Wikispooks wikispooks https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Main_Page MediaWiki 1.33.2 first-letter Media Special Talk User User talk Wikispooks Wikispooks talk File File talk MediaWiki MediaWiki talk Template Template talk Help Help talk Category Category talk Property Property talk Form Form talk Concept Concept talk Document Document talk Wikipedia Wikipedia talk Test Test talk Widget Widget talk Campaign Campaign talk Module Module talk Gadget Gadget talk Gadget definition Gadget definition talk Israel 0 11781 273593 273592 2023-12-16T12:04:43Z Jun 626 /* Apartheid */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{nation state |image=Israel_US.jpg |image_width=240px |nndb=https://www.nndb.com/geo/420/000080180/ |wikipedia=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel |start=14 May 1948 |location=Middle East |map=ISR orthographic.svg |logo=Flag of Israel.svg |capital=Jerusalem |constitutes=Country |description=Only country in the world to be founded, led and designated by and for Jewish people after the [[Holocaust]]. [[Zionists]] achieved this with forms of [[land grabbing]], [[apartheid]] and murder of [[Palestinians]], but saying that is apparently.... [[antisemitic]]... |sourcewatch=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Israel |wikileaks=http://wikileaks.org/wiki/Israel |wikiquote=http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Israel }} '''Israel''' is a singular [[nation state]] in the [[Middle East]] on the Eastern coast of the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. Its small area belies its importance in world history and modern geopolitics. It has considerable expertise in the area of "[[terrorism]]" and in 1979 hosted the [[Jerusalem Conference on International Terrorism]], which prepared the "[[war on terror]]". It has been accused of running a modern [[apartheid]] state by dozens of [[NGOs]].<ref>https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2022/02/israels-system-of-apartheid/</ref> ==Origins== {{FA|Middle East}} {{FA|Asia}} While it was already inhabited for centuries before, deep politics first became part when [[religion]] became slowly integrated into human culture when Israel was officially vassalized by [[Egypt]] in the Late Bronze Age. In the Iron Age, the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were established with Judaism, Samaritanism, [[Christianity]], [[Islam]], Druzism, Baha'ism, and a variety of other religious movements. Throughout the course of human history, the Land of Israel has come under the sway or control of various entities. Many groups from Arabs, Persians, Ottoman, Romans and a dozens of other conquered the state, it was one of the first central economical hubs in the middle east and often was a symbolic place after the emergence of religion even before the start of the first millennium. ===Current state=== {{YouTubeVideo |code=woqxgoCHDWo |align=left |width=300px |caption=This week on History of Israel Explained, we’re dissecting one of the most famous documents in Israeli history - the Balfour Declaration - and asking what made this 117-word letter so important and so controversial. The Declaration was written in 1917 by the British Foreign Secretary, Lord Arthur James Balfour, and sent to Lord Lionel Walter Rothschild, one of Britain’s most illustrious Jewish citizens. It expressed the British government’s support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. So why did it take another 30 years, until the United Nations passed UN Resolution 181, for a Jewish state to finally be established? Why was the Balfour Declaration so controversial? Why was it written so ambiguously and did the British even have the right to promise the Jews a homeland in British Mandate Palestine? }} {{FA|Israeli–Palestinian conflict}} [[World War 2]] and the [[Balfour Declaration]] caused the formation of the [[Zionist]] influence in British Palestine at the will of [[zionists]] whom largely settled in the [[1800s]]. Israel has remained and expanded ever since, despite numerous attacks.<ref>https://www.wikiwand.com/en/History_of_Israel</ref> Oil was discovered in [[1955]]<ref>https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1131312/000113131206000057/fwpthw.htm</ref>. ====Arab attacks==== Since it's founding, Israel has suffered at least 5000+ in non-war related revenge [[murders]] by in particular people supporting the cause of [[Gaza]].<ref>https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/comprehensive-listing-of-terrorism-victims-in-israel#2023</ref> On average Israel suffers rocket attacks - defending itself with the Iron Dome rocket system - and a war every 5 years, with 10000s killed since [[1948]].