Tuesday, May 1, 2018

On Netanyahu's "TED talk" Informercial Selling An Iran War To An Audience of One, Trump

Benjamin Netanyahu, with his "TED talk" infotainment ad, clearly aimed at Donald Trump,  is clearly trying to start a war between the United States and Iran.  And with that, on top of the war Israeli fascists promoted in Iraq, it's time to consider whether or not we need to start pulling out our support of Israel.   I don't think that's going to be considered a radical idea when Trump gives the Israeli fascists what they want, it's going to be a matter of facing the fact that the development of Israel since its founding has been on a descent into fascism, dragging the United States along with it.  And it is unsustainable.

For domestic advantage, the fascists have harnessed the most fanatical and at times insane factions of the Israeli population, as fascist governments always do, resorting to the same politics of resentment that supports Trumpian fascism, here.  That they could depend on the United States supporting Israel on a "right or wrong" basis that virtually no citizens of the United States hold our own government in certainly hasn't helped things.  With that support, on which the continued existence of Israel as a state depends, their worst politicians have been able to gain power and hold it because those Israelis who know that this is unsustainable, fatal to democracy and, in the fullness of time, unsustainable have been drowned out by those who know that they can get away with murder with that support from the United States.

The war with Iran that Netanyahu wants will be an even bigger catastrophe than the one that the Israeli fascists and their supporters in the United States brought us to in Iraq.   It will blow up the entire region, I have no doubt that it could easily lead to the Israeli government using the nuclear weapons it has openly  possesses but not admitted to having.   It is the ultimate and irresponsible means of a corrupt government to hold power. 

It's time that the United States developed our domestic politics without pressure from foreign governments, the gangsters in Putin-land or anywhere else.  Including Israel.  The seven decades of support for the Israeli government holds no prospect for any kind of progress made in resolving the issues of justice for the Palestinian people that have been pending as long and every year makes it clear that Israeli politics have developed into the point where they will likely never again elect a government that will make peace with them. 

It's time for us to admit that the only prospect of the Israeli population giving up militaristic fascism is for them to understand that they have to make peace or they can't depend on the support of the United States.  Our own domestic pressure groups supporting the Israeli governments, which have been dominated by fascists for going on four decades, have got to be marginalized and investigated for the kind of collusion that the Trump campaign is under investigation for.  It certainly isn't a clear thing that such a process will ever bring peace, the mutual resentments on both sides run deep, largely as a result of policies of the past.

I do know that as time passes and, especially, if we get suckered into another huge and guaranteed disaster of a war, this time with Iran, American support for Israel will plummet in any case. Twice in two decades, that's not sustainable even if you entirely ignore the moral atrocity it would be.  The only good thing that might come about from it is that it might force our own establishment to finally admit the scope of the disaster that the Iraq invasion was.

I have written about the letter that a group of American Jewish intellectuals wrote in 1948 warning of the danger of Israeli fascism, transcribing the letter in full.   Here it is again:

New Palestine Party

Visit of Menachen Begin and Aims of Political Movement Discussed

 To the Editor of The New York Times:

Among the most disturbing political phenomena of our time is the emergence in the newly created state of Israel of the “Freedom Party” (Tnuat Harerut), a political party closely akin in its organization, methods, political philosophy and social appeal to the Nazi and Fascist parties.  It was formed out of the membership and following of the former Irgun Zvai Leumi, a terrorist, right-wing, chauvinist organization in Palestine. 

The current visit of Menachen Begin, leader of this party, to the United States is obviously calculated to give the impression of American support for his party in the coming Israeli elections, and to cement political ties with conservative Zionist elements in the United States.  Several Americans of national repute have lent their names to welcome his visit.  It is inconceivable that those who oppose fascism throughout the world, if correctly informed as to Mr. Begin's political record and perspectives, could add their names and support to the movement he represents.

Before irreparable damage is done by way of financial contributions, public manifestations in Begin's behalf, and the creation in Palestine of the impression that a large segent of America supports Fascist elements in Israel,  the American public must be informed as to the record and objectives of Mr. Begin and his movement.

