← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Fernando Wood
Thread ID: 13061 | Posts: 11 | Started: 2004-04-07
2004-04-07 02:48 | User Profile
[url]http://www.ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=23083[/url]
IRAQ: War Launched to Protect Israel - Bush Adviser Emad Mekay [B]Iraq under Saddam Hussein did not pose a threat to the United States but it did to Israel, which is one reason why Washington invaded the Arab country, according to a speech made by a member of a top-level White House intelligence group. [/B] WASHINGTON, Mar 29 (IPS) - IPS uncovered the remarks by Philip Zelikow, who is now the executive director of the body set up to investigate the terrorist attacks on the United States in September 2001 -- the 9/11 commission -- in which he suggests a prime motive for the invasion just over one year ago was to eliminate a threat to Israel, a staunch U.S. ally in the Middle East. [B]Zelikow's casting of the attack on Iraq as one launched to protect Israel appears at odds with the public position of President George W. Bush and his administration, which has never overtly drawn the link between its war on the regime of former president Hussein and its concern for Israel's security. The administration has instead insisted it launched the war to liberate the Iraqi people, destroy Iraq's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and to protect the United States. [/B] Zelikow made his statements about ââ¬Âthe unstated threatââ¬Â during his tenure on a highly knowledgeable and well-connected body known as the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (PFIAB), which reports directly to the president. He served on the board between 2001 and 2003. [B]ââ¬ÂWhy would Iraq attack America or use nuclear weapons against us? I'll tell you what I think the real threat (is) and actually has been since 1990 -- it's the threat against Israel,ââ¬Â Zelikow told a crowd at the University of Virginia on Sep. 10, 2002, speaking on a panel of foreign policy experts assessing the impact of 9/11 and the future of the war on the al-Qaeda terrorist organisation. ââ¬ÂAnd this is the threat that dare not speak its name, because the Europeans don't care deeply about that threat, I will tell you frankly. And the American government doesn't want to lean too hard on it rhetorically, because it is not a popular sell,ââ¬Â said Zelikow. [/B] The statements are the first to surface from a source closely linked to the Bush administration acknowledging that the war, which has so far cost the lives of nearly 600 U.S. troops and thousands of Iraqis, was motivated by Washington's desire to defend the Jewish state. [B]The administration, which is surrounded by staunch pro-Israel, neo-conservative hawks, is currently fighting an extensive campaign to ward off accusations that it derailed the ââ¬Âwar on terrorismââ¬Â it launched after 9/11 by taking a detour to Iraq, which appears to have posed no direct threat to the United States. Israel is Washington's biggest ally in the Middle East, receiving annual direct aid of three to four billion dollars. [/B] Even though members of the 16-person PFIAB come from outside government, they enjoy the confidence of the president and have access to all information related to foreign intelligence that they need to play their vital advisory role. Known in intelligence circles as ââ¬ÂPiffy-abââ¬Â, the board is supposed to evaluate the nation's intelligence agencies and probe any mistakes they make. The unpaid appointees on the board require a security clearance known as ââ¬Âcode wordââ¬Â that is higher than top secret. The national security adviser to former President George H.W. Bush (1989-93) Brent Scowcroft, currently chairs the board in its work overseeing a number of intelligence bodies, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the various military intelligence groups and the Pentagon's National Reconnaissance Office. Neither Scowcroft nor Zelikow returned numerous phone calls and email messages from IPS for this story. Zelikow has long-established ties to the Bush administration. Before his appointment to PFIAB in October 2001, he was part of the current president's transition team in January 2001. In that capacity, Zelikow drafted a memo for National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice on reorganising and restructuring the National Security Council (NSC) and prioritising its work. Richard A. Clarke, who was counter-terrorism coordinator for Bush's predecessor President Bill Clinton (1993-2001) also worked for Bush senior, and has recently accused the current administration of not heeding his terrorism warnings, said Zelikow was among those he briefed about the urgent threat from al-Qaeda in December 2000. Rice herself had served in the NSC during the first Bush administration, and subsequently teamed up with Zelikow on a 1995 book about the unification of Germany. Zelikow had ties with another senior Bush administration official -- Robert Zoellick, the current trade representative. The two wrote three books together, including one in 1998 on the United States and the ââ¬ÂMuslim Middle Eastââ¬Â. Aside from his position at the 9/11 commission, Zelikow is now also director of the Miller Centre of Public Affairs and White Burkett Miller Professor of History at the University of Virginia. His close ties to the administration prompted accusations of a conflict of interest in 2002 from families of victims of the 9/11 attacks, who protested his appointment to the investigative body. [B]In his university speech, Zelikow, who strongly backed attacking the Iraqi dictator, also explained the threat to Israel by arguing that Baghdad was preparing in 1990-91 