Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is pushing the panic button over the collapse of the Saudi-Israeli jihadist proxies in Syria and now threatening to launch a major air war, as ex-British diplomat Alastair Crooke describes.
By Alastair Crooke
A very senior Israeli intelligence delegation, a week ago, visited Washington. Then, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu broke into President Putin’s summer holiday to meet him in Sochi, where, according to a senior Israeli government official (as cited in the Jerusalem Post), Netanyahu threatened to bomb the Presidential Palace in Damascus, and to disrupt and nullify the Astana cease-fire process, should Iran continue to “extend its reach in Syria.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking to a joint session of the U.S. Congress on March 3, 2015, in opposition to President Barack Obama’s nuclear agreement with Iran. (Screen shot from CNN broadcast)
Russia’s Pravda wrote, “according to eyewitnesses of the open part of the talks, the Israeli prime minister was too emotional and at times even close to panic. He described a picture of the apocalypse to the Russian president that the world may see, if no efforts are taken to contain Iran, which, as Netanyahu believes, is determined to destroy Israel.”
So, what is going on here? Whether or not Pravda’s quote is fully accurate (though the description was confirmed by senior Israeli commentators), what is absolutely clear (from Israeli sources) is that both in Washington and at Sochi, the Israeli officials were heard out, but got nothing. Israel stands alone. Indeed, it is reported that Netanyahu was seeking “guarantees” about the future Iranian role in Syria, rather than “asking for the moon” of an Iranian exit. But how could Washington or Moscow realistically give Israel such guarantees?
Belatedly, Israel has understood that it backed the wrong side in Syria – and it has lost. It is not really in a position to demand anything. It will not get an American enforced buffer zone beyond the Golan armistice line, nor will the Iraqi-Syrian border be closed, or somehow “supervised” on Israel’s behalf.
Of course, the Syrian aspect is important, but to focus only on that, would be to “miss the forest for the trees.” The 2006 war by Israel to destroy Hizbullah (egged on by the U.S., Saudi Arabia – and even a few Lebanese) was a failure. Symbolically, for the first time in the Middle East, a technologically sophisticated, and lavishly armed, Western nation-state simply failed. What made the failure all the more striking (and painful) was that a Western state was not just bested militarily, it had lost also the electronic and human intelligence war, too — both spheres in which the West thought their primacy unassailable.
The Fallout from Failure
Israel’s unexpected failure was deeply feared in the West, and in the Gulf too. A small, armed (revolutionary) movement had stood up to Israel – against overwhelming odds – and prevailed: it had stood its ground. This precedent was widely perceived to be a potential regional “game changer.” The feudal Gulf autocracies sensed in Hizbullah’s achievement the latent danger to their own rule from such armed resistance.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The reaction was immediate. Hizbullah was quarantined — as best the full sanctioning powers of America could manage. And the war in Syria started to be mooted as the “corrective strategy” to the 2006 failure (as early as 2007) — though it was only with the events following 2011 that the “corrective strategy” came to implemented, à outrance.
Against Hizbullah, Israel had thrown its full military force (though Israelis always say, now, that they could have done more). And against Syria, the U.S., Europe, the Gulf States (and Israel in the background) have thrown the kitchen sink: jihadists, al-Qaeda, ISIS (yes), weapons, bribes, sanctions and the most overwhelming information war yet witnessed. Yet Syria – with indisputable help from its allies – seems about to prevail: it has stood its ground, against almost unbelievable odds.
Just to be clear: if 2006 marked a key point of inflection, Syria’s “standing its ground” represents a historic turning of much greater magnitude. It should be understood that Saudi Arabia’s (and Britain’s and America’s) tool of fired-up, radical Sunnism has been routed. And with it, the Gulf States, but particularly Saudi Arabia are damaged. The latter has relied on the force of Wahabbism since the first foundation of the kingdom: but Wahabbism in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq has been roundly defeated and discredited (even for most Sunni Muslims). It may well be defeated in Yemen too. This defeat will change the face of Sunni Islam.
