planes, Gabriel missiles, spare parts, and ammunition (Schumacher, 1982). Supplies also came from South Africa (Dabat & Lorenzano, 1984) and numerous other countries, including Libya.
"Although many Israeli leaders visited Argentina during the years of the generals, former military leaders drew the most attention. General Mordecai Gur followed up his visit to Chile in 1978 with one to Argentina, and was warmly received by General Alfredo Ciola, Argentine chief-of-staff, and other generals. The former chief-of-staff (1964-1968) and prime minister (1974-1977) Yitzhak Rabin visited Argentina in August 1980, and lectured at the Argentine Armed Forces National College. Lately it has come out that after the Malvinas War of 1982, when the military regime was on its last legs, its Israeli friends came up with a grand rescue plan, designed to make Argentina into a 'South Atlantic power,' and to save the generals' future (Shipler, 1986)." (The Israeli Connection: Whom Israel Arms & Why, Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi, 1987, pp 101-103)
Monday, May 21, 2012
Of Course, This Couldn't Possibly Happen Here
To
The Chief Minister,
Shri Prithviraj Chavan,
Government of Maharashtra,
Mumbai,
India,
Sub: We condemn the Mumbai Police action & confiscation of our 'Boycott Israel-Save India, 15th May Nakba-Day' Banners from a private office premise.
Respected Sir,
Namaste!
We are extremely peturbed and angry at the fact that today, on the 18th of May 2012, at 3.00pm, the Agripada police raided the premises of the Jamat-i-Islami-i-Hind at Madanpura & confiscated the 'May 15 - Nakba Day' banners. The office staff were called over to the Agripada Police Station for further questioning. Soon after, on making calls to the police station, which had earlier refused to give us any information, but after sustained calls from various important quarters we were informed that it was on the behest & instructions of the Israeli consulate in Mumbai, that the police went into action. This is indeed a matter of great concern, whereby the local police is now acting as an agent of a foreign consulate against Indian citizens.
This is clearly an infringement of our sovereign & democratic rights & we thus lodge our protest & condemn the action of the police as strongly as possible. The banners were not put up in any public space without the due permission of the municipal authorities, as is the norm. The banners were strung outside the balcony on the first floor of the said private premises. Moreover the banners had the following messages in the context of the May 15th protests that are held globally.
i) Boycott Israel - Save India!!
ii) Free Palestine & Right of Return of the Refugees
iii) May 15th - Nakba Protests!!
These banners and protests are in keeping with our historical national tradition of supporting the anti-colonial freedom struggles* & the international political consensus in terms of the global day of protests against the creation of the Zionist Apartheid Racist Israel.
Thus we demand that action be taken against:
i) The Israeli consulate, wherein they are clearly told to operate within the limits of a foreign entity as a consulate & not step beyond the boundaries & the laws of our country. They need to be told that they are not the new viceroys of India, where they can directly call up the local police station & have them raid & arrest patriotic citizens.
Though this problem also stems from the fact that due to state policy a number of low level police officials are also travelling to Israel, for so-called anti-terror training whilst it is a well known fact that Israel is the fountainhead of terror in the world.
This flawed training of our police by certified Islamophobes has resulted in an increased wave of anti-Muslim xenophobia amongst our police & intelligence services, as has been evident in the persecution of Muslim youth in the course of the last two decades.
Meanwhile, a significant number of Mossad agents have been identified & expelled from India for indulging in espionage, drug peddling & weapons smuggling. Also the links of racist Israel with the extreme right-wing Manuwadi forces, namely the BJP-RSS-VHP-BD, all stand exposed.
Yet the secular Congress-led UPA turns a blind eye to the Mossad operations in our city & across the country.
Israel poses a grave security threat to the very sovereignty & unity of our country. Today, the dubious & perfidious role of the Zionist-Israeli Lobby in America & the Western world stands exposed & Israel stands at the bottom of public opinion across the world. Yet the ruling political elite in our country do not seem to understand the obvious. Also the corrupting role of Israeli weapons manufacturers has been exposed by none less than the Defence Ministry itself, whereby 4 Israeli companies have been banned for bribing politicians, military officials and bureaucrats. The links of the Mossad & the Abhinav Bharat & Sanatan Sanstha terror organizations are also being probed due to the charge-sheet filed by Shaheed ATS Chief Hemant Karkare.
Thus it is also due to the flawed policies of the government, where the likes of racist Israelis operate with impunity, even by-passing the official corridors of power & our intel-security apparatus.
ii) The DCP Mr Kishore Jadhav & the Sr Inspector Mr Suryavanshi (Agripada Police Station) all need to be taken to task for operating at the behest of the Israeli consulate as their agents.
All the police stations in our city of Mumbai, across Maharashtra & India, need to be warned that they cannot be acting at a telephone call from either the Israeli, the American, or any other foreign power.
The next time the people of this city will lay siege to the police station if our sovereign democratic rights as Indian citizens are again infringed upon.
We also demand that the Home Minister, Mr P R Patil, take the appropirate action against these errant officials so we do not see a repeat of these abominable acts ever again.
We represent the patriotic tradition of our Freedom Movement against the British colonial occupation of our Motherland & we will not stand by and see our nation be colonized once again by American & Israeli imperialists. We will not betray the sacrifices & the memories of our founding fathers & the thousands who laid down their lives for a free India.
Today there is a movement across the world where the masses are challenging the US-Israeli-European Neo-colonial project & the demise of the Western imperial powers is destined.
It is time for the Indian political class to understand these new political realities for the future of our nation & the world is at stake.
We walk in the path of Mahatma Gandhi, Maulana Azad, Mahatma Phule, Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Subash Chandra Bhose & Bhagat Singh & it is their teachings that we will strive to carry on.
Jai Hind!! Jai Bharat!!
