America, stop sucking up to Israel - Gideon Levy

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"Barack Obama has been busy - offering the Jewish People blessings for Rosh Hashanah, and recording a flattering video for the President's Conference in Jerusalem and another for Yitzhak Rabin's memorial rally. Only Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah surpasses him in terms of sheer output of recorded remarks.

In all the videos, Obama heaps sticky-sweet praise on Israel, even though he has spent nearly a year fruitlessly lobbying for Israel to be so kind as to do something, anything - even just a temporary freeze on settlement building - to advance the peace process.

The president's Mideast envoy, George Mitchell, has also been busy, shuttling between a funeral (for IDF soldier Asaf Ramon, the son of Israel's first astronaut Ilan Ramon) and a memorial (for Rabin, though it was postponed until next week due to rain), in order to find favor with Israelis. Polls have shown that Obama is increasingly unpopular here, with an approval rating of only 6 to 10 percent.

He decided to address Israelis by video, but a persuasive speech won't persuade anyone to end the occupation. He simply should have told the Israeli people the truth. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who arrived here last night, will certainly express similar sentiments: "commitment to Israel's security," "strategic alliance," "the need for peace," and so on .

Before no other country on the planet does the United States kneel and plead like this. In other trouble spots, America takes a different tone. It bombs in Afghanistan, invades Iraq and threatens sanctions against Iran and North Korea. Did anyone in Washington consider begging Saddam Hussein to withdraw from occupied territory in Kuwait?

But Israel the occupier, the stubborn contrarian that continues to mock America and the world by building settlements and abusing the Palestinians, receives different treatment. Another massage to the national ego in one video, more embarrassing praise in another.

Now is the time to say to the United States: Enough flattery. If you don't change the tone, nothing will change. As long as Israel feels the United States is in its pocket, and that America's automatic veto will save it from condemnations and sanctions, that it will receive massive aid unconditionally, and that it can continue waging punitive, lethal campaigns without a word from Washington, killing, destroying and imprisoning without the world's policeman making a sound, it will continue in its ways."

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[imdjh]

1. Ah yes. This makes sense, because Kuwait attacked Iraq.

[Recursion]

10. No, Kuwait just stole Iraq's oil NT

[HelenWheels]

2. Cut Israel loose

The US has been supporting Israel since its inception over 60 years ago. Isn't it about time they took care of themselves?

[Sezu]

7. Supporting Israel IS looking after

theirselves. Unless you adhere to some kooky tin foil hat CT.

[Violet_Crumble]

11. How is 'supporting' Israel looking after themselves?

That makes little sense, and seeing as how you believe that anyone who doesn't agree with what you said is a 'kooky tin foil hat CT', could you please explain (minus abuse and attacks on left-wingers) how supporting Israel is the US looking after itself?

[LeftishBrit]

12. (1) A strategic ally against shared enemies (2) They purchase lots of American weapons

However much we may lament the case, the military/industrial complex is an important part of the economy. And America/Israel relations are based in part on this.

P.S. What do Britain and America get out of our 'special relationship'?

[Violet_Crumble]

13. I disagree with that...

The US isn't looking after themselves by 'supporting' any ally, let alone Israel. For example, Australia and New Zealand are strategic allies of the US, and Australia at least buys lots of American weapons. The US isn't looking after itself by 'supporting' either country, and in fact was quite willing to let NZ go when they banned nuclear powered ships from their ports. So, the US isn't looking after itself with any alliance with Israel, as there's many other countries it has similar arrangements with that don't cause the reputational damage that Israel causes with the occupation...

[Sezu]

14. Americans generally don't have as limited a

vision as you and other isolationists do. Look at what all that money time and effort got them in Palestine time and time and time again; yet, they continue that as well.

Omly narcissists worry about reputation over what's right.

[Violet_Crumble]

15. I'm not an isolationist, nor do I have limited vision...

And congrats on totally ignoring the questions that you've been asked in favour of abuse, accusations and ignorant smears. No wonder you remind me of the long-gone Blitz....

[Ken Burch]

18. OH....you're isolationist if you're not a militarist.

n/t.

[ixion]

3. kicked, and would recommend

if I could.

[grassfed]

4. kick

[keep_it_real]

5. A different perspective, for sure.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

6. ... and for what??? Seriously. WHY????

[TomClash]

8. You don't really want an answer do you? nt

[TomClash]

9. Great article nt

[Jefferson23]

16. Scurrilous, thought I would add here Glenn Greenwald's take on Levy today.

Snip* It's simply impossible to imagine that sort of harsh and blunt critique being voiced by any establishment political commentator or national politician in the U.S. In fact, one finds the exact opposite trend of the one Levy advocates. As Levy suggests, and as Spencer Ackerman insightfully documents and condemns, the Obama administration appears to be rapidly retreating on what was once its promising and commendable demand that Israel cease all settlement growth. The U.S. is unwilling merely to demand from Israel a cessation of activity which is illegal in the eyes of the entire world and destructive to American interests.

Even worse, the U.S. Congress appears poised -- yet again -- to enact a meaningless though odious Resolution that has no purpose other than to shield Israel from criticism; place ourselves squarely on Israel's side no matter what it does; and once again obstruct war crimes investigations. That Resolution -- co-sponsored by two members of Congress from each party, including supreme AIPAC loyalist Howard Berman, the Democratic Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee -- would advance the repellent through all-too-familiar personal smears against U.N. investigator Richard Goldstone by urging that the U.S. "oppose unequivocally any endorsement or further consideration" of Goldstone's report -- which found both Israel and Hamas likely guilty of "war crimes" in the war in Gaza -- on the ground that the Report was biased, flawed, one-sided, pre-ordained and false.

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/

[Jefferson23]

17. Let Goldstone testify in Congress before you rush to judgment

11.02.2009 | Mondoweiss

by Michael Ratner
On Tuesday, November 3, Congress is poised to vote on H.Res.867, which calls on the “President and the Secretary of State to oppose unequivocally any endorsement or further consideration of the `Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict’ in multilateral fora.’ ”

The Resolution instructs the Obama Administration to prevent further consideration of the Goldstone Report (as it is informally known) in any international body. For Congress to do so, without a hearing where Judge Goldstone can testify and based upon a Resolution rife with factual errors, makes a mockery of assertions by the United States that fundamental protections of human rights laws law apply equally to all. It leaves the United States, and especially Congress, without a thread of moral authority.

This Resolution is a rush to judgment. It is a rush to judgment made on the basis of serious factual errors and mischaracterizations of the Goldstone Report. The Goldstone Report documents in a dispassionate and even-handed manner “violations of international human rights and humanitarian law and possible war crimes and crimes against humanity” committed by all parties prior to, during, and after Israel’s assault on the occupied Gaza Strip in December 2008-January 2009.

The text of the Resolution is directly at odds with the actual mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission and its report. The Resolution asserts that the mandate of the Fact Finding Mission was aimed only at Israeli violations of the laws of war. This is a blatant lie. In a letter to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Judge Goldstone states that the mandate he “demanded and received clearly included rocket and mortar attacks on Israel and as the report makes clear was so interpreted and implemented.”

http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/brilliant-idea/