Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu famously was unaware that he was being filmed
when he commented that “America is a thing you
can move very easily, moved in the right direction.” His predecessor Ariel
Sharon was even more to the point when he reportedly said “Every time we do
something you tell me America will do this and will do that …don’t worry about
American pressure; I tell you, we, the Jewish people, control America and the
American people know it!”
If
this were only chest thumping rhetoric one might just shrug and go about one’s
business, but actions speak louder than words, even in the world of corrupt
politicians, where nothing is ever as it seems to be. In the past year alone,
the U.S. government has moved its Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, has stopped
criticizing the Netanyahu government’s expansion of illegal settlements, and is
reportedly currently contemplating recognizing as legal Israel’s illegal
occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights. All the moves were and are contrary to
actual American interests.
Furthermore, Israel, a country having a European level standard of
living to include free education and medical care, has received more than $250 billion in “aid” from Washington.
It currently is receiving $3.8 billion yearly from the
U.S. Treasury as a base figure guaranteed for ten years, with supplements for
special projects and programs. Adding in trade arrangements favorable to Israel
and the money it gets from American Jewish donors’ tax-exempt contributions,
the real total per annum approaches and may even exceed $10 billion. Much of
the donor money, including that from the Kushner Foundation, has gone to fund the illegal settlements on the
West Bank in violation of U.S. law. And then there is the $2.7 billion given
yearly to Egypt and Jordan, essentially bribes to maintain friendly relations
with Israel.
The
ultimate irony is that any aid to Israel is illegal in light of the fact that
it has violated the Symington and Glenn amendments to the 1961 Foreign Assistance Actdue to its
undeclared nuclear weapons arsenal and its refusal to sign the Nuclear Non
Proliferation Treaty. Both Congress and the White House have chosen to ignore
that complication, one more demonstration of Jewish power in the United States.
In truth, Ariel Sharon, if he was quoted correctly, had it right. Jewish
Americans do control or at least exercise considerable influence over key
sectors in the U.S. They are overwhelmingly disproportionately present on Wall
Street, in the entertainment and news industries, in academia, in high value
professions and in government at all levels. Their collective power both
enriches and protects Israel at the expense of the U.S. taxpayer and genuine
national interests. It also enables Israeli agents in the U.S., like the
American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), to avoid scrutiny and
regulation under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938.
Some
federal government agencies exist largely to promote Israeli interests, most
notably the Treasury Department’s Office for Terrorism and Financial
Intelligence, which has only had Jewish Under Secretaries heading it since it
was founded in 2004. It is currently run by Israeli Sigal Mandelker. The office has
focused on punishing Iran, Israel’s principle enemy, throughout its existence.
Jewish
power is most perniciously evident in U.S. foreign policy, where it has a
strangle hold on relations between Washington and the Arab countries of the
Middle East. Much of this leverage is derived from the fact that the principal
donors to both the Democratic and Republican parties – Haim Saban and Sheldon
Adelson-are both Jews having very strong ties to Israel. Saban is an Israeli
and Adelson may have Israeli citizenship. With both parties more than willing
to act on behalf of Israel, the United States has engaged in a number of wars
that serve no national interest and which have, on the contrary, brought with
them devastating consequences, including the rise of new terrorist groups.
To
be sure, many American Jews are not convinced by the love affair with Israel,
but they are hard to hear amidst the cacophony coming from the Jewish oligarchs
and hundreds of pro-Israel organizations that are constantly singing the
praises of Netanyahu and his kleptocratic regime. For many young Jews in
particular, it is difficult to empathize with a country that deploys army
snipers to shoot thousands of unarmed demonstrators or a government that
engages in starvation policies and the arrests, beatings and killings of
children. Not to mention a governing system that believes that only Jewish
citizens have full rights.
The
Jewish oligarchs who manipulate the politicians do so with money, though one
should in no way minimize the essential mendacity of the politicians themselves
who are willing to sell out the interests of their country in exchange for
thirty pieces of silver. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, who is not one of the
brightest bulbs in congress, is a prime example of a legislator who has been bought and paid for by Israeli
interests in the form of campaign donations from casino magnate Sheldon Adelson
and vulture capitalist Paul Singer.
Rubio’s
speech last week supporting Senate bill S.1 for 2019, which he sponsored, was
remarkable and should serve as primary evidence for anyone who really wonders
why we have a Senate at all. The bill itself should also be read in toto to
learn the details of what largesse we give to Israel in exchange for absolutely
nothing in return. To put it succinctly, Rubio is all about protecting and
nurturing Israel, which he sees as a good move since he has aspirations to
become president. S.1 was, notably, the first Senate bill to be considered in
2019 after what once upon a time used to be referred to as the Christmas
Recess. The full title of S.1 is the Strengthening America’s
Security in the Middle East Act of 2019, which might be considered a
bit of a fraud as it has nothing to do with the United States and is really all
about giving Israel money and anything else it might desire, to include
destroying the nonviolent Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement that
has targeted Israel’s apartheid. Rubio openly has admitted that the bill was
crafted to help Israel and during his speech he registered his opposition to
the impending pullout of U.S. troops from Syria because it would, according to
him, “endanger” the Jewish state. Apart from that, the half hour presentation
incorporated some remarkable oratory explaining S.1
including:
First of all, let me tell you what it doesn’t do. It doesn’t
outlaw BDS. if you’re an American company and you want to boycott or divest
from Israel, it doesn’t make it illegal. It doesn’t stop you from doing it. The
only thing it says is if there is some city or county or state in this country
who wants to support Israel, they have a right to say we are not going to buy
services or goods from any company that’s boycotting or divesting from Israel.