Feroze Mithiborwala, Kishore Jagtap, Aslam Ghazi, Jyoti Badekar & Arif Kapadia
(From Mumbai police confiscate Nakba Day banners, Bharat Bachao Andolan, countercurrents.org, 19/5/12)
[* "What was still more unpleasant for the Government, the Moslem world outside Palestine began to raise its voice. An all-India Moslem Conference for Palestine was held in Bombay [now Mumbai, in May 1922] and passed a resolution that the Holy Land of Palestine was the trust of the whole Moslem world and not of the Moslems of Palestine alone. It demanded the abolition of the Balfour Declaration, the termination of the Mandate and the establishment of self-government there. It decided to celebrate a 'Palestine Day' throughout India, Burma and Ceylon, on Friday the 16th [May], to begin after prayers at the mosques. This was held as arranged, and in Bombay particularly was on an impressive scale. Long processions paraded through the Moslem quarters, waving banners inscribed 'Down with the Balfour Declaration!' and Reuter cabled that a meeting in the evening was attended by 100,000 persons." (Palestine: The Reality (1939), JMN Jeffries, p 620)]
The Chief Minister,
Shri Prithviraj Chavan,
Government of Maharashtra,
Mumbai,
India,
Sub: We condemn the Mumbai Police action & confiscation of our 'Boycott Israel-Save India, 15th May Nakba-Day' Banners from a private office premise.
Respected Sir,
Namaste!
We are extremely peturbed and angry at the fact that today, on the 18th of May 2012, at 3.00pm, the Agripada police raided the premises of the Jamat-i-Islami-i-Hind at Madanpura & confiscated the 'May 15 - Nakba Day' banners. The office staff were called over to the Agripada Police Station for further questioning. Soon after, on making calls to the police station, which had earlier refused to give us any information, but after sustained calls from various important quarters we were informed that it was on the behest & instructions of the Israeli consulate in Mumbai, that the police went into action. This is indeed a matter of great concern, whereby the local police is now acting as an agent of a foreign consulate against Indian citizens.
This is clearly an infringement of our sovereign & democratic rights & we thus lodge our protest & condemn the action of the police as strongly as possible. The banners were not put up in any public space without the due permission of the municipal authorities, as is the norm. The banners were strung outside the balcony on the first floor of the said private premises. Moreover the banners had the following messages in the context of the May 15th protests that are held globally.
i) Boycott Israel - Save India!!
ii) Free Palestine & Right of Return of the Refugees
iii) May 15th - Nakba Protests!!
These banners and protests are in keeping with our historical national tradition of supporting the anti-colonial freedom struggles* & the international political consensus in terms of the global day of protests against the creation of the Zionist Apartheid Racist Israel.
Thus we demand that action be taken against:
i) The Israeli consulate, wherein they are clearly told to operate within the limits of a foreign entity as a consulate & not step beyond the boundaries & the laws of our country. They need to be told that they are not the new viceroys of India, where they can directly call up the local police station & have them raid & arrest patriotic citizens.
Though this problem also stems from the fact that due to state policy a number of low level police officials are also travelling to Israel, for so-called anti-terror training whilst it is a well known fact that Israel is the fountainhead of terror in the world.
This flawed training of our police by certified Islamophobes has resulted in an increased wave of anti-Muslim xenophobia amongst our police & intelligence services, as has been evident in the persecution of Muslim youth in the course of the last two decades.
Meanwhile, a significant number of Mossad agents have been identified & expelled from India for indulging in espionage, drug peddling & weapons smuggling. Also the links of racist Israel with the extreme right-wing Manuwadi forces, namely the BJP-RSS-VHP-BD, all stand exposed.
Yet the secular Congress-led UPA turns a blind eye to the Mossad operations in our city & across the country.
Israel poses a grave security threat to the very sovereignty & unity of our country. Today, the dubious & perfidious role of the Zionist-Israeli Lobby in America & the Western world stands exposed & Israel stands at the bottom of public opinion across the world. Yet the ruling political elite in our country do not seem to understand the obvious. Also the corrupting role of Israeli weapons manufacturers has been exposed by none less than the Defence Ministry itself, whereby 4 Israeli companies have been banned for bribing politicians, military officials and bureaucrats. The links of the Mossad & the Abhinav Bharat & Sanatan Sanstha terror organizations are also being probed due to the charge-sheet filed by Shaheed ATS Chief Hemant Karkare.
Thus it is also due to the flawed policies of the government, where the likes of racist Israelis operate with impunity, even by-passing the official corridors of power & our intel-security apparatus.
ii) The DCP Mr Kishore Jadhav & the Sr Inspector Mr Suryavanshi (Agripada Police Station) all need to be taken to task for operating at the behest of the Israeli consulate as their agents.
All the police stations in our city of Mumbai, across Maharashtra & India, need to be warned that they cannot be acting at a telephone call from either the Israeli, the American, or any other foreign power.
The next time the people of this city will lay siege to the police station if our sovereign democratic rights as Indian citizens are again infringed upon.
We also demand that the Home Minister, Mr P R Patil, take the appropirate action against these errant officials so we do not see a repeat of these abominable acts ever again.
We represent the patriotic tradition of our Freedom Movement against the British colonial occupation of our Motherland & we will not stand by and see our nation be colonized once again by American & Israeli imperialists. We will not betray the sacrifices & the memories of our founding fathers & the thousands who laid down their lives for a free India.
Today there is a movement across the world where the masses are challenging the US-Israeli-European Neo-colonial project & the demise of the Western imperial powers is destined.
It is time for the Indian political class to understand these new political realities for the future of our nation & the world is at stake.
We walk in the path of Mahatma Gandhi, Maulana Azad, Mahatma Phule, Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Subash Chandra Bhose & Bhagat Singh & it is their teachings that we will strive to carry on.
Jai Hind!! Jai Bharat!!
Feroze Mithiborwala, Kishore Jagtap, Aslam Ghazi, Jyoti Badekar & Arif Kapadia
(From Mumbai police confiscate Nakba Day banners, Bharat Bachao Andolan, countercurrents.org, 19/5/12)
[* "What was still more unpleasant for the Government, the Moslem world outside Palestine began to raise its voice. An all-India Moslem Conference for Palestine was held in Bombay [now Mumbai, in May 1922] and passed a resolution that the Holy Land of Palestine was the trust of the whole Moslem world and not of the Moslems of Palestine alone. It demanded the abolition of the Balfour Declaration, the termination of the Mandate and the establishment of self-government there. It decided to celebrate a 'Palestine Day' throughout India, Burma and Ceylon, on Friday the 16th [May], to begin after prayers at the mosques. This was held as arranged, and in Bombay particularly was on an impressive scale. Long processions paraded through the Moslem quarters, waving banners inscribed 'Down with the Balfour Declaration!' and Reuter cabled that a meeting in the evening was attended by 100,000 persons." (Palestine: The Reality (1939), JMN Jeffries, p 620)]
Monday, March 19, 2012
Busted!