to spend huge amounts of ââ¬Âscarce hard currencyââ¬Â to harness ââ¬Âcommunications against electromagnetic pulseââ¬Â, a side-effect of a nuclear explosion that could sever radio, electronic and electrical communications. That was ââ¬Âa perfectly absurd expenditure unless you were going to ride out a nuclear exchange -- they (Iraqi officials) were not preparing to ride out a nuclear exchange with us. Those were preparations to ride out a nuclear exchange with the Israelisââ¬Â, according to Zelikow. He also suggested that the danger of biological weapons falling into the hands of the anti-Israeli Islamic Resistance Movement, known by its Arabic acronym Hamas, would threaten Israel rather than the United States, and that those weapons could have been developed to the point where they could deter Washington from attacking Hamas. ââ¬ÂPlay out those scenarios,ââ¬Â he told his audience, ââ¬Âand I will tell you, people have thought about that, but they are just not talking very much about itââ¬Â. ââ¬ÂDon't look at the links between Iraq and al-Qaeda, but then ask yourself the question, 'gee, is Iraq tied to Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the people who are carrying out suicide bombings in Israel'? Easy question to answer; the evidence is abundant.ââ¬Â [/B] To date, the possibility of the United States attacking Iraq to protect Israel has been only timidly raised by some intellectuals and writers, with few public acknowledgements from sources close to the administration. Analysts who reviewed Zelikow's statements said they are concrete evidence of one factor in the rationale for going to war, which has been hushed up. ââ¬ÂThose of us speaking about it sort of routinely referred to the protection of Israel as a component,ââ¬Â said Phyllis Bennis of the Washington-based Institute of Policy Studies. ââ¬ÂBut this is a very good piece of evidence of that.ââ¬Â Others say the administration should be blamed for not making known to the public its true intentions and real motives for invading Iraq. ââ¬ÂThey (the administration) made a decision to invade Iraq, and then started to search for a policy to justify it. It was a decision in search of a policy and because of the odd way they went about it, people are trying to read something into it,ââ¬Â said Nathan Brown, professor of political science at George Washington University and an expert on the Middle East. But he downplayed the Israel link. ââ¬ÂIn terms of securing Israel, it doesn't make sense to me because the Israelis are probably more concerned about Iran than they were about Iraq in terms of the long-term strategic threat,ââ¬Â he said. Still, Brown says Zelikow's words carried weight. ââ¬ÂCertainly his position would allow him to speak with a little bit more expertise about the thinking of the Bush administration, but it doesn't strike me that he is any more authoritative than Wolfowitz, or Rice or Powell or anybody else. All of them were sort of fishing about for justification for a decision that has already been made,ââ¬Â Brown said. (END/2004) Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (END/2004)
2004-04-07 05:37 | User Profile
this " war " was not launched to protect Israel. Iraq was never a threat to Israel. That is a fact. It was launched as a smokescreen for the US government to hide behind and give mindless Americans a feeling of vengeance. More importantly, it was launched to establish a stronghold in the region as a launching point for future domination. This war is more abhorrent than any other in American history, even worse than the wars of the last century, as bad and stupid as they were. This time, the US said, " you know what ? we dont give a ****. We can do this and therefore we will do it. " Well fine, but with National Guard soldiers being shipped there today, one I personally know who is like 40 years old and has a family, there is no excuse for this bullshit. We want to force feed " democracy " through bloodshed and depleted uranium ? Well " we " got it.. As much as I hate to say this I hope that when we storm Najaf we suffer heavy casualties. This country needs to wake up. BIG TIME. There is no Al-Quida. On September 11th, which happenned exactly 11 years after Bush Sr's " a New World Order can emerge speech at the UN " , and the Madrid horror exactly 911 days after 911 on 311, you can see the occult numerolugy. This is not Muslims. This is Freemason Luciferian Cabal. On Sept 11th, only one commercial plane flew out of the US. You know who it was ? Bin Laden's family who had just met Bush at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington. And a day later our govt accused bin Laden of causing 911 and the smoke screen Al-Quida. THERE IS NO AL QUIDA. WAKE UP. We have murderers and thieves and liars as our leaders and they WORSHIP SATAN. Time to let the heads roll .. time to stop the evil. Time to take America BACK while we still can, and that window is closing fast. [url]http://www.realityradio1320.com[/url]
2004-04-07 22:47 | User Profile
[INDENT][B]Iraq was never a threat to Israel. That is a fact.[/B][/INDENT]
I beg to differ. Iraq has always been a threat to Israel. Before Sadam was removed, it was common knowledge that Sadam was handing out hefty cash rewards to Palestinian suicide bombers who killed Jews--the more Jews killed the bigger the reward. During the Gulf War when Iraq invaded Kuwait, Iraq successfully fired several dozen Scud missiles into Israel proper. Frankly, I have absolutely no sympathy for Israelis or Zionists... they are trouble makers and deserve what they get. Nevertheless, to say that "it is a fact that Iraq was never a threat to Israel" is utterly stupid, no matter whose side your on.