That’s all it does. It gives cities and counties like these 26 states the
opportunity to have their elected officials who respond to the people of those states
or cities or counties that elected them to make a decision that they are not
going to do business with people who don’t do business with Israel and boycott
Israel. In essence, it allows us to boycott the boycotters.
It
would be difficult to find a more stupid justification for S.1 than that
provided by Rubio. He does not understand that the “state” at all levels is
supposed to be politically neutral in terms of providing government services.
It is not supposed to retaliate against someone for views they hold,
particularly, as in this case, when it involves opposition to the policies of a
foreign government that many consider to be guilty of crimes against humanity.
Rubio clearly believes that you can exercise free speech but government can
then punish you by taking away your livelihood or denying you services that you
are entitled to if you do not agree with it on an issue that ultimately has
nothing to do with the United States. The ACLU has addressed the issue succinctly, arguing
that “Public officials cannot use the power of public office to punish views
they don’t agree with. That’s the kind of authoritarian power our Constitution
is meant to protect against.”
In
any event, the Senate bill failed in two tries last week with a vote of 56 in
favor and 45 against followed by a 53 to 43 tally, with 60 votes being needed
to advance for a final vote. It was supported by every Republican senator, but
never fear, S.1 will surely pass when the government shutdown ends and Senate
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, himself a beneficiary of generous pro-Israel
PAC donations, brings it up again for yet another vote. The Democrats who voted
against S.1 to embarrass President Trump and protest the shutdown included
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Ben Cardin who are
unrestrained champions of Israel due to both their ethnic and religious ties.
Schumer has described himself as Israel’s “shomer” or protector in the Senate
while Cardin has been a key player in advancing any and all pro-Israel
legislation. They and most other Democrats will support the bill as they are in
thrall to Israel as much as are the Republicans.
Over
at the U.S. House of Representatives there was also early action on behalf of
Israel. H.R.221- Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism
Act“To amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to
monitor and combat anti-Semitism globally, and for other purposes”
passed by a margin of 411 to 1 in a mere twelve
minutes with only congressman Justin Amash voting “nay.” The bill, which was
being pushed by the Israel Lobby, compels President Trump to name an
anti-Semitism Special Envoy with Ambassadorial rank to “serve as the primary
advisor to, and coordinate efforts across, the U.S. government relating to
monitoring and combating anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic incitement in foreign
countries.” Criticism of Israel is considered to be anti-Semitism.
Another
recent and related story reveals the power of Israel and its friends as
reflected by their ability to force potential dissidents to fall in line.
Senator Rand Paul, a critic of foreign aid in general, rightly received praise
for his willingness to step up and block approval of last year’s aid
package for Israel. But even there he waffled, his office putting out a statement “While I’m not
for foreign aid in general, if we are going to send aid to Israel it should be
limited in time and scope so we aren’t doing it forever, and it should be paid
for by cutting the aid to people who hate Israel and America.” Apparently Rand
Paul believes that the people who hate Israel and America constitute an
identifiable group receiving billions of U.S. Treasury dollars.
Senator
Paul has also been involved in the current anti-BDS legislation declaring in an op-ed, that the bill would
be damaging to first amendment rights. However, he did not back up his words
with action, having voted both times in favor of S.1, and he also felt it
necessary to preface his op-ed remarks with the usual sucking up to the Jewish
state: “I am not in favor of boycotting Israel. Israel has been a good ally. I
have traveled to Israel, and it was one of the best and most meaningful trips I
have taken with my family. Standing at the Western Wall was special and
powerful. Visiting old Jerusalem was incredible, and sailing on the sea of
Galilee while a double rainbow glowed above us is something I will never
forget. Israel is truly a unique and special place.”
It is disgraceful that the legislature
of the United States of America in the midst of a government shutdown is giving
first priority to bills granting billions of dollars-worth of benefits to
Israel while also appointing an anti-Semitism Czar to interfere with the
domestic politics of foreign nations. It is shameful that an American Senator
should find himself compelled, if he wants to survive politically, to grovel
before a domestic lobby representing a foreign nation. Still worse is the
compulsion to apologize to that nation even while honorably critiquing
legislation that would do significant damage to freedom of speech in America.
Rand
Paul also knows perfectly well, as does every senator, that Israel is not and
has never been an “ally” in any real sense and has instead used its
considerable political power to corrupt America’s political culture and to
entangle the United States in a series of unwinnable and inhumane wars in the
Middle East. It is certainly his right to personally refuse to support BDS, but
he surely understands that effective nonviolent pressure directed against
Israel might well be the only way to deliver even a modicum of justice to the
Palestinians. Senator Rand Paul clearly does not care about the Palestinians or
about Washington’s misadventures in the Middle East when his more compelling
need as an ambitious politician is to placate the powerful Jews who, as Ariel
Sharon put it, “control America.” How disappointing. Is there anyone left
standing who will actually defend the interests of the American people?
Philip M. Giraldi, Ph.D., is
Executive Director of the Council for the National Interest, a 501(c)3 tax
deductible educational foundation that seeks a more interests-based U.S.
foreign policy in the Middle East. Website is www.councilforthenationalinterest.org, address is P.O. Box 2157,
Purcellville VA 20134 and its email is inform@cnionline.org.