Porkins Policy Review
Here is a great example of the way in which Netanyahu keeps Israeli safe; and ensures his reelection campaign will be a success.
The indispensable Israeli NGO Breaking the Silence has released a new report on children and youth in the Occupied West Bank. Complete with video testimonies the new report paints a disturbing picture of the daily violence that the IDF inflicts on Palestinian children. Now normally the American media would try their best to ignore this sort of report. They may even try their best to some how portray this as yet another viscous anti-Semitic attack. Lucky for the media the Republican National Convention will be eating up most of their time and energy. So before you get all worked up over the RNC and DNC conventions take the time and read through the report. If you cant read the whole report here are articles in The Independent, The Guardian and Ynet, all of which deal with the recent report. When your watching the balloons falling from the convention arena ceiling, you may want to take a minute and think about how your tax dollars go to funding this decades long occupation.
Once again the United States admits that Iran is not building a nuclear bomb. This time around it was in response to the erroneous claims that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has been making to the media in the Jewish state. Barak recently said that the American position on Iran was finally moving closer Israel’s. This was after Haaretz reported that there was a new NIE stating that Iran was in fact constructing a nuclear bomb. The Haaretz report is as false as Barak’s comments. No where in the Haaretz report is new intelligence cited. The same old lies about a supposed “clean up” at the Parchin military facility are cited as evidence by Haaretz, despite it having been debunked already. Haaretz also relies on anonymous Western and Israeli diplomats as sources for this new revelation. The other “reliable” source used by Haaretz comes from the violent Iranian terrorist cult group the MEK. I won’t even take the time here to break down how the MEK has absolutely no credibility.
So let’s be clear so we don’t have to go through with this for the two hundredth time. Iran is NOT building a nuclear weapon. They ceased construction in 2003 and have not begun again. This was the revelation that was made in the 2007 NIE, and it is still true today. As the L.A. Times pointed out five days ago, there is no nuclear program in Iran. It does not exist. For some further clarification on how ridiculous these claims are, here is former US Navy intelligence analyst John Schindler writing on his blog about these false claims:
A couple rules of the road. NIEs are very special things, exceptionally LIMDIS (limited distribution); when I was a full-time spook I didn’t read them – that was way above my pay-grade. That’s for the White House and related bigwigs. And they are always NOFORN: not for foreigners.
So, a few possibilities. Barak and his government are playing one huge head-fake with Obama, whom they openly dislike, even though he just dumped more money on Israel. Or, they have seen it – how, exactly, this former counterspy wonders – and are diming out DC in a very tough game of hardball.
Regardless, the rules of the spy game are clear and have been since Moses was a boy. When intelligence services share information, as they do every day, you don’t pass it to third parties without clearance. Ever. And if you do, eventually you will get burned and nobody will want to play marbles with you.
Barak and the other warmongers in Israel simply can’t wait to bomb Iran. Netanyahu and Barak are both savvy enough politically to understand that the American public by and large is gullible enough to so take that they say as fact. It doesn’t seem to matter how many times government officials or the mainstream media tells the American people that Iran isn’t building a bomb; they just don’t buy it. Netanyahu and Barak use this fact to brainwash Americans into blindly marching into war with Israel’s enemies. Israel’s enemies are not always our enemies. It’s time for Israel to fight their own battles. If that means attacking and oppressing Muslims through out the Middle East then fine, but we can not be dragged into this. The Muslim and Arab world already hates us enough. Can you really fathom what would happen if we worked with or allowed Israel to attack Iran? Can you imagine how fast Iran would build a bomb if they were attacked? All of the liberal western orientated Iranians that Americans love so much would side with the Ayatollah. A regional as well as global conflict involving other super powers could result in world war three. Once again the United States is driving down the road headed towards another 9/11.