Not only do we have young Israelis flogging Dead Sea mineral products (coming from an illegal factory in an illegal settlement built on illegally-confiscated Palestinian land in the illegally-occupied Palestinian West Bank) fanning out in our shopping malls, we also have them flogging dodgy paintings on our streets. Typically, the latter phenomenon has yet to engage the attention of the Australian ms media. But, thanks to the efforts of a New Zealand woman, the phenomenon has at least made it into the NZ press:
"A scam involving Israelis selling artwork door-to-door has been busted, thanks to the suspicions of a Richmond woman. The Israelis now face deportation. Immigration New Zealand says one, an overstayer, has been taken into custody pending deportation, 5 found to be working in breach of visitor visas have been served with deportation liability notices and a seventh, due to leave New Zealand voluntarily, has been warned about working in breach of visa conditions.
"Richmond resident Rebekah Young said she felt uneasy when a man claiming to be an Israeli student came to her door selling artwork 2 weeks ago. She said he told her they were one-off prints of original paintings. She liked one called Passion Flower and bought it for $180, and he told her a mobile picture framer could call and frame it. She paid a total of $320. Later she discovered a neighbour had been offered the same one, and another the same was seen in the back of the framer's van. She had expected he would be a Nelson framer, but he too was Israeli. 'I just had this sick feeling in my stomach that something was not right', she said. She said she then went onto her computer and googled 'art scam' and found similar stories in Auckland, Napier and Christchurch. So she rang the police. Police caught up with the Israelis when they called at another Richmond house. Young got her money back and handed over the artwork she had bought.
"Senior constable Marty Tutton, of Wakefield, said it was a case of buyer beware. Anybody could sell door-to-door but the issue was how they were selling and whether there was a misrepresentation, or an attempt to deceive. 'They have been spoken to and advised of the correct procedures in New Zealand'. He said there were 5 in a van and they admitted to selling artwork in Nelson, Stoke and Richmond. They were not charged but the police contacted Immigration NZ. Immigration NZ manager fraud and compliance, Peter Elms, said INZ staff and police visited a Nelson address on Monday and spoke to 7 Israeli nationals. 'INZ understands that the artwork being sold door-to-door is pictures purchased from China for a small sum and sold for between $150 and $400 each'." (Israeli art scammers told to quit country, stuff.co.nz, 15/3/12)
[For Mossad's activities in NZ, click on the NZ tab below. Also read the comprehensive report Mossad down under-again? (23/7/11) by KR Bolton at foreignpolicyjournal.com; For more on Israeli 'art students', see my 30/9/10 post Round Round Get Around...5.]
"A scam involving Israelis selling artwork door-to-door has been busted, thanks to the suspicions of a Richmond woman. The Israelis now face deportation. Immigration New Zealand says one, an overstayer, has been taken into custody pending deportation, 5 found to be working in breach of visitor visas have been served with deportation liability notices and a seventh, due to leave New Zealand voluntarily, has been warned about working in breach of visa conditions.
"Richmond resident Rebekah Young said she felt uneasy when a man claiming to be an Israeli student came to her door selling artwork 2 weeks ago. She said he told her they were one-off prints of original paintings. She liked one called Passion Flower and bought it for $180, and he told her a mobile picture framer could call and frame it. She paid a total of $320. Later she discovered a neighbour had been offered the same one, and another the same was seen in the back of the framer's van. She had expected he would be a Nelson framer, but he too was Israeli. 'I just had this sick feeling in my stomach that something was not right', she said. She said she then went onto her computer and googled 'art scam' and found similar stories in Auckland, Napier and Christchurch. So she rang the police. Police caught up with the Israelis when they called at another Richmond house. Young got her money back and handed over the artwork she had bought.
"Senior constable Marty Tutton, of Wakefield, said it was a case of buyer beware. Anybody could sell door-to-door but the issue was how they were selling and whether there was a misrepresentation, or an attempt to deceive. 'They have been spoken to and advised of the correct procedures in New Zealand'. He said there were 5 in a van and they admitted to selling artwork in Nelson, Stoke and Richmond. They were not charged but the police contacted Immigration NZ. Immigration NZ manager fraud and compliance, Peter Elms, said INZ staff and police visited a Nelson address on Monday and spoke to 7 Israeli nationals. 'INZ understands that the artwork being sold door-to-door is pictures purchased from China for a small sum and sold for between $150 and $400 each'." (Israeli art scammers told to quit country, stuff.co.nz, 15/3/12)
[For Mossad's activities in NZ, click on the NZ tab below. Also read the comprehensive report Mossad down under-again? (23/7/11) by KR Bolton at foreignpolicyjournal.com; For more on Israeli 'art students', see my 30/9/10 post Round Round Get Around...5.]
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
In Whose Interest?
Pure coincidence, but it's interesting how the following news should come on the heels of my last post:
"A secret squadron of Australian SAS soldiers has been operating at large in Africa, performing work normally done by spies, in an unannounced and possibly dangerous expansion of Australia's foreign military engagement... The Herald has confirmed that troopers from the [SAS 4] squadron have mounted dozens of secret operations during the past year in various African nations, including Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Kenya. They have been out of uniform and not accompanied by Australian Secret Intelligence Service [ASIS] officers with whom undercover SAS forces are conventionally deployed. It is believed the missions have involved gathering intelligence on terrorism and scoping rescue strategies for Australian civilians trapped by kidnapping or civil war. But the operations have raised serious concerns within the Australian military and intelligence community because they involve countries where Australia is not at war... Despite the dangers, the then foreign affairs minister Kevin Rudd last year asked for troopers from 4 Squadron to be used in Libya during the conflict. His plan was thwarted by opposition from the Defence Minister, Stephen Smith, and the Chief of the Australian Defence Force, General David Hurley." (Secret SAS teams hunt for terrorists, Rafael Epstein & Dylan Welch, Sydney Morning Herald, 13/3/12)
But really this should come as no surprise:
"Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has phoned Prime Minister John Howard to thank him for the role played by Australian special forces sent deep into Iraq to destroy missile sites aimed at Israel. While little detail has emerged about the activities of the SAS in the second Gulf War, indications are that its soldiers went in to knock out missiles aimed at Israel and at Arab countries helping the coalition cause. A major concern of coalition planners was that the hawkish Israeli Government would launch its own attacks on Iraq if Iraqi missiles landed on its territory - particularly if they were loaded with chemical or biological weapons... The US is understood to have assured Israel that it would be in a position to deal with any such threat before hostilities started.