Already, we see the Gulf Cooperation Council, which originally was founded in 1981 by six Gulf tribal leaders for the sole purpose of preserving their hereditary tribal rule in the Peninsula, now warring with each other, in what is likely to be a protracted and bitter internal fight. The “Arab system,” the prolongation of the old Ottoman structures by the complaisant post-World War I victors, Britain and France, seems to be out of its 2013 “remission” (bolstered by the coup in Egypt), and to have resumed its long-term decline.
The Losing Side
Netayahu’s “near panic” (if that is indeed what occurred) may well be a reflection of this seismic shift taking place in the region. Israel has long backed the losing side – and now finds itself “alone” and fearing for its near proxies (the Jordanians and the Kurds). The “new” corrective strategy from Tel Aviv, it appears, is to focus on winning Iraq away from Iran, and embedding it into the Israel-U.S.-Saudi alliance.
President Donald Trump touches lighted globe with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Saudi King Salman and Donald Trump at the opening of Saudi Arabia’s Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology on May 21, 2017. (Photo from Saudi TV)
If so, Israel and Saudi Arabia are probably too late into the game, and are likely underestimating the visceral hatred engendered among so many Iraqis of all segments of society for the murderous actions of ISIS. Not many believe the improbable (Western) narrative that ISIS suddenly emerged armed, and fully financed, as a result of former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s alleged “sectarianism”: No, as rule-of-thumb, behind each such well-breached movement – stands a state.
Daniel Levy has written a compelling piece to argue that Israelis generally would not subscribe to what I have written above, but rather: “Netanyahu’s lengthy term in office, multiple electoral successes, and ability to hold together a governing coalition … [is based on] him having a message that resonates with a broader public. It is a sales pitch that Netanyahu … [has] ‘brought the state of Israel to the best situation in its history, a rising global force … the state of Israel is diplomatically flourishing.’ Netanyahu had beaten back what he had called the ‘fake-news claim’ that without a deal with the Palestinians ‘Israel will be isolated, weakened and abandoned’ facing a ‘diplomatic tsunami.’
“Difficult though it is for his political detractors to acknowledge, Netanyahu’s claim resonates with the public because it reflects something that is real, and that has shifted the center of gravity of Israeli politics further and further to the right. It is a claim that, if correct and replicable over time, will leave a legacy that lasts well beyond Netanyahu’s premiership and any indictment he might face.
“Netanyahu’s assertion is that he is not merely buying time in Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians to improve the terms of an eventual and inevitable compromise. Netanyahu is laying claim to something different — the possibility of ultimate victory, the permanent and definitive defeat of the Palestinians, their national and collective goals.
“In over a decade as prime minister, Netanyahu has consistently and unequivocally rejected any plans or practical steps that even begin to address Palestinian aspirations. Netanyahu is all about perpetuating and exacerbating the conflict, not about managing it, let alone resolving it…[The] message is clear: there will be no Palestinian state because the West Bank and East Jerusalem are simply Greater Israel.”
No Palestinian State
Levy continues: “The approach overturns assumptions that have guided peace efforts and American policy for over a quarter of a century: that Israel has no alternative to an eventual territorial withdrawal and acceptance of something sufficiently resembling an independent sovereign Palestinian state broadly along the 1967 lines. It challenges the presumption that the permanent denial of such an outcome is incompatible with how Israel and Israelis perceive themselves as being a democracy. Additionally, it challenges the peace-effort supposition that this denial would in any way be unacceptable to the key allies on which Israel depends…
The Palestinian flag is waved as relief ships arrive in Gaza in August 2008.
“In more traditional bastions of support for Israel, Netanyahu took a calculated gamble — would enough American Jewish support continue to stand with an increasingly illiberal and ethno-nationalist Israel, thereby facilitating the perpetuation of the lopsided U.S.-Israel relationship? Netanyahu bet yes, and he was right.”
And here is another interesting point that Levy makes:
“And then events took a further turn in Netanyahu’s favor with the rise to power in the United States and parts of Central Eastern Europe (and to enhanced prominence elsewhere in Europe and the West) of the very ethno-nationalist trend to which Netanyahu is so committed, working to replace liberal with illiberal democracy. One should not underestimate Israel and Netanyahu’s importance as an ideological and practical avant-garde for this trend.”
Former U.S. Ambassador and respected political analyst Chas Freeman wrote recently