<ref>https://www.wikiwand.com/en/List_of_wars_involving_Israel</ref> ===Constitution=== Israel is one of five countries that does not have a formalised written constitution, along with [[New Zealand]], [[Saudi Arabia]], the [[United Kingdom]], and [[Canada]]. This wasn’t the original plan as Israel’s Declaration of Independence explicitly calls for a constitution, and the first Knesset, elected on January 25, [[1949]], was supposed to create one. They deliberated it for many months but the discussions reached a deadlock. “It rapidly became clear that…no constitution would be enacted; instead the Knesset would enact a series of Basic Laws that would in time be combined into a constitution" according to Anita Shapiro, a historian. This was argued to be a ''play'' of First president [[David Ben-Gurion]] to allow the state to have "unrestrained" legal power, perhaps a mistake of the [[UN]] to allow this in a region as the [[middle east]].<Ref>https://jewishunpacked.com/why-doesnt-israel-have-a-constitution/</ref> ===Revisionism=== {{FA|Hasbara}} [[Censorship]] of Israels crimes committed has often become censored by corporate and independent media. In particular the forced [[official narrative]] that explains all [[deep politics]] from a Israeli perspective "Hasbara" is well documented on the site; * [[Hasbara (history)]] meaning of the word and history of Israeli efforts since 1977. * [[Wikipedia's Hasbara]] - how hasbara has come to dominate all articles on Israel/Palestine at the Wikipedia. Mis-used sources, heavy-handed administrative interference and a lot of tricks. * [[Hasbara (2002 Manual)]] [http://zionism-israel.com/issues/Zionism_Israel_Wujs2.html "Defending Israel and Zionism"] was produced by the [http://www.wujs.org.il World Union of Jewish Students] in 2002. * [https://wikispooks.com/wiki/2009_Global_Language_Dictionary Hasbara (2009 Manual)] examination of the [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsweek.com%2Fmedia%2F70%2Ftip_report.pdf ''2009 Global Language Dictionary''] a professionally researched 116-page guide by The Information Project (TIP), 2009. ====Israeli Propaganda==== During the Executive Session of the 40th Joint Political Military Group (JPMG), Israeli officials conveyed their apprehensions to their American counterparts regarding the U.S. sale of F-15 planes to Saudi Arabia and the deployment of these aircraft at the Tabuk airfield in the northwest region of Saudi Arabia, which is in close to the Israeli border.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/235359</ref> ====Censorship==== The Intercept reported in [[2021]] that Facebook is deleting accounts at the Direction of the [[U.S.]] and [[Israeli]] Governments.<ref>https://theintercept.com/2017/12/30/facebook-says-it-is-deleting-accounts-at-the-direction-of-the-u-s-and-israeli-governments/</ref> Facebook representatives and the Israeli government have conspired at least since [[COVID-19]] determine which Facebook accounts of Palestinians should be deleted on the ground that they constituted “incitement.” The meetings — called for and presided over by one of the most extremist and authoritarian Israeli officials, pro-settlement Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked — came after Israel threatened Facebook that its failure to voluntarily comply with Israeli deletion orders would result in the enactment of laws requiring Facebook to do so, upon pain of being severely fined or even blocked in the country. The predictable results of those meetings are now clear and well-documented. Ever since, Facebook has been on a censorship rampage against Palestinian activists who protest the decades-long, illegal Israeli occupation, all directed and determined by Israeli officials. Indeed, Israeli officials have been publicly boasting about how obedient Facebook is when it comes to Israeli censorship orders: Shortly after news broke earlier this month of the agreement between the Israeli government and Facebook, Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said Tel Aviv had submitted 158 requests to the social media giant over the previous four months asking it to remove content it deemed “incitement.” She said Facebook had granted 95 percent of the requests and officials even boasted about FBs "help".<ref>https://theintercept.com/2017/12/30/facebook-says-it-is-deleting-accounts-at-the-direction-of-the-u-s-and-israeli-governments/</ref> ===Israeli Mossad Chief's Concerns About Gulf States' Nuclear Ambitions=== In a meeting with the U.S. undersecretary, Israeli Mossad Chief Meir Dagan pointed out that their neighbours were taking precautionary measures to enhance their military defense capabilities and said that the scale of weapon systems they planned to acquire might be beyond their effective utilization.