"Israel's ambassador to Australia, Gabi Levy, told The Sunday Age that Mr Sharon rang Mr Howard a week ago to convey his appreciation for the part Australia played. That followed a March 25 call from Israel's foreign minister, Silvan Shalom, to his Australian counterpart, Alexander Downer, in which he passed on the appreciation and gratitude of Israelis for the job the SAS soldiers did in western Iraq. Mr Levy said Mr Downer briefed Mr Shalom on the coalition forces' activities in western Iraq and said that their aim was to prevent Scud missile attacks on Israel. Mr Downer said a high priority was given to that goal. It seems likely that the SAS moved into Iraq at least 2 days before the 'official' war started on March 20 with a cruise missile bombardment of Baghdad intended to kill the Iraqi leadership... Mr Levy said he knew nothing of speculation from the US that Australian and Israeli special forces operated together in western Iraq. On March 29, New York's Daily News reported that Israel was engaged behind the scenes providing satellite intelligence to supplement that of the US. It said Israeli agents in Baghdad had provided sensitive information to the US and its Sayeret Matkal commandos were operating in the desert in western Iraq with American and Australian special forces." (Sharon thanks PM for help, Brendan Nicholson, The Age, 13/4/03)
The question arises: Are we off on a frolic all our own, or are we just gormlessly tagging along with our USraeli mates again?
After all, the Israelis recently concluded a deal with Kenya, declaring that "Kenya's enemies are Israel's enemies" (Israel increase in support for Kenya's al-Shabaab battle draws fresh threats, Mike Pflanz, telegraph.co.uk, 15/11/11).
Ditto for Nigeria. In the words of Israel's ambassador to that country: "Our hands are always open to our friends and partners. Nigeria is one of them. Efforts are on the way over this, we cannot say more than that now. It falls under a bi-lateral arrangement and relationship" (Israel joins Nigeria to fight Boko Haram, Konye Obaji Ori, theafricareport.com, 8/3/12).
Further, hadn't Haaretz' security expert, Yossi Melman, declared on our own Radio National in 2010:
"A third role [of Mossad] was to maintain secret, clandestine but very vital and useful contacts with its counterparts, whether it's... ASIO or... the CIA or... MI6. And they have developed over the years, very, very intimate relations, sharing information and... assessments and even, nowadays, going into the field, enjoying the operations in the war against global terrorism"* (The Mossad, Rear Vision, 24/3/10).
Watch this space.
[*See my 29/5/10 post All the Way with Mossad.]
"A secret squadron of Australian SAS soldiers has been operating at large in Africa, performing work normally done by spies, in an unannounced and possibly dangerous expansion of Australia's foreign military engagement... The Herald has confirmed that troopers from the [SAS 4] squadron have mounted dozens of secret operations during the past year in various African nations, including Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Kenya. They have been out of uniform and not accompanied by Australian Secret Intelligence Service [ASIS] officers with whom undercover SAS forces are conventionally deployed. It is believed the missions have involved gathering intelligence on terrorism and scoping rescue strategies for Australian civilians trapped by kidnapping or civil war. But the operations have raised serious concerns within the Australian military and intelligence community because they involve countries where Australia is not at war... Despite the dangers, the then foreign affairs minister Kevin Rudd last year asked for troopers from 4 Squadron to be used in Libya during the conflict. His plan was thwarted by opposition from the Defence Minister, Stephen Smith, and the Chief of the Australian Defence Force, General David Hurley." (Secret SAS teams hunt for terrorists, Rafael Epstein & Dylan Welch, Sydney Morning Herald, 13/3/12)
But really this should come as no surprise:
"Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has phoned Prime Minister John Howard to thank him for the role played by Australian special forces sent deep into Iraq to destroy missile sites aimed at Israel. While little detail has emerged about the activities of the SAS in the second Gulf War, indications are that its soldiers went in to knock out missiles aimed at Israel and at Arab countries helping the coalition cause. A major concern of coalition planners was that the hawkish Israeli Government would launch its own attacks on Iraq if Iraqi missiles landed on its territory - particularly if they were loaded with chemical or biological weapons... The US is understood to have assured Israel that it would be in a position to deal with any such threat before hostilities started.
"Israel's ambassador to Australia, Gabi Levy, told The Sunday Age that Mr Sharon rang Mr Howard a week ago to convey his appreciation for the part Australia played. That followed a March 25 call from Israel's foreign minister, Silvan Shalom, to his Australian counterpart, Alexander Downer, in which he passed on the appreciation and gratitude of Israelis for the job the SAS soldiers did in western Iraq. Mr Levy said Mr Downer briefed Mr Shalom on the coalition forces' activities in western Iraq and said that their aim was to prevent Scud missile attacks on Israel. Mr Downer said a high priority was given to that goal. It seems likely that the SAS moved into Iraq at least 2 days before the 'official' war started on March 20 with a cruise missile bombardment of Baghdad intended to kill the Iraqi leadership... Mr Levy said he knew nothing of speculation from the US that Australian and Israeli special forces operated together in western Iraq. On March 29, New York's Daily News reported that Israel was engaged behind the scenes providing satellite intelligence to supplement that of the US. It said Israeli agents in Baghdad had provided sensitive information to the US and its Sayeret Matkal commandos were operating in the desert in western Iraq with American and Australian special forces." (Sharon thanks PM for help, Brendan Nicholson, The Age, 13/4/03)
The question arises: Are we off on a frolic all our own, or are we just gormlessly tagging along with our USraeli mates again?