The public avowals of Begin's party are no guide whatever to its actual character.  Today they speak of freedom, democracy and anti-imperialism whereas until recently they openly preached the doctrine of the Fascist state.  It is in its actions that the terrorist party betrays its real character;  from its past actions we can judge what it may be expected to do in the future.

Attack on Arab Village

A shocking example was their behavior in the Arab village of Deir Yassin.  This village, off the main roads and surrounded by Jewish lands, had taken no part in the war, and had even fought off Arab bands who wanted to use the village as their base.  On April 9 (The New York Times), terrorist bands attacked this peaceful village, which was not a military objective in the fighting, killed most of its inhabitants – 240 men, women and children – and kept a few of them alive to parade as captives through the streets of Jerusalem.  Most of the Jewish community was horrified by the deed, and the Jewish Agency sent a telegram of apology to King Abdullah of Trans-Jordan.  But the terrorists, far from being ashamed of their act, were proud of the massacre, publicized it widely, and invited all of the foreign correspondents present in the country to view the heaped corpses and the the general havoc at Deir Yassin. 

The Deir Yassin incident exemplifies the character and actions of the Freedom Party

Within the Jewish community they have preached an admixture of ultra-nationalism, religious mysticism, and racial superiority.   Like other Fascist parties they have been used to break strikes and have themselves pressed for the destruction of free trade unions.  In their stead they have proposed corporate unions on the Italian Fascist model.

During the last years of sporadic anti-British violence, the IZL and Stern groups inaugurated a reign of terror in the Palestine Jewish community.   Teachers were beaten for speaking against them, adults were shot for not letting their children join them.  By gangster methods, beatings, window-smashing, and wide-spread robberies, the terrorists intimidated the population and exacted a heavy tribute

The people of the Freedom Party have had no part in the constructive achievements in Palestine.  They have reclaimed no land, built no settlements, and only detracted from the Jewish defense activity.  Their much-publicized immigration endeavors were minute and devoted mainly to bringing in Fascist compatriots.

Discrepancies Seen

The discrepancies between the bold claims now being made by Begin and his party, and their record of past performance in Palestine bear the imprint of no ordinary political party.  This is the unmistakable stamp of a Fascist party for whom terrorism (against Jews, Arabs and British alike), and misrepresentation are means and a “Leader State” is the goal.

In the light of the foregoing considerations, it is imperative that the truth about Mr. Begin and his movement be made known in this country  It is all the more tragic that the top leadership of American Zionism has refused to campaign against Begin's efforts, or even to expose to its own constituents the dangers to Israel from support to Begin.

The undersigned therefore take this means of publicly presenting a few salient facts concerning Begin and his party;  and of urging all concerned not to support this latest manifestation of fascism.

Isadore Abramowitz,  Hannah Arendt,  Abraham Brick, Rabbi Jessurun Cardozo,  Albert Einstein,  Herman Eisen, M.D.  Hayim Fineman, M. Gallen, M.D., H. H. Harris,  Zelig S. Harris, Sidney Hook, Fred Karush, Briuria Kaufman, Irma L. Lindheim,  Nachman Majesl,  Seymour Melman,  Myer D Mendelson, M.D.,  Harry M. Orlinsky,  Samuel Pitlick,  Fritz Rohrlich,  Louis P. Rocker Ruth Sager, Itzhak Sankowsky,  I. J. Schoenberg, Samuel Schuman, M Znger, Irma Wolpe, Stefan Wolpe

New York, Dec 2 1948

Seventy years of support for Israel right or wrong has led to the biggest disaster in United States foreign relations and military intervention in our history,  the Iraq invasion, a disaster that is continuing in Syria, among other places.  Considering the war in Vietnam, that's a pretty high bar to top.   Even if I thought that it should continue, I can guarantee you that it's not going to continue.  That's something I'd bet my life on.

1 comment:

  1. Foreign leaders are playing Trump like a fiddle. Macron, Moon, Kim, now Netenyahu. He released these "documents" (which many say don't reveal anything not already known) purely to play to Trump's ignorance.

    Lucky us.

    ReplyDelete