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/120696</ref ===Antisemitism=== {{FA|Antisemitism}} Jews in the media often counter arguments against the ''etno-state'' policies of Israel by arguing most remarks about them in the media are [[antisemitic]].<ref><https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/10/tech/congressman-antisemitism-twitter/index.html/</ref><ref>https://www.brandeis.edu/jewish-experience/social-justice/2022/may/antisemitism-social-media.html</ref><ref>https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Antisemitism</ref> =="Terrorism"== {{FA|Terrorism}} Israel used the word "terrorism" in the [[1960s]] and [[70s]] to refer to attacks by [[Palestinian]]s, both against civil and military targets.<ref name=ug747>http://www.unwelcomeguests.net/747</ref> which may be self-created in some cases; {{SMWQ |text=Israel first encountered Islamists that would later form Hamas in Gaza in the 1970s. Back then they seemed focused on studying the Quran, not on confrontation with Israel. Israel realized that it could use the organisation to help splinter Palestinian society in the Gaza strip and hurt the Palestinian Liberation front which dominated Palestinian politics. So Israel helped and even gave funds to Hamas in the 1980s so it could establish itself in Gaza. The Israeli government officially recognized the precursor to Hamas, called "Mujama Al-Islamiya" back then, registered the group as a charity and even supported it with funds to help it spread its influence in Gaza and in the occupied Palestinian territories. At the time, Israel's main enemy was the late Yasser Arafat's Fatah party, which formed the heart of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). Fatah was secular and cast in the mold of other revolutionary, leftist guerrilla movements waging insurgencies elsewhere in the world during the Cold War. Israel's military-led administration in Gaza in the 1980's looked favorably on Hamas, who set up a wide network of schools, clinics, a library and kindergartens. Israel also endorsed the establishment of the Islamic University of Gaza. Crucially, Israel often stood aside when the Islamists and their secular left-wing Palestinian rivals battled, sometimes violently, for influence in both Gaza and the West Bank. Documents from the 1980's show that Israel enabled Hamas to act in the first Intifada in order to enable it to strengthen, thus to cause a splitting of the Palestinian nation – in order to weaken the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) which was responsible for the Intifada. “Hamas, to my great regret, is Israel’s creation.” says retired Israeli official Avner Cohen , a former Israeli official who worked in Gaza for more than two decades in an interview to the Wall Street Journal. Brig. Gen. Yitzhak Segev, who was the Israeli military governor in Gaza in the early 1980s. Segev later told a New York Times reporter that he had helped finance the Palestinian Islamist movement as a “counterweight” to the secularists and leftists of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Fatah party, led by Yasser Arafat (who himself referred to Hamas as “a creature of Israel.”). General Segev himself even admits to funding Hamas himself with Israeli taxpayers money that was later used to kill the same people who were funding them.<ref>https://www.dispropaganda.com/single-post/how-israel-created-hamas-and-helped-it-take-over-gaza</ref> |authors=Dispropaganda |date=2021 |subjects=Mossad, PLO, Arafat, Abbas, False Flag }} ===9-11=== {{FA|9-11/Israel did it}} Israeli [[deep state operatives]] and [[spooks]] are suspected to be involved in [[9-11]]. Several high-profile arrests during that time are listed below; ====How did Mossad agents knew when the event would take place?==== The [[Dancing Israelis]] (referred to after their arrest by the FBI as the 'High Fivers') were a group of five Israelis spotted in Manhattan behaving suspiciously on 9/11. They were arrested the same day in a white van, and at least two of them were Mossad agents. They were detained for 70 days, subject to a lot of polygraph tests and then deported. A March 2002 story quotes an anonymous "former high-ranking American intelligence official" who stated that the FBI concluded that they were conducting surveillance and that their employer, Urban Moving Systems, was a Mossad front. Three of them later appeared on Israeli TV and confirmed that they were in New York City that morning "to document the event", wording cited in a 2002 report by ABC news.