972 Magazine writer Roi Maor discusses Israel’s legal system. Judge for your self if this is apartheid or not.
Hillary Clinton always manages to out do herself with a relentless litany of contradictions. Our supposed democracy loving Secretary of State told reporters at a news conference in Pretoria that
We have to send very clear expectations about avoiding sectarian warfare. Those who are attempting to exploit the situation by sending in proxies or terrorist fighters must realize that will not be tolerated,
Well it seems that Secretary Clinton ether forgot or is unaware that this is precisely what the United States is doing in Syria. It’s unlikely that she is unaware or forgot as she is one of the principle officials pushing this policy in Syria. Using the CIA to funnel arms and equipment to rebels so as to overthrow Assad and weaken Iran is the definition of using proxies. Furthermore, using these proxies is only exacerbating the sectarian strife in Syria. The administrations support of Sunni’s is shifting the conflict further in a direction which pits Sunni’s against Christians and Alawites.
Now if a big bad Republican had said this Democrats would be screaming bloody murder. And herein lies the problem with liberals. They are perfectly content with calling out conservatives when they advocate dangerous and illegal policies, but they are unable to reprimand their own people for doing the same thing. If a war criminal like George W. Bush had done this it would have been very bad. When the great liberal savior Barack Obama does it it’s different because he is doing it with good intentions. At least Republicans have the decency to be upfront and admit that their awful policies are aimed at ensuring American imperialism and hegemony over the world. Democrats hide behind the veil of humanitarianism and human rights when implementing their domineering foreign policy.
When Bush claimed to be bringing democracy to Iraq anyone with half a brain was able to see that this wasn’t the case. Instead it had everything to do with getting rid of someone who didn’t submit and play by Americas rules, and putting in place a puppet beholden to the United States and it’s interests. To a lesser extent is also
had to do ridding the region of Israel’s only real adversary. Unsurprisingly this didn’t turn out the way it was planned. Instead Saddam was replaced with another authoritarian leader who has exacerbated sectarian and ethnic tensions far beyond Saddam. Maliki is not beholden to anyone except his own desire for power. He has become increasingly close with America
and Israel’s sworn enemy Iran. The Obama administrations goal in Syria has a much to do with human rights and democracy as Bush’s Iraq strategy did. The real goals in Syria are two fold. Weaken and isolate Iran, and slow down the Arab Spring by putting in place an American stooge that will look out for America not Syria’s interests. Liberals and Democrats need to wake up to this sooner rather than later. In a few months it may not be possible to undo a civil war that will engulf the entire region.
16 Egyptian border guards were killed Monday by militants operating in Sinai. This is the latest in a string of incidents involving militants and disenfranchised communities in the peninsula. This latest attack was perhaps the most brazen though. After killing the border guards the militants drove stolen armored cars into the Israeli side of the border before being killed by the Israelis. Israel was quick to exploit the situation in Sinai to their advantage by calling the attack a “wake up call” for the Egyptians. As of recently Israel has been pointing its finger at Egypt and Gaza anytime an attack of this nature happens. The Israelis claim that the security vacuum is the fault of Egypt and is being exploited by Hamas and other Palestinian factions. Many political commentators in Israel also chalk up this violence to President Morsi’s “close” ties to Hamas. While this may play well for the Israeli public and western governments it’s simply not true.
Sinai has always been a region plagued by violence and militancy. In 2004 a 400 pound car bomb exploded outside the Hilton Hotel in Taba killing 34 people. A year later three bombs would go off in a coordinated attack that would claim the lives of 83 people in the resort town of Sharm al-Sheikh. And in 2011 the Egyptian oil pipeline connected to Israel and Jordan was attacked a whopping 12 times. All of this violence stemmed from Egypt’s close ties to Israel, something most if not all Egyptians loath, and the abysmal living conditions of the Bedouin communities living in the Sinai peninsula. These are attacks perpetrated by groups that are fed up with the oppressive Israeli occupation of the Palestinian people and the cooperation they receive from the Egyptian political elite, as well as by groups who historically have been neglected by the Egyptian government. The Israeli narrative that this is somehow the work of Hamas or some form of Palestinian resistance group doesn’t hold up. The biggest net loser from this recent attack is Gaza. The Rafah crossing which Morsi promised to fully open is now closed. Politically speaking Israel and it’s supporters are able to use this as further evidence of a global terror campaign directed at the Jewish state. Also keep in mind that Hamas directs their attacks against Israel and not Egypt.
