Has the Penny Dropped?

As the saying goes, “there is none so blind as those who will not see.”

(LONDON) - This last week has seen a fundamental change in the way the world sees Israel. In particular, the United States of America.

When Mr. Obama came to power in 2008 we, the citizens of the world who, whether by choice or coercion are affected by what the most powerful nation on earth does, let forth a huge sigh of relief. Here was an African American President who might at last have a different view of the world and a fairer approach to American foreign policy. Especially in the Middle East and particularly towards Palestine.

We all heard the speeches; we all applauded the coming of the ‘Black Messiah’ and waited for tangible results to fulfill some of our dreams for a better and fairer world. We were all to be bitterly disappointed. Mr. Obama continued along the path of his predecessors, but he also went out of his way to affirm that America would always ‘have Israel’s back’.

Israel's attack on Gaza, "Operation Cast Lead" 2008/09

In his first days of office Israel started a crushing, cruel and inhumane invasion of Gaza with the result that over 1400 Palestinian children, women and men were killed and much of Gaza’s infrastructure destroyed. Mr. Obama’s reaction was that Israel had the right to defend itself and pleaded with the invaders to use ‘restraint’. Mr. Obama, despite the eloquent speeches has forgotten that a bully does not understand restraint. A bully by nature is a coward and bullies operate in packs. You wouldn’t see a bully challenging a person, no matter how weak, alone. He must have an audience, which can be relied on, not only to show support but also come to the bully’s aid if required.

A few years have passed since Mr. Obama came to power and during those few years more and more crimes against the Palestinians; the land, the people, the natural resources have been committed both openly and clandestinely by the Israelis with impunity. Not only impunity in fact, but also active support and diplomatic cover by Mr. Obama’s administration. It has been said that Mr. Obama is the most pro-Israel President ever. I would like to be charitable here and say that it doesn’t matter who is in the White House they will all have to do Israel’s bidding. This is a fact that nobody can deny. Congress is bought and paid for by AIPAC and nobody dares to challenge the demands of the strong pro-Israeli lobby and special interests in America. Not even the President. They will simply be crushed.

There has been many a publication in this regard by Jews and gentiles alike emphasising the grip that Israel has over America. Allow me please to remind you of some:

John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt;
The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy
in which these two eminent professors assert that the foreign policy of the USA in the Middle East is controlled by the state of Israel.

Former US member of the House of Representatives, Paul Findley;
They Dare To Speak Out
in which Mr. Findley says that if there is a discussion about Israel in Congress and it comes to a vote any member who merely abstains is construed to be against and their chances of re-election become less than zero.

Jack O’Connell;
Kings Counsel
in which ex-CIA Director of Operations, Middle East Mr. O’Connell, maintains that if there is to be any key appointment in the US State department the list of proposed names must be passed to the Israel embassy for approval prior to appointment.

Now let’s hear it from the horses mouth. Mr. Ariel Sharon, ex-Prime Minister, commented to his then foreign minister, Shimon Peres, the current Israeli president;

“Every time we do something you tell me that America will do this and will do that…I want to tell you something very clear: Don’t worry about American pressure on Israel.  We, the Jewish people control America and the Americans know it.”

Moshe Dayan - Photo: Israeli govt.

The late General Moshe Dayan said;

“Our American friends give us money, give us arms and give us advice.  We take the money, we take the arms and we ignore the advice.”

Vladimir Jabotinsky, founder of Revisionist Zionism wrote in The Iron Wall 1923:

“A voluntary reconciliation with the Arabs is out of the question, either now or in the future. If you wish to colonise a land in which people are already living, you must provide a garrison for the land or find some rich man or benefactor who will provide the garrison on your behalf...”

The rich, powerful benefactor Mr. Jabotinsky refers to is the United States of America. You only need to cast your mind back to a couple of years ago when the current Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu paid a visit to Washington during which he showed Mr. Obama, in no uncertain terms, who is the boss. His address to the joint Houses of Congress received with no less than 32 standing ovations from members of Congress vying to show their support. They only just refrained from prostrating themselves at the feet of their Israeli master.

That arrogant episode and show of power and disrespect to the President of their major benefactor proved, beyond doubt, who rules in Washington. The United States of America has fought many a war, costing lives and treasure, on behalf of Israel.

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We all know that to be elected American Presidents must toe the line of AIPAC and corporate America. So the first term of any president is actually spent in the service, not of the American people, but of Israel. Some of them continued this trend, even after they had been re-elected. Just one of them, President Jimmy Carter, found the truth after leaving office and was moved to write his now famous book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.

Mr. Obama, for the last couple of years, has been under immense pressure by Israel to wage a war against Syria and Iran on behalf of Israel. The first was averted at the last minute when the American people said NO MORE WARS. Not anymore.

The second has just been put on hold for the next six months by the signing of an agreement this last Sunday morning between the five most powerful nations on earth and Iran, which they called a ‘historic agreement’. Israel is hopping mad and has called it ‘a historic mistake’. The fear in Israel is not that the world powers, and in particular the USA, had decided not to attack Iran. The real danger for Israel is that they might be losing their tight grip on American foreign policy. The penny appears to have dropped at last in the corridors of power in Washington. If America is to continue being lead by the nose by Israel it could only lead to disaster.

Has Mr. Obama found the courage, at last, to confront the arrogance of Israel and wrest back the rightful power and respect of his mighty office as President of the United States of America?

Israel, as is always the case, is not going to take this lying down. As I write, there is an Israeli delegation on its way to Washington to assert more pressure on Mr. Obama and his administration to renege on this deal. If they fail in their mission, and it’s a big if, the world should brace itself for all manner of mayhem that the Israeli government will unleash upon us all.

At this very moment, they are undertaking the state’s largest ever aerial maneuver drill, including seven combat squadrons from the Israeli Air Force and one squadron each from the United States, Greece and Italy. It is code-named ‘Blue Flag’. We must all hope and pray that this flexing of muscles will not turn into a black flag operation against Iran, at which Israel is a past master. I think it is worth mentioning here that the formidable Israeli nuclear arsenal that nobody is allowed to mention, let alone challenge, is called ‘The Samson Option’

Again, in the words of the late General Moshe Dayan, “Israel must be like a mad dog. Too dangerous to bother.”

Meanwhile, will the penny drop in Ramallah and make the deluded leaders of the Palestinian Authority realise that peace and Israel are not compatible?

As the saying goes, “there is none so blind as those who will not see.”

As the saying goes, “there is none so blind as those who will not see.”

Jafar M. Ramini
Salam Wa Laisa Estislam
'Peace Not Capitulation'

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Jafar M Ramini is a Palestinian writer, commentator and analyst on Middle Eastern affairs living in London.

He was born in Jenin, northern Palestine, was educated in England and spent the early years of his working life in the Arabian Gulf and Saudi Arabia. He has traveled far and wide, searching for the answer to a question that still eludes him.

Why does the United States of America support the Zionist line in such a blind folded way while ignoring the legitimate rights of the indigenous Palestinian people? Particularly as the Palestinian people harbour no ill feelings towards America and its people nor has ever caused them any harm. It is, Jafar says, a conundrum.