<ref>https://wikispooks.com/wiki/9-11/Israel_did_it/Dancing_Israelis</ref> ====Bombing bridges==== {{FA|9-11/George Washington Bridge plot}} The Jerusalem Post later reported that a white van containing a bomb was stopped as it approached the George Washington Bridge, but the ethnicity of the suspects was not revealed. The Jerusalem Post reported on September 12, 2001 that “American security services overnight stopped a car bomb on the George Washington Bridge. The van, packed with explosives, was stopped on an approach ramp to the bridge. Authorities suspect the terrorists intended to blow up the main crossing between New Jersey and New York, Army Radio reported. ====Urban Moving systems==== All white vans stopped belonged to the company "[[Urban Moving Systems]]" under the direction of Dominik Suter, an Israeli Spy who immediately fled to Israel after the attacks. The Jewish Forward quoted a "former high-ranking American intelligence official" that this company was a front operation for the Mossad. The Israelis were held in custody for 71 days before being quietly released by Michael Chertoff, who was the Head of USDOJ's Criminal Division at the time. The owner of UBS attempted to wipe his entry for Wikispooks as editor and hinted to litigation against this site as well.<ref>https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Special:Contributions/Dominik.suter</ref> ====Israeli Art Scam==== Shortly before 9/11, over 140 Israelis had been arrested for suspected espionage. Some of them were [[Israeli art scam|posing as Art students]]. These suspects targeted or penetrated Military bases, DEA, FBI, Secret Service, ATF, U.S. Customs, IRS, INS, EPA, Interior Dept., U.S. Marshal’s Service, various US Attorneys Offices, Secret government offices Unlisted private homes of law enforcement/intelligence officers. Most of the suspects served in military intelligence, electronic surveillance intercept and or explosive ordinance units. Dozens of Israelis were arrested in American malls kiosks selling toys, acting as a front for a spying operation. 60 detained suspects worked for the Israeli company AMDOCS which provides most directory assistance calls and most call records and billings services for the U.S. by virtue of its contracts with the 25 largest telephone companies in the U.S.<ref>[[Israeli art scam]]</ref> ====US Army Warning==== In 2001, an elite US Army study center devised a plan for enforcing a major Israeli-Palestinian peace accord that would require about 20,000 well-armed troops stationed throughout Israel and a newly created Palestinian state. The report attempts to predict events in the first year of a peace-enforcement operation, and sees possible dangers for U.S. troops from both sides. Of the [[Mossad]], the Israeli intelligence service, the US army officers say: '''"Wildcard. Ruthless and cunning. Has capability to target U.S. forces and make it look like a Palestinian/Arab act."''' reported in the ''[[Washington Post]]'' on September 10, 2001. <ref>[[Document:U.S. troops would enforce peace under Army study]]</ref> ==Apartheid== [[File:Israel Children policy.png|400px|thumb|right|]] {{FA|Palestine Papers}} Since it's violent rise to independence, Israel has been accused of running an [[apartheid]]-state slowly demoralising the [[Palestinian]] territories into submission. According to [[NGO]] [[Amnestly International]] Israel's policies and actions in its ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territories have drawn accusations that it is committing the crime of apartheid. Leading Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights groups have said that the totality and severity of the human rights violations against the Palestinian population in the occupied territories, and by some in Israel proper, amount to the crime against humanity of apartheid. Israel and some of its Western allies have rejected the accusation, with the former often labeling the charge antisemitic.