The biggest net winner is of course Israel. Netanyahu and his partner in crime Barak can now blame Egypt and Gaza for all their foreign policy failures. The two of them can present this to other western nations as further evidence of how weak and ineffectual Morsi is as a leader. How can Israel expect to work with Egypt if it’s president can’t control his own people? This is the same tactic that the Israelis have used time and time again. The pro-Israel warmongers here in America will start screaming bloody murder soon enough, claiming that Morsi shouldn’t be president because poor defenseless Israel who never hurt anybody might be attacked.
This recent attack is a wake up call to Egypt as much as it is to Israel. Morsi has to address the Bedouin situation in the Sinai. He can not solve the militancy problem the way Mubarak did; round up and torture every Bedouin and man with a long beard. The Egyptian military must also come to understand that they are a catalyst for much of this violence. The breif love affair that those in Tahrir Square had for the military is now over. The military’s domination of the economy must cease so that those at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder can have a chance to get ahead. President Morsi may also have to examine whether a close relationship with the Jewish state is really in Egypt’s national interest. This doesn’t mean tearing up Camp David or going to war, but it may mean asking the Israelis to put their money were their mouth is on the question of peace with the Palestinians. For Israel this should be the wake up call that they can no longer expect to do whatever they please to Arab peoples and not expect a response. Israel can no longer rely on their dear friend Mubarak to slaughter his own population; which of course was the major cause of discontent amongst Egyptians critical of Israel. The Arab world is changing and Israel needs to catch up. Gone are the days of relying on secular dictators like Mubarak to help imprison the Palestine’s in the Gaza Strip. For too long Israel has relied on the fact that Arab dictators are as afraid of Arab democracy as they are. Israel never really had to make peace with the Palestinians because no Arab leader actually cared about the plight of their Palestinian brothers and sisters. And the populations living in Arab countries had no real voice or means to press their unelected leaders. For the first time now those in Gaza have a real ally in Egypt. It is time for Israel to wake up and see that their hegemony over the Middle East is slowly ending. The easiest way to prevent violence spilling over into Israel is to stop implementing a foreign policy doctrine that oppresses Arabs. And the first step in this process is to begin a real dialogue with those nations neighboring Israel. As more leaders are democratically elected in the Arab world the less leeway Israel has to do whatever they want in the region with out serious repercussions.
UPDATE: More attacks in Sinai
It was almost comical how fast Prime Minister Netanyahu condemned Iran for the recent bombing in Burgas. Two days ago Netanyahu made the rounds of the Sunday morning talk shows, telling anyone who would listen that Iran is engaged in a global terror campaign against the Jewish state. Of course when pressed for facts on this outrageous charge Netanyahu was at a lose for words. He simply repeated the claim that it was Iran and Hezbollah who were responsible. On Face the Nation Netanyahu made the erroneous claim that Iran had assassinated diplomats. This is patently false, it simply never happened. Perhaps Netanyhau is referring to the trumped up charges against a two time loser Manssor Arabsiar. People will remember Arabsiar as the bankrupt used car salesman who the great and powerful terrorist state Iran employed a year ago for an assassination plot. He was to hire the narco trafficking super group Los Zetas to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States with a bomb in a crowded D.C. restaurant. If this sounds like bad spy fiction that is because it is fiction. Netanyahu comes from the political school of thought that believes by simply stating something as fact over and over again enough people will start to believe it to be true.
Israel’s insane desire for war with Iran has led the government there to blame any terrorist threat or attack on the Islamic Republic. After 9/11 Israel tried in vain to convince America that Iran was behind the attack that killed 3,000 Americans. Israel will exploit any terrorist threat or attack if it provides justification for attacking Iran. Of course this detracts from the possibly real threats faced by Sunni extremist groups. The Burgas bombing is an excellent example of this detraction. While it may surprise many, Bulgaria’s foreign policy has been moving it into a position that puts it in direct conflict with Al Qaeda and similar Sunni extremist groups. In 2010 extremist group Asbat al Ansar, who’s links to Al Qaeda have landed it on the U.S. terror list, proclaimed that Bulgaria was a target due to its involvement in both the Iraq and Afghan wars. So the Burgas bombing raises the question, what if the Bulgarian state was the real target? If this proves to be true than the real culprit of the bombing is still at large. Netanyahu will let the real perpetrators walk free so he can bomb Iran back to the stone age. If it is Al Qaeda or one of their franchise groups, they may very well be planning another attack on a western target.