After all, the Israelis recently concluded a deal with Kenya, declaring that "Kenya's enemies are Israel's enemies" (Israel increase in support for Kenya's al-Shabaab battle draws fresh threats, Mike Pflanz, telegraph.co.uk, 15/11/11).
Ditto for Nigeria. In the words of Israel's ambassador to that country: "Our hands are always open to our friends and partners. Nigeria is one of them. Efforts are on the way over this, we cannot say more than that now. It falls under a bi-lateral arrangement and relationship" (Israel joins Nigeria to fight Boko Haram, Konye Obaji Ori, theafricareport.com, 8/3/12).
Further, hadn't Haaretz' security expert, Yossi Melman, declared on our own Radio National in 2010:
"A third role [of Mossad] was to maintain secret, clandestine but very vital and useful contacts with its counterparts, whether it's... ASIO or... the CIA or... MI6. And they have developed over the years, very, very intimate relations, sharing information and... assessments and even, nowadays, going into the field, enjoying the operations in the war against global terrorism"* (The Mossad, Rear Vision, 24/3/10).
Watch this space.
[*See my 29/5/10 post All the Way with Mossad.]
Saturday, July 9, 2011
The Israeli Traffic Cop
Greece, stop!
"In his speech Thursday night for the Israel Air Force Flight School graduation ceremony, Netanyahu discussed diplomatic efforts being made to prevent the Gaza flotilla from setting sail. The only leader that Netanyahu mentioned by name in his address was Greece's George Papendreou. Just a day earlier, the prime minister spoke with his Greek counterpart, imploring him to issue an order preventing ships from disembarking from Greece toward the Gaza Strip. Unlike in the past, Papendreou responded positively, and a top Israeli official involved in the talks between the Greek prime minister and Netanyahu said that Israel knew as early as Thursday afternoon that Greece was planning to block ships from leaving its ports toward the strip.
"The romance between Netantahu and Papendreou began in February of 2010, when the two met coincidentally at the 'Pushkin' restaurant in Moscow. Netanyahu took advantage of their chance encounter to speak with the Greek prime minister about Turkish extremism against Israel and the two quickly became friends. The Israeli and Greek leaders have spoken to each other at least once a week ever since they met in Moscow. The Turkish flotilla to Gaza in May of 2010 led to serious concern among the intelligence and military ranks in Greece, who began pressuring the government to strengthen diplomatic ties with Israel. Papendreou did not need much convincing. In July of 2010 he arrived in Jerusalem, the first official visit of a Greek prime minister to Israel in 30 years. A few weeks later Netanyahu travelled to Athens, spending a whole day with Papendreou and other officials on a nearby island. Israeli diplomats can attest that the budding friendship between the two countries over the course of the past year-and-a-half has been nothing short of dramatic. Intelligence communication has increased, the IAF has conducted a number of joint exercises with Greece's air force and Netanyahu has requested Papendreou's assistance in passing on several messages to Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Many of Netanyahu and Papendreou's talks in the past few months have revolved around the severe financial crisis Greece is currently suffering. Netanyahu recently decided to come to the aid of his newfound friend in a meeting of foreign ministers and European leaders, imploring them to provide Greece with financial aid. 'Netanyahu has become Greece's lobbyist to the European Union', an Israeli diplomat said. In recent weeks, as efforts to stop the impending pro-Palestinian flotilla to Gaza came to a head, Netanyahu reaped the benefits of his investment in Israel-Greece ties and his gamble on the country paid off." (Netanyahu's big fat Greek Wedding, Barak Ravid, Haaretz, 1/7/11)
Foreign airlines, stop!
"Israel has instructed foreign airlines to prevent 300 pro-Palestinian activists from boarding flights to Israel over the weekend, after Israeli security forces handed them the names of 300 people who they had blacklisted. The Transportation Ministry requested that foreign airlines report to Israeli authorities if any of the blacklisted passengers appear on their flights to Israel in the next 24 hours, stressing that these people will not be granted entry into Israel... Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists were expected to arrive in Israel for a mass protest over the weekend, as a counterpart to the Gaza-bound flotilla which had encountered numerous setbacks. Thus far, no activists were known to be prevented from boarding flights abroad, but most of the flights are only expected to depart on Thursday night." (Israel instructs foreign airlines to prevent departure of 300 pro-Palestinian activists, Zohar Blumenkrantz, Haaretz, 7/7/11)
Germany, proceed.
"The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is facing growing criticism after news of a multibillion-dollar deal for the secret sale of 200 tanks to Saudi Arabia leaked from the national security council that approved it... Members of Dr Merkel's own party have criticised the sale on human rights grounds. The deal reveals the shifting Israeli attitude towards the Saudis. Israel has notably not complained about the arms deal, and government sources said it was cleared with the Americans and the Israelis." (Merkel under fire over secret Saudi tank deal, Nicholas Kulish, New York Times/SMH, 8/7/11)
"In his speech Thursday night for the Israel Air Force Flight School graduation ceremony, Netanyahu discussed diplomatic efforts being made to prevent the Gaza flotilla from setting sail. The only leader that Netanyahu mentioned by name in his address was Greece's George Papendreou. Just a day earlier, the prime minister spoke with his Greek counterpart, imploring him to issue an order preventing ships from disembarking from Greece toward the Gaza Strip. Unlike in the past, Papendreou responded positively, and a top Israeli official involved in the talks between the Greek prime minister and Netanyahu said that Israel knew as early as Thursday afternoon that Greece was planning to block ships from leaving its ports toward the strip.