<ref>https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2022/02/israels-system-of-apartheid/</ref> {{YouTubeVideo |code=CoFjbnvkmQ0 |align=right |width= |caption=Israel's Apartheid Against Palestinians: Cruel System of Domination and Crime Against Humanity - Amnesty International }} ===Ethnic bioweapons=== According to a [[1998]] report in the [[Sunday Times]], Israel is developing a [[biological weapon]] that would harm [[Arabs]] while leaving [[Jews]] unaffected. The report, citing Israeli military and western intelligence sources, says that scientists are trying to identify distinctive genes carried by Arabs to create a genetically modified [[bacterium]] or [[virus]]. The "ethno-bomb" program is based at Israel's Nes Ziona research facility. Scientists are trying to use viruses and bacteria to alter [[DNA]] inside living cells and attack only those cells bearing Arabic genes. A scientist there said the task was hugely complicated because both Arabs and Jews are of semitic origin. But he added: "They have, however, succeeded in pinpointing a particular characteristic in the [[genetic profile]] of certain Arab communities, particularly the [[Iraqi]] people." The disease could be spread by spraying the organisms into the air or putting them in water supplies.<ref>https://www.wired.com/1998/11/israels-ethnic-weapon/</ref><ref>https://theuglytruth70ad.blogspot.com/2020/03/lest-we-forget-israel-planning-ethnic.html The Times article is republished here</ref> The Palestine Papers is a collection of confidential documents about the Israeli–Palestinian peace process leaked to Al Jazeera, which published them between 23 and 26 January 2011. Nearly 1,700 documents from the office of the main PLO negotiator, Saeb Erekat, and his team have been published, dating from [[1999]] to [[2010]]. During peace negotiations in mid-2008. According to Al Jazeera, Palestinian leader Abbas was not allowed to keep the unofficial map, so he sketched it by hand. During the first of several meetings, the Palestinian Authority proposed a land swap, offering Israel the opportunity to annex all of the Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem in return for land concessions by Israel. Olmert, however, offered no concessions in return but an even more aggressive land swap. In Prime Minister Olmert's own proposal, Israel would annex 6.3% of the West Bank. The land in Olmert's map included the four settlements of Gush Etzion (with Efrat), Ma'ale Adumim, Giv'at Ze'ev, and Ariel, in addition to all settlements in East Jerusalem (Har Homa). In exchange for those concessions by the Palestinian Authority, Olmert offered 5.8% of Israeli land as part of the swap. The land offered consisted of lightly populated farmland, which would be divided between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. When Mahmoud Abbas asked to keep a copy of the map for further consideration, Ehud Olmert refused. Mahmoud Abbas sketched Ehud Olmert's map by hand on a napkin to have a copy for further consideration. This map was then later referred to as the ''Napkin map''.<ref>https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Palestine_Papers</ref> ==Deep State== {{FA|Israel/Deep state}} Israel has always had a very Like the US in the [[1990s]], deep state leaders have seized control of the country, with in particular [[Benjamin Netanyahu]]. In [[1993]], Prime Minister [[Yitzhak Rabin]] was assassinated. Israeli [[intelligence agencies]] and [[deep state operatives]] have been linked to helping to orchestrate [[9-11]] and cover up hundreds of acts of Israeli suspicious involvement. [[image:Stephen sizer israel did it.jpg|left|thumbnail|360px|The 2015 Facebook post from [[Stephen Sizer]].]] The idea that [[Israeli]]s might have been involved in perpetrating or [[9-11/Cover-up|covering up]] the [[9-11]] event is "[[anti-semitic]]" in itself, and as such is not to be publicly expressed without immediate condemnation as such. In 2015 the Rev. Dr. [[Stephen Sizer]] linked to this page from his [[Facebook]] wall, and asked "Is this anti-Semitic? If so, no doubt I’ll be asked to remove it. It raises so many questions."<ref>https://rehmat1.com/2015/02/03/bishop-sizer-911-israel-did-it/</ref> In response the [[Church of England]] banned him from social media.<ref>https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11399986/Vicar-who-blamed-Israel-for-911-attacks-is-banned-from-writing-about-the-Middle-East.html</ref><ref>https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11378475/Vicar-investigated-over-911-Israel-did-it-posting.html</ref> [[image:Daily mail 911 israel did it.jpg|right|thumbnail|260px|In 2018 the ''Daily Mail'' article on [[Kees van der Pijl]].]] In 2018, after Emeritus Professor [[Kees van der Pijl]] tweeted support for this page, the [[University of Sussex]], where he headed the Department of International Relations for 12 years, announced that it would investigate him. This was picked up by the ''[[UK Independent]]'' and the ''[[Daily Mail]]'', although discussion centred on whether or not he should be subject to disciplinary action rather whether or not his allegations were correct.