If anyone has any doubts where Obama's undivided loyalties lie, just take it from The Man himself. I've bolded the areas that speak to the absolute alignment of the US with Israel, and while I found most, if not all, of his statement troubling, I was dismayed to read of Obama's support of the Israeli bombardment of Lebanon in 2006. So, what else is new?
Especially troubling is that funding Israel militarily and economically is a "funding priority." Now, shouldn't all those Americans without health plans, or jobs or homes start jumping up and down and protesting this? Shouldn't African Americans who bear the brunt of much of America's inadequate funding of social policies start jumping up and down RIGHT NOW and protest this? Read it folks: Obama advocates INCREASING this foreign "aid" to Israel. That's your tax dollars, folks. Going into the killing machine instead of your neighbourhoods. What was all that post election tv propaganda about Obama working in disenfranchised neighbourhoods? How can we read that in light of his absolute alignment with the Israeli Ashkenazi (white European) elites, that is, the oppressors of those in the disenfranchised neighbourhoods, that is, the Palestinians?
From President Obama's official White house website. Under Foreign Policy, there is a special section just on Israel (now, why don't I find that unusual?):
Israel
* Ensure a Strong U.S.-Israel Partnership: Barack Obama and Joe Biden strongly support the U.S.-Israel relationship, and believe that our first and incontrovertible commitment in the Middle East must be to the security of Israel, America's strongest ally in the region. They support this closeness, and have stated that the United States will never distance itself from Israel.
* Support Israel's Right to Self Defense: During the July 2006 Lebanon war, Barack Obama stood up strongly for Israel's right to defend itself from Hezbollah raids and rocket attacks, cosponsoring a Senate resolution against Iran and Syria's involvement in the war, and insisting that Israel should not be pressured into a ceasefire that did not deal with the threat of Hezbollah missiles. He and Joe Biden believe strongly in Israel's right to protect its citizens.
* Support Foreign Assistance to Israel: Barack Obama and Joe Biden have consistently supported foreign assistance to Israel. They defend and support the annual foreign aid package that involves both military and economic assistance to Israel and have advocated increased foreign aid budgets to ensure that these funding priorities are met. They have called for continuing U.S. cooperation with Israel in the development of missile defense systems.
6 comments:
Thank you for your posts on responsible and peace-loving Jews such a Vanunu, Yasmin Khayal and Moti Gal. We need to know more about these wonderful Jews.
By the way, since the Spanish judge presented a law-suit to the Israeli Defense Minister, Livni (or however her name is spelled) said that the Spanish Foreign Minister has "promised" her that the Spanish Government is going to change the law so that no other judge can judge Israel and that she's going to ask the rest of the European countries to do the same!!! Now, if that doesn't prove that they're the "masters" of the world... That's why Obama can't really do anything much... only the CITIZENS and, especially, liberal, intellectual North American Jews can force to change things. Hugs, M.
Yes, as Merche says.
You may find this interview of Jimmy Carter on the subject of Israel very interesting:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-01-29/carter-on-iran/
Merche, thank you for this. Interestingly I read an article last night that after what you said makes me now wonder, was this EU banquet part of evil Tzipi's tour of getting nations to manipulate legalese to ensure Israeli representatives are exempt from war crimes charges?
"This cosy evening with Livni in Brussels was convened by the Czech foreign minister Karel Schwarzenberg, who currently chairs the EU Council of Ministers. It was he who said of the Israeli blitz on Gaza's citizens: "We understand this step as a defensive, not offensive, action," thus establishing beyond doubt what a pro-Zionist he is."
find the full text of Stuart Littlewood's article here:
http://www.palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=14752
Thank you, Marja-Leena, I will read what Carter has written. Too bad he was not able to speak out when he was President and it takes old age and distance from power to have him speak some truths.
that negotiating now with Hamas "is premature"? I guess if democracy means on US and Israeli terms and with the ME reps who go along with what the US and Israel dictate.
While Carter has some good things to say, overall his 'balanced' approach to speak of the rights of Palestinians and of Israelis in the same breath is problematic. He needs to locate his argument in the political-economy of who is the oppressor and colonizer and why that is so and stop clinging to romanticized Biblical myths.
I was disappointed that Reza Aslan didn't ask him some hard questions, especially in relation to the answers Carter provided. But Aslan's 'expertise' is not Palestine, nor is he well versed in political anaylsis; his "expertise" is contextualizing and historicizing Islam.
Thanks for your considered and expert opinion on the Carter article! There are a lot of things I'm still learning about the situation, and so much from you.
we all have so much to learn because much of the history of the Palestinian people has been denied us for so long. The internet, however, makes it easy to find material; of course, there is a lot of outrageous and biased material so it is important to glean through it.
But the internet allows blogging, photos, testimonies, video clips, and alternative news to be available to all us with internet access, so we can see beyond the lies and silences of the mainstream press.
I saw that George Will was on CBS news today and I had to laugh! That dinosaur neo-con--who listens to him, anyway? Most people are on the net getting their news and have chosen not be be treated as if we are stupid and unable to understand issues.
Carter is right to speak of a balanced approach, of course, BUT, it does not make any sense unless we first recognize the occupation, the blockade, the house and olive tree demolitions, the building of more illegal settlements, and the Apartheid Wall and the electrified fence around Gaza, the constant surveillance of Palestinian people through technologies of surveillance, the sniper towers along the Wall and Gaza fencing, the history of dispossession, the racism against Arabs, then, after that, we can bring in the "both sides need to stop the violence" argument.
After we are aware of occupation and imagine our own beautiful children living under its boot and bomb.
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