"The romance between Netantahu and Papendreou began in February of 2010, when the two met coincidentally at the 'Pushkin' restaurant in Moscow. Netanyahu took advantage of their chance encounter to speak with the Greek prime minister about Turkish extremism against Israel and the two quickly became friends. The Israeli and Greek leaders have spoken to each other at least once a week ever since they met in Moscow. The Turkish flotilla to Gaza in May of 2010 led to serious concern among the intelligence and military ranks in Greece, who began pressuring the government to strengthen diplomatic ties with Israel. Papendreou did not need much convincing. In July of 2010 he arrived in Jerusalem, the first official visit of a Greek prime minister to Israel in 30 years. A few weeks later Netanyahu travelled to Athens, spending a whole day with Papendreou and other officials on a nearby island. Israeli diplomats can attest that the budding friendship between the two countries over the course of the past year-and-a-half has been nothing short of dramatic. Intelligence communication has increased, the IAF has conducted a number of joint exercises with Greece's air force and Netanyahu has requested Papendreou's assistance in passing on several messages to Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Many of Netanyahu and Papendreou's talks in the past few months have revolved around the severe financial crisis Greece is currently suffering. Netanyahu recently decided to come to the aid of his newfound friend in a meeting of foreign ministers and European leaders, imploring them to provide Greece with financial aid. 'Netanyahu has become Greece's lobbyist to the European Union', an Israeli diplomat said. In recent weeks, as efforts to stop the impending pro-Palestinian flotilla to Gaza came to a head, Netanyahu reaped the benefits of his investment in Israel-Greece ties and his gamble on the country paid off." (Netanyahu's big fat Greek Wedding, Barak Ravid, Haaretz, 1/7/11)
Foreign airlines, stop!
"Israel has instructed foreign airlines to prevent 300 pro-Palestinian activists from boarding flights to Israel over the weekend, after Israeli security forces handed them the names of 300 people who they had blacklisted. The Transportation Ministry requested that foreign airlines report to Israeli authorities if any of the blacklisted passengers appear on their flights to Israel in the next 24 hours, stressing that these people will not be granted entry into Israel... Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists were expected to arrive in Israel for a mass protest over the weekend, as a counterpart to the Gaza-bound flotilla which had encountered numerous setbacks. Thus far, no activists were known to be prevented from boarding flights abroad, but most of the flights are only expected to depart on Thursday night." (Israel instructs foreign airlines to prevent departure of 300 pro-Palestinian activists, Zohar Blumenkrantz, Haaretz, 7/7/11)
Germany, proceed.
"The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is facing growing criticism after news of a multibillion-dollar deal for the secret sale of 200 tanks to Saudi Arabia leaked from the national security council that approved it... Members of Dr Merkel's own party have criticised the sale on human rights grounds. The deal reveals the shifting Israeli attitude towards the Saudis. Israel has notably not complained about the arms deal, and government sources said it was cleared with the Americans and the Israelis." (Merkel under fire over secret Saudi tank deal, Nicholas Kulish, New York Times/SMH, 8/7/11)
Sunday, March 13, 2011
One of Life's Little Mysteries
Further to my last post on East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta, this letter was published in The Australian Jewish News of March 4:
"I have recently returned from a trip (working holiday) in East Timor... As a non-Jew who has been a committed and passionate Zionist for over 40 years and a regular visitor to Israel, I am continually delighted while travelling in East Timor at the high level of support for Israel. The East Timorese are over 90% Roman Catholic, yet my experience - admittedly somewhat subjective - is that they are strong and often vocal supporters of Israel. Pro-Israel graffiti is common not only in the capital, Dili, but also in country areas. I have even seen buses with the Israeli flag and pro-Israel slogans painted on them. It is also worth noting that the President of East Timor, Ramos-Horta, recently visited Israel and appears to share the enthusiasm for Israel that I detected among his people... I would suggest that AJN readers who share my own love of Israel might like to give some thought to East Timor when planning their next holiday destination or next overseas aid donation." (Dr Bill Anderson, Surrey Hills, Vic)
So what's going on here? Either the good doctor's 40 years of passionate Zionism has so messed with his mind that he's hallucinating, Christian Zionists are making their malign presence felt even in far flung East Timor, or... ?
"I have recently returned from a trip (working holiday) in East Timor... As a non-Jew who has been a committed and passionate Zionist for over 40 years and a regular visitor to Israel, I am continually delighted while travelling in East Timor at the high level of support for Israel. The East Timorese are over 90% Roman Catholic, yet my experience - admittedly somewhat subjective - is that they are strong and often vocal supporters of Israel. Pro-Israel graffiti is common not only in the capital, Dili, but also in country areas. I have even seen buses with the Israeli flag and pro-Israel slogans painted on them. It is also worth noting that the President of East Timor, Ramos-Horta, recently visited Israel and appears to share the enthusiasm for Israel that I detected among his people... I would suggest that AJN readers who share my own love of Israel might like to give some thought to East Timor when planning their next holiday destination or next overseas aid donation." (Dr Bill Anderson, Surrey Hills, Vic)
So what's going on here? Either the good doctor's 40 years of passionate Zionism has so messed with his mind that he's hallucinating, Christian Zionists are making their malign presence felt even in far flung East Timor, or... ?
Saturday, March 12, 2011
The Rambamming of Jose Ramos-Horta
East Timor's President, Jose Ramos-Horta, was recently in Israel, supposedly to "seek support for agricultual self-sufficiency, food security and maritime security." (East Timor president seeks agricultural, security support, Greer Fay Cashman, The Jerusalem Post, 15/2/11)
Praised by Israeli president Shimon Peres as "representing the highest order of morality," Ramos-Horta returned the compliment by describing Peres as "the best of the Jewish people," and revealed that "he had first become aware of Israel and the Jewish people as a teenager in the 1960s when he read Exodus." (ibid)
In Reflections on a visit to Israel & Palestine (8/3/11), published at The Huffington Post, the "international voice of the Timorese people" during Indonesia's 24-year occupation (1975-1999) of East Timor and Nobel Peace Prize winner (1996) reveals how impressed he was by everything he'd seen and heard in the Jewish state.