<ref>https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6357733/Academic-says-Israel-9-11-Twin-Towers-attacks-help-Zionists-government.html#comments</ref><ref>https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sussex-university-world-trade-centre-911-professor-kees-van-der-pijl-israel-tweet-jewish-a8620416.html</ref><ref>https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/sussex-university-professor-who-claimed-israelis-carried-out-911-must-have-emeritus-status-removed-jewish-group-says/ar-BBPpy2Q</ref> '''Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu''' is an Israeli [[deep politician]] who became the [[Prime Minister of Israel]] again on 31 March 2009.<ref>[http://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/?fa=48021 The Enduring Influence of Benjamin Netanyahu's Father] Judy Dempsey, 3 May 2012, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace</ref><ref>http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2013/01/bibis-blues.html</ref> Netanyahu has been part of Israeli politics for so long and with such influence (influencing US foreign policy as well), several [[CCM]] have placed questions how that is still possible, openly calling him out for bribes or just a plain "con man" as numerous institutions including the national [[police]] force advised prosecuting him for [[bribery]].<ref>https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2019/9/13/magician-or-con-artist-why-does-netanyahu-keep-winning</ref><ref>https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiV6MKy2o37AhX6g_0HHbsgDXsQFnoECA8QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reuters.com%2Fworld%2Fmiddle-east%2Fnetanyahu-comeback-dominates-israel-election-all-about-bibi-2022-10-24%2F&usg=AOvVaw3dpLCCzE9X5n6UHFMKNYu6</ref> A considerable crackdown on [[freedom]] in the state came to light when PM Netanyahu got several law revisions through parliament in [[2023]] that<ref>https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/14/controversial-judicial-law-passes-first-vote-in-israeli-knesset</ref>; # Would allow it to overrule Supreme Court rulings and enact laws that had been struck down, despite months of protests against it; # Would make it harder to remove the prime minister over the corruption charges that still hang over Netanyahu. # Would allow the parliament to declare a prime minister unfit to rule only for physical or mental reasons and would replace current law that opens the door for a leader to be removed under other circumstances; # Allow more settlements in the northern occupied West Bank, which would lead to the legalisation of settlement outposts considered illegal even under Israeli law; ===Covering up Bribes probe with Covid=== On 18 March 2020, David Halbfinger and Isabel Kershner wrote for the New York Times that the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “was supposed to be facing trial this week on bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges." Instead, he was shutting down the courts and ordering Israel’s internal security service to identify people who should be quarantined using data harvested from their phones. Both of those extraordinary moves, announced in the dead of night on Sunday and Tuesday, were made in the name of combating the coronavirus. The court shutdown also had the effect of delaying Mr. Netanyahu’s corruption trial by two months.<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/world/middleeast/israel-virus-netanyahu.html</ref> ==US military aid== {{YouTubeVideo |code=klXaDgmM8Fs |align=left |width=300px |caption= Why Israel Matters to Americans - ''AJ'' The Declaration was written in 1917 by the British Foreign Secretary, Lord Arthur James Balfour, and sent to Lord Lionel Walter Rothschild, one of Britain’s most illustrious Jewish citizens. It expressed the British government’s support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. So why did it take another 30 years, until the United Nations passed UN Resolution 181, for a Jewish state to finally be established? Why was the Balfour Declaration so controversial? Why was it written so ambiguously and did the British even have the right to promise the Jews a homeland in British Mandate Palestine? }} On 14 September 2016, [[ Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs]] [[Tom Shannon]] and acting [[Israeli National Security Adviser]] [[Jacob Nagel]] signed a new 10-year memorandum of understanding for $38 billion in US military aid to Israel. A signing ceremony — described as “low-key” by the ''[[Washington Post]]'' — was held in the [[US State Department]]’s Treaty Room. Ceremonial protocol revealed not only why such a memorandum of understanding (MOU) cannot be subjected to much public scrutiny, but also the identities