Hitchens on West Bank Land Grab, the Israeli Christian Lobby, and their Racketeering Reverends………
“Has President Barack Obama ever looked more ineffectual than he did last week, sitting almost wordlessly next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while the latter, on what seems like his 10th trip to Washington this year, lectured us all yet again on the importance of leaving Israel unmolested and even uncriticized? Even as the press conference dragged on, with the words "peace process" coming to sound more hollow and mocking by the moment, bulldozers and settlers were continuing their apparently uninterruptable creation of facts on the ground, all designed to forestall or pre-empt ……… Over the last decade, the report established, at least 40 American organizations have collected "more than $200 million in tax-deductible gifts for Jewish settlement in the West Bank and East Jerusalem." The impressive documentation assembled by the Times revealed some familiar and ugly contours. Many of the U.S.-based pro-settlement forces are connected to extreme Israeli nationalist groups with proven records of violence (including the heirs of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane) or to the wilder pulpits of Christian extremism, such as the one occupied by the hysterical Rev. John Hagee, or to essentially racketeering outfits, such as the one operated until recently by the disgraced "lobbyist" Jack Abramoff. It comes as no surprise to find that much of the material provided by these "charitable" fronts consists of sniper equipment, night-vision binoculars, bulletproof vehicles, and guard dogs………”
"Guard dogs": why do guard dogs and fascists always go together?
Also sprach Christopher Hitchens, wisely this time, in Slate. The following was my own comment shared on the comments section:
Forget the US Congress. It's been effectively castrated on this issue, with very few exceptions. I would add that even much of the administration has been castrated on this issue, surprisingly including the ladies. Members are afraid to talk against the two potent right-wing Israeli lobbies; AIPAC for the two coasts, and the Christian nuts for the Red States. This election year especially "fear" is the word in Congress. At least half the members hold the hope that all Jews will eventually convert to good über social Darwinist Christians when "the moment is right", to quote the famous television ad. Even a thug like Lieberman (no, not the goofy opportunist Joe, I mean the former Russian bouncer Avigdor) can probably get an invitation to address a joint session if he so chooses, just as Winston Churchill did……
Cheers
mhg
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