2004-04-13 05:07 | User Profile
You are going to stand up and tell me that Iraq under Hussein was a real threat to Israel ? ARE YOU SMOKING CRACK ??????????????? Israel has 500 NUCLEAR MISSILES POINTING AT IRAQ, POINTING AT BABYLON. POINTING AT THE LAND THAT BROUGHT US THE WHEEL
You lies will not last two seconds on this website.
2004-04-13 06:43 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Exelsis_Deo]You are going to stand up and tell me that Iraq under Hussein was a real threat to Israel ?[/QUOTE]
Evidently Netanyahu, Sharon, the Likuds and their PNAC "American" paid lackeys think differently.
In July 1996, Perle, Feith and the Wurmser couple wrote the notorious paper for an Israeli think tank charting a roadmap for Likud superhawk and then-incoming Israeli prime minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu. The paper is called "A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm". Perle, Feith and the Wurmsers tell Bibi that Israel must shelve the Oslo Accords, the so-called peace process, the concept of "land for peace", go for it and permanently annex the entire West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The paper also recommends that Israel must insist on the elimination of Saddam, and the restoration of the Hashemite monarchy in Baghdad. This would be the first domino to fall, and then regime change would follow in Syria, Lebanon, Iran and Saudi Arabia. This 1996 blueprint is nothing else than Ariel Sharon's current agenda in action. In November last year, Sharon took the liberty to slightly modify the domino sequence by growling on the record that Iran should be next after Iraq.
Bush's speech on February 26 at the AEI claimed that the real reason for a war against Iraq is "to bring democracy". Cheney has endlessly repeated that Iraqis - like Germany and Japan in 1945 - will welcome American soldiers with wine and roses. For Bush, Iraq is begging to be educated in the principles of democracy: "It's presumptuous and insulting to suggest that a whole region of the world, or the one-fifth of humanity that is Muslim, is somehow untouched by the most basic aspirations of life." But this very presumption is seemingly central to the intellectual Islamophobia of both the AEI and PNAC.
[url]http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EC20Ak07.html[/url]
2004-04-13 08:04 | User Profile
Note: only one country has launched nuclear-capable missiles [i.e. Scuds] at Israel: Iraq.
Do the math.
2004-04-13 20:16 | User Profile
Iraq put Israel as its main enemy, everybody knows it. Isreal is the utmost one who fears Iraq's mass killing weapon who had bombed Iraq's neuclear reaction site in 1981.
The following news showed how Israel hoped to have this war. Quote, "Israel Urges U.S. to Attack Iraq Fri Aug 16, 8:42 AM ET
By JASON KEYSER, Associated Press Writer JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel is urging U.S. officials not to delay a military strike against Iraq's Saddam Hussein ( news, an aide to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Friday. Israeli intelligence officials have gathered evidence that Iraq is speeding up efforts to produce biological and chemical weapons, said Sharon aide Ranaan Gissin. "Any postponement of an attack on Iraq at this stage will serve no purpose,"
2004-04-14 05:42 | User Profile
your tax dollars took care of that.. I'm sure you feel good about your funds being used to blow the brains out of grandmothers and innocent people who only want a drink of water.. your Federal Reserve Notes at work.. die kill murder who the hell are they if they arent on CNN they don't exist. Right ? t
2004-04-14 05:45 | User Profile
f*^k those ragheads Sons of Bitches Take it all out on Them Keep paying to KILL KILL KILL
2004-04-14 06:06 | User Profile
We will establish our Stronghold in the region. You will pay for it Shut up and pay for murder Be an American you idiot Kill for Democracy, because they Killed us, and they are terrorists. I know this because tv tell me so. They are real and all you crackpots are not. If you told the truth , you would be on the news, but you are liars and bullshit paranoics. Shut up all of you. AL Quida is REAL and they will terrorize America until we annihilate them. You stupid fools, they are jealous of our Democracy, they are jealous and thats why they attack us. I am Proud To Be An American. We are Free and They Are NOT. I hope the 400 dollar ( yes dollar ) I just mailed to the White House is used to CONFRONT terrorism. I hope will kill these bastards. I am part of the team Stop lying about my country. We are the best country in the world. You wouldn't even be alive today if the Government did not protect you. I am voting for George W. Bush and he is a proud President.
2004-04-14 06:09 | User Profile
you know that was said in jest, but that is what the average American Slave thinks. This scares me.. personally, I have no allegiance to this unit called USA anymore... do you ? can you ? who are the real terrorists ? TERRORIST TERROR TERROR TERROR TERROR TERROR TERROR