of the main constituencies pushing for such aid in the face of growing opposition. The attendees were either [[State Department]] special guests invited to fill the arced row of chairs in the Treaty Room, or members of the news media responding to a last-minute notification posted on the State Department’s website. The rules for news media were strictly enforced. There were to be no questions asked of officials — such as Nagel or US National Security Adviser [[Susan Rice]] — before or after their speeches. Reporters were also kept from asking questions of the many special guests who filed in from an elegant annex. They were marched from a private passageway, relieved of cell phones, and kept behind a rope line at the back of the room. Numerous State Department minders were on hand to keep the press in line. It quickly became clear that pro-Israel activists made up the large contingent of the special guests. “I want you to meet…he’s from the Conference of Presidents! [of Major American Jewish Organizations]!” went one introduction. [[Jonathan Greenblatt]], the new head of the [[Anti-Defamation League]], entered the room with quiet intensity, less effusive than his predecessor, [[Abraham Foxman]], who headed the organization for 28 years before stepping down in 2015. Rep. [[Debbie Wasserman Schultz]] (D-FL), ejected in June amid controversy as chair of the [[Democratic National Committee]], only to immediately be named [[Hillary Clinton]]’s honorary campaign chair, flitted among her numerous admirers across the Treaty Room. Only a handful of low-ranking uniformed military personnel were on hand, ignored by most of the special guests and mainly serving at the very end as props for an official photo opportunity. After a perfunctory speech by Rice claiming an “unshakeable commitment to Israel’s security” and assertion that “our security is linked” without explaining how, and additional comments by Nagel, the MOU signatures were inked at a long table. The leather portfolios passed between signatories seemed too thin to contain the actual MOU. Shannon and Nagel cast what seemed to be almost furtive glances at the audience as press and State Department video cameras rolled and shutters snapped. The new MOU succeeds the [[George W. Bush]] administration’s 10-year (2009-2018) $30 billion MOU. Under that agreement, Israel used 26.3 percent of its U.S. aid to build up its own domestic export-oriented [[military industrial complex]]. It also used MOU aid to purchase U.S. commodities such as military rations, diesel and aviation fuel. Israel and its U.S. affinity organizations then lobbied and extracted hundreds of millions more from Congress each year in additional “short fuse” emergency funds for missile defense. The U.S. taxpayer shelled out $1.3 billion for Israel’s ''Iron Dome'' system, with additional ad hoc allocations for Israel’s ''Arrow-3'' and ''David’s Sling'' systems. The complete contents of the George W. Bush MOU — like its [[Barack Obama|Obama administration]] successor — remains a mystery. Neither has been publicly released. The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum — responding to a FOIA request — confirmed that the expiring MOU was “approximately 675 pages”, but shows no eagerness or haste to release it. The State Department has not responded to a FOIA request for the current MOU, which is likely even lengthier and more complex, or for a complete list of MOU ceremony invitees. According to the MOU 'Fact Sheet' released by the White House, Israel will now be prevented from lobbying Congress for additional missile defense aid, may no longer spend MOU dollars on commodities such as fuel, and the huge subsidization of Israeli military contractors will gradually sunset. However, the MOU must still be funded by Congress. As an executive order mandating Foreign Military Financing, a Foreign Operations Appropriations Act must be passed each year by Congress and signed into law by the president before spending on new military hardware can commence. The appropriation is likely to be included in an omnibus spending bill in December. Key members of Congress heavily supported by pro-Israel donors and PACs, have already proclaimed the MOU caps on addition funds “unconstitutional”. Republican Sens. [[Lindsey Graham]] (SC), [[Kelly Ayotte]] (NH), [[John McCain]] (AZ) and [[Ted Cruz]] (TX) have already rejected the principle of limitations by filing measures to provide Israel with $1.5 billion in military aid in addition to MOU commitments.<ref>[http://www.wrmea.org/2016-november-december/dispatch-from-inside-the-signing-ceremony-for-the-$38-billion-u.s.