Strangely, for all his post-Exodus experience of struggle (admittedly diplomatic, but no less important for that) against the brutal Indonesian occupation of his homeland, Ramos-Horta's understanding of the Zionist project in Palestine seems hardly to have progressed beyond the colonial vision of Leon Uris' trashy propaganda novel. Indeed, the word occupation appears nowhere in this account of a journey to a land now in its 63rd year of Zionist occupation. And why should it? Essentially, as the East Timorese president argues, the Palestinians have never had it so good:
"I recently completed my first State Visit to Israel and Palestine... During my 5-day visit I met with the elder Statesman Nobel Laureate President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and Speaker of the Knesset Reuven Rivlin, President Mahmud Abbas and senior advisers and ministers. I was surprised by the state of peace and economic prosperity prevailing in Israel and the West Bank. Israelis and Palestinians alike are pleased that not one single attack has been launched from the West Bank into Israel in 4 years... Visiting the West Bank I envied the relative prosperity of the Palestinians and the progress being made in their State-building exercise. Palestinians in the West Bank are far ahead of most Sub-Sahara African States, and indeed well ahead of my own country, in economic well-being and the development of the State institutions. Israelis were not bestowed with the same resources available to much of the Arab world. Yet Israelis are ahead of their neighbors, and of many European countries in such fields as humanities, science, food security, information technology, and medicine. They have harvested more Nobel prizes than any other individual country of its size. That this tiny country struggling with water scarcity is a major exporter of high quality agriculture [sic] goods to Europe and Russia illustrates the well-known Jewish resilience and creativity in the face of extreme adversity. Palestinians living in the West Bank, who have been much less fortunate in life [!] than Israelis, are yet ahead of their Arab brothers and sisters in the critical areas of higher education, and serve in key positions in government, business and academia throughout the region, in the US and Europe. In my conversations with Israeli leaders I was struck by the respect I heard for President Abu Maz [sic] and other Palestinian leaders. From the Palestinian side, in spite of decades of betrayal and suffering, I did not hear much animosity towards Israelis and Americans. In spite of obvious long-standing American bias towards Israel, the Palestinians I spoke to continue to favor US mediation. Prime Minister Netanyahu says that he is anxious to restart face-to-face dialogue. He appears to be firmly committed to the two-State concept, to a truly independent Palestinian State, one that is economically prosperous. Yes, the settlements remain a complex issue, but it is a mistake to make them the central issue. The Israelis know that once a final settlement is achieved the settlements have to go. They did it in Gaza and they are prepared to do it in the West Bank with 'minor border adjustments' from both sides."
So says Ramos-Horta today, but in a 1999 interview, he could almost have been talking about Palestine when he said of the Indonesian occupation:
"I don't think it has been their intention to wipe out the entire population but at least to reduce it to a minority. Through the killings, through forced sterilization of women, through transmigration, you achieve precisely that aim: you turn the local people into a minority in their own land. Then you resolve the problem. Similar to the Chinese approach in Tibet." (A profile of East Timor's Jose Ramos-Horta, Conan Elphicke, solidarity-us.org)
Back then, he would, you'd assume, have been aware of Israel's support for that occupation:
"Officially, [Indonesia] is... a country with a hostile attitude toward Israel. Unofficially, however, things are different. According to the CIA (1979), the Mossad has a station in Jakarta operating under a commercial cover. A British journalist reported that Israel has had 'major military contracts' with Indonesia (Coone, 1980). And an Israeli journalist stated that Israeli arms were used in the war Indonesia waged against the people of East Timor (Baram, 1982b). In 1979, the United States arranged the sale of 14 Skyhawk planes from Israel to Indonesia (Klich, 1982a). An American journalist reported at the same time that 'the US government is fronting an arms deal in which Israel, without being publicly identified as the source, is selling Indonesia used warplanes obtained from the United States. Pentagon officials confirmed yesterday that Israel is shipping Indonesia 16 A4 fighters, bought for $25.8 million in the first such third-country sale of US warplanes' (Wilson, 1979, p. A10). In 1983, another squadron was said to be in the process of delivery (Melman, 1983b)." (The Israeli Connection: Who Israel Arms & Why, Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi, 1987, p 32)
And you'd also assume that he was aware of the devastating aerial bombing campaigns waged against the East Timorese resistance and people beginning in 1977:
"Detailing events in Natabora, in the south, a refugee described how: 'Three aircraft - I think they were Skyhawks - bombed the region, killing thousands of people. In particular, women, children and old people were killed, people who couldn't run for cover. They were killed in large numbers. All we could do was pray for God's protection. The planes came in low and sprayed the ground with bullets, with their machine guns killing many people'. Bombing was followed by a campaign of encirclement in which the population was surrounded by concentric circles of troops, with Timorese youths and men forced to march in front of them." (Indonesia's Forgotten War: The Hidden History of East Timor, John Taylor, 1991, p 87)
Of course Ramos-Horta knew about all this: "Ninety per cent of the weapons and equipment that the Indonesians use are American, including the low flying jets that blew apart Ramos-Horta's sister before his mother's eyes, and broke the back of Falantil in the late '70s." (A profile of...)
Yet, speaking during his visit at the Hebrew University's Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations on Peace-Building, State-Building & Reconciliation: Experiences & Perspectives, Ramos-Horta is reported to have said: "We have reconciled with all those who have occupied us, and today we have exemplary relations with Indonesia." (East Timor president seeks...)
Presumably, this reconciliation applies also to those who aided and abetted Indonesia's occupation of East Timor. Would he, I wonder, be so forgiving if East Timor were still under Indonesia's thumb, as Palestine is still under Israel's?
To another matter. While in Israel, the deeply reconciled, cap-in-hand East Timorese president is reported to have perfomed his own version of one of those famous Israeli shrugs: "While keen to enhance relations with Israel, he admitted that the fruits of friendship would be a one-way street because there is very little that East Timor can do that will benefit Israel." (East Timor president seeks...)
How very cute! Now just watch how East Timor votes in the UN General Assembly when an Israel-related matter next arises.
Praised by Israeli president Shimon Peres as "representing the highest order of morality," Ramos-Horta returned the compliment by describing Peres as "the best of the Jewish people," and revealed that "he had first become aware of Israel and the Jewish people as a teenager in the 1960s when he read Exodus." (ibid)
In Reflections on a visit to Israel & Palestine (8/3/11), published at The Huffington Post, the "international voice of the Timorese people" during Indonesia's 24-year occupation (1975-1999) of East Timor and Nobel Peace Prize winner (1996) reveals how impressed he was by everything he'd seen and heard in the Jewish state.
