Posted on 07/19/2004 6:44:18 PM PDT by quidnunc
An insidious but steady drumbeat can be discerned over the last several weeks that seeks to link Israel with the United States' decision to launch the Iraq war. Back in 2003, it was Palestinian President Yasser Arafat who charged that the Israeli government was "the first inciter for the war against Iraq." About the same time, American journalist Patrick Buchanan alleged in his American Conservative magazine that "a cabal of polemicists and public officials seek to ensnare our country in a series of wars that are not in America's interests." He went on to blame them for "colluding with Israel to ignite those wars."
On the liberal side, Chris Matthews, who hosts MSNBC's "Hardball," echoed Buchanan when he spoke about "conservative people out there, some of them Jewish … who believe that if we don't fight Iraq, Israel will be in danger." The newest wave in 2004 is often more subtle but also far more mainstream. Thus, in May 2004, CBS's "60 Minutes" interviewed General Anthony Zinni, the former commander of US Central Command, who blasted the civilian leadership in the Pentagon for faulty strategy in Iraq. Steve Kroft of CBS then added fuel to the fire of Zinni's attack by asserting that the neoconservatives among the civilian leaders in the Pentagon had an agenda to "strengthen the position of Israel."
Another variation on this theme is the assertion, made by The New York Times' Nicholas Kristof, that Zinni heard from administration officials that the Iraq war would advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process because "the road to Jerusalem leads through Baghdad."
The main charge by the current detractors of Israel is that the primary interest of the Bush administration in going to war against former Iraqi president was to defend Israeli security interests. Bush critic and former counterterrorism official Richard Clarke, who previously served in the administration, also mentions the Israel factor as one of five rationales of the Bush administration for the Iraq war, but at least he sets it aside as a main consideration, preferring instead to focus on the concern with finding a long-term alternative to Saudi Arabian oil.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at dailystar.com.lb ...
Pardon me while I clear the snowballs out of my driveway in Death Valley but what is the Daily Star doing publishing an op-ed piece by a joo who is not a hater of Israel.
Great post...and all too true
Didsomeone hack into the DailyStar web server, or has hell just frozen over?
If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.
Dore Gold is not a dummy ... all should read the entire essay
Oh, darn ... and I just sent in my membership application. They were going to give me a free keychain and everything ...
The disinformation officer (Minister of Covering our Tracks) of the Cabal gets a shiny gold Star of David for this piece of work.
Your keychain is waiting for you in dead drop location # SK*23, right underneath the pile of papers that Agent "Sandy" should have left there...
Writing with conservative author David Frum, former Pentagon official Richard Perle proposed that the US use its influence to help broker the creation of a Palestinian mini-state "with its capital in part of Jerusalem." The redivision of Jerusalem is overwhelmingly opposed by most Israelis, and certainly by the members of the Likud Party.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.