With talk of war with Iran becoming so common place, now is the time for clarity. While many may be salivating over the thought of taking down the Islamic Republic this is not something that should be taken lightly. Before we jump into another war with a Muslim nation we should know the facts. Netanyahu is not the purveyor of truth.
The below piece was written by the great Grant F. Smith. It is an original piece written for Antiwar.com. For more on Grant Smith visit the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy
On June 27, 2012, the FBI partially declassified and released seven additional pages [.pdf] from a 1985–2002 investigation into how a network of front companies connected to the Israeli Ministry of Defense illegally smuggled nuclear triggers out of the U.S.* The newly released FBI files detail how Richard Kelly Smyth — who was convicted of running a U.S. front company — met with Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel during the smuggling operation. At that time, Netanyahu worked at the Israeli node of the smuggling network, Heli Trading Company. Netanyahu, who currently serves as Israel’s prime minister, recently issued a gag order that the smuggling network’s unindicted ringleader refrain from discussing “Project Pinto.”
As revealed in previously released FBI files and the tell-all book Confidential: The Life of Secret Agent Turned Hollywood Tycoon Arnon Milchan, the Hollywood producer was recruited into Israel’s economic espionage division (LAKAM) in his 20s and learned how to establish front companies and secret bank accounts for smuggling operations. Arnon Milchan encouraged Smyth, a California engineer, to incorporate MILCO in 1972 and serve as a front for the Israel-based Heli Trading’s (also known as Milchan Limited) acquisitions of sensitive military technologies on behalf of the Ministry of Defense. Smyth fled the U.S. after being indicted for violating the Arms Export Control Act in the mid-1980s. In July 2001, Smyth was arrested in Spain by Interpol and returned to the U.S., and in November, he was convicted of exporting 800 nuclear triggers (called krytrons).
FBI agents interviewed Smyth on April 16-17, 2002, at the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles. The secret interview report details how during a trip to Israel Smyth was “spotted” by Milchan, who claimed he worked as an exclusive purchasing agent for the Ministry of Defense. Smyth was introduced around to high military officials including then-general Ariel Sharon. Smyth was also put in contact with Benjamin Netanyahu, who worked at Heli Trading Company. According to the FBI report, “Smyth and [Netanyahu] would meet in restaurants in Tel Aviv and in [Netanyahu’s] home and/or business. It was not uncommon for [Netanyahu] to ask Smyth for unclassified material.”
Milchan pulled Smyth into his glamorous, star-studded movie circuit. “While in the United States [Smyth] met with [Milchan] numerous times in Los Angeles. … Milchan and Smyth would have dinner frequently and would visit one another’s house often … it was quite common for [Milchan] to invite [Smyth] to various Hollywood parties and introduce [Smyth] to celebrities.”
During the 2002 Smyth counterintelligence debriefing, the FBI learned that the Ministry of Defense ordered and paid Heli Trading for krytrons. Heli in turn sourced them from MILCO in a clandestine operation codenamed Project Pinto. The report reveals how MILCO illegally shipped prohibited articles under general Commerce Department export licenses rather than smuggling them out via Israeli diplomatic pouches. The last time Smyth saw Milchan was in 1985. The Ministry of Defense issued a burn notice on Smyth after discussions with U.S. officials about the krytron smuggling. According to the FBI report, “Shortly thereafter, [Smyth] fled the United States.”
A March 2012 statement by the co-authors of Confidential claims that “Hollywood mega-producer and former secret agent Arnon Milchan has been asked directly by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres to avoid any public discussion of the book Confidential, asserting that the matter is too sensitive at this time.” Although the book’s authors point to the escalating tensions over Iran’s nuclear program, Netanyahu’s own hands-on involvement in nuclear weapons–related covert action against America is presumably a far more compelling reason for the gag order.
* The FBI referred an additional 164 pages of the Mandatory Declassification Review to another government agency — presumably the CIA — for further review. The additional pages will likely never be released. The CIA has refused requests for similar documents in order to preserve intelligence sources and methods abroad.
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