-israel-mou.html "Dispatch From Inside the Signing Ceremony For the $38 Billion U.S.-Israel MOU"]</ref> ==Arms Production== {{YouTubeVideo |code=n_a9WYdKw_o |align=left |width= |caption=75 years of fighting for its existence: A timeline of Israel’s wars - I24 News }} Israel was the #10 nation worldwide as regards [[arms exports]] from 2012-2016.<ref>https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2017-03/news/us-leads-rising-global-arms-trade</ref> ==COVID== Israel vaccinated their entire population quicker than any other country. A study says natural immunity is better than vaccination.<ref>https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.24.21262415v1</ref> ==Wikileaks cables== In [[2010]], Wikileaks released a set of secret cables between US officials and Israeli officials.<ref>https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Contents_of_the_United_States_diplomatic_cables_leak_(Israel)</ref> In a 2007 conversation with Congressman Ackerman, the then-Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, disclosed that Israeli President Shimon Peres Peres had informed him that European and U.S. support for the Palestinian Authority had led to the creation of a "bloated bureaucracy". <ref>http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=197272</ref> In another document from April 2007, during his time as the opposition leader, Netanyahu described Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas as a "well-intentioned individual" and recommended that Washington focus on weakening Hamas through economic pressure. He argued that it would be more feasible to undermine Hamas than to bolster Abbas. <ref>https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/8167569/Wikileaks-Israel-satisfied-with-portrayal-of-Iran-position.html</ref> In 2008, U.S. diplomats in the Middle East were secretly instructed to collect personal information on Palestinian leaders and closely monitor Israeli military and telecommunications capabilities.<ref>http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=197285</ref> One directive from the U.S. State Department urged diplomats to report on Israeli Military tactics, techniques, and procedures related to both conventional and unconventional counterinsurgency operations.<ref>http://wikileaks.dd19.de/cable/2008/10/08STATE116392.html</ref> In 2007, then-Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni expressed doubts about the possibility of reaching a final status agreement with Abbas. She suggested that the emphasis should be on reforming Fatah to compete with Hamas in elections.<ref>http://wikileaks.dd19.de/cable/2007/01/07TELAVIV64.html</ref> Mossad chief Meir Dagan shared his view with U.S. diplomat Frances Fragos Townsend, suggesting that little progress would be made in the peace process. He also made remarks about various Middle Eastern leaders and suggested the relocation of U.S. bases from Qatar.<ref>https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Contents_of_the_United_States_diplomatic_cables_leak_(Iran)</ref> According to a cable from the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu supported the idea of land swaps with the Palestinian Authority and expressed a desire not to govern the West Bank and Gaza but rather to prevent attacks originating from there.<ref>http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=197333</ref> Netanyahu, in one cable, warned that Israel's withdrawal from certain territories had led to the establishment of Iranian bases and that the three options were to withdraw to the 1967 borders (seen as inviting more conflict), do nothing (equally problematic), or focus on rapid economic development in the West Bank while addressing bureaucratic issues.<ref>http://wikileaks.dd19.de/cable/2009/02/09TELAVIV457.html </ref> In April 2007, Netanyahu asserted that the Palestinian right of return would need to be relinquished in exchange for peace.<ref>http://www.france24.com/en/20101129-netanyahu-said-no-peace-with-right-return-wikileaks |accessdate=2011-01-04 |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20110104192430/http://www.france24.com/en/20101129-netanyahu-said-no-peace-with-right-return-wikileaks</ref> U.S. Congressman Gary Ackerman summarized Netanyahu's discussion, highlighting that Netanyahu believed that returning to the 1967 borders and dividing Jerusalem was not a solution, as it would only encourage radical Islam. Netanyahu emphasized that the "right of return" was the crucial test of Arab intentions.<ref>http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2007/04/07TELAVIV1114.html</reF> {{SMWDocs}} ==References== {{reflist}} 7gj1xnwr4oqd351srdtll6zgpgi22sz