Strangely, for all his post-Exodus experience of struggle (admittedly diplomatic, but no less important for that) against the brutal Indonesian occupation of his homeland, Ramos-Horta's understanding of the Zionist project in Palestine seems hardly to have progressed beyond the colonial vision of Leon Uris' trashy propaganda novel. Indeed, the word occupation appears nowhere in this account of a journey to a land now in its 63rd year of Zionist occupation. And why should it? Essentially, as the East Timorese president argues, the Palestinians have never had it so good:
"I recently completed my first State Visit to Israel and Palestine... During my 5-day visit I met with the elder Statesman Nobel Laureate President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and Speaker of the Knesset Reuven Rivlin, President Mahmud Abbas and senior advisers and ministers. I was surprised by the state of peace and economic prosperity prevailing in Israel and the West Bank. Israelis and Palestinians alike are pleased that not one single attack has been launched from the West Bank into Israel in 4 years... Visiting the West Bank I envied the relative prosperity of the Palestinians and the progress being made in their State-building exercise. Palestinians in the West Bank are far ahead of most Sub-Sahara African States, and indeed well ahead of my own country, in economic well-being and the development of the State institutions. Israelis were not bestowed with the same resources available to much of the Arab world. Yet Israelis are ahead of their neighbors, and of many European countries in such fields as humanities, science, food security, information technology, and medicine. They have harvested more Nobel prizes than any other individual country of its size. That this tiny country struggling with water scarcity is a major exporter of high quality agriculture [sic] goods to Europe and Russia illustrates the well-known Jewish resilience and creativity in the face of extreme adversity. Palestinians living in the West Bank, who have been much less fortunate in life [!] than Israelis, are yet ahead of their Arab brothers and sisters in the critical areas of higher education, and serve in key positions in government, business and academia throughout the region, in the US and Europe. In my conversations with Israeli leaders I was struck by the respect I heard for President Abu Maz [sic] and other Palestinian leaders. From the Palestinian side, in spite of decades of betrayal and suffering, I did not hear much animosity towards Israelis and Americans. In spite of obvious long-standing American bias towards Israel, the Palestinians I spoke to continue to favor US mediation. Prime Minister Netanyahu says that he is anxious to restart face-to-face dialogue. He appears to be firmly committed to the two-State concept, to a truly independent Palestinian State, one that is economically prosperous. Yes, the settlements remain a complex issue, but it is a mistake to make them the central issue. The Israelis know that once a final settlement is achieved the settlements have to go. They did it in Gaza and they are prepared to do it in the West Bank with 'minor border adjustments' from both sides."
So says Ramos-Horta today, but in a 1999 interview, he could almost have been talking about Palestine when he said of the Indonesian occupation:
"I don't think it has been their intention to wipe out the entire population but at least to reduce it to a minority. Through the killings, through forced sterilization of women, through transmigration, you achieve precisely that aim: you turn the local people into a minority in their own land. Then you resolve the problem. Similar to the Chinese approach in Tibet." (A profile of East Timor's Jose Ramos-Horta, Conan Elphicke, solidarity-us.org)
Back then, he would, you'd assume, have been aware of Israel's support for that occupation:
"Officially, [Indonesia] is... a country with a hostile attitude toward Israel. Unofficially, however, things are different. According to the CIA (1979), the Mossad has a station in Jakarta operating under a commercial cover. A British journalist reported that Israel has had 'major military contracts' with Indonesia (Coone, 1980). And an Israeli journalist stated that Israeli arms were used in the war Indonesia waged against the people of East Timor (Baram, 1982b). In 1979, the United States arranged the sale of 14 Skyhawk planes from Israel to Indonesia (Klich, 1982a). An American journalist reported at the same time that 'the US government is fronting an arms deal in which Israel, without being publicly identified as the source, is selling Indonesia used warplanes obtained from the United States. Pentagon officials confirmed yesterday that Israel is shipping Indonesia 16 A4 fighters, bought for $25.8 million in the first such third-country sale of US warplanes' (Wilson, 1979, p. A10). In 1983, another squadron was said to be in the process of delivery (Melman, 1983b)." (The Israeli Connection: Who Israel Arms & Why, Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi, 1987, p 32)
And you'd also assume that he was aware of the devastating aerial bombing campaigns waged against the East Timorese resistance and people beginning in 1977:
"Detailing events in Natabora, in the south, a refugee described how: 'Three aircraft - I think they were Skyhawks - bombed the region, killing thousands of people. In particular, women, children and old people were killed, people who couldn't run for cover. They were killed in large numbers. All we could do was pray for God's protection. The planes came in low and sprayed the ground with bullets, with their machine guns killing many people'. Bombing was followed by a campaign of encirclement in which the population was surrounded by concentric circles of troops, with Timorese youths and men forced to march in front of them." (Indonesia's Forgotten War: The Hidden History of East Timor, John Taylor, 1991, p 87)
Of course Ramos-Horta knew about all this: "Ninety per cent of the weapons and equipment that the Indonesians use are American, including the low flying jets that blew apart Ramos-Horta's sister before his mother's eyes, and broke the back of Falantil in the late '70s." (A profile of...)
Yet, speaking during his visit at the Hebrew University's Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations on Peace-Building, State-Building & Reconciliation: Experiences & Perspectives, Ramos-Horta is reported to have said: "We have reconciled with all those who have occupied us, and today we have exemplary relations with Indonesia." (East Timor president seeks...)
Presumably, this reconciliation applies also to those who aided and abetted Indonesia's occupation of East Timor. Would he, I wonder, be so forgiving if East Timor were still under Indonesia's thumb, as Palestine is still under Israel's?
To another matter. While in Israel, the deeply reconciled, cap-in-hand East Timorese president is reported to have perfomed his own version of one of those famous Israeli shrugs: "While keen to enhance relations with Israel, he admitted that the fruits of friendship would be a one-way street because there is very little that East Timor can do that will benefit Israel." (East Timor president seeks...)
How very cute! Now just watch how East Timor votes in the UN General Assembly when an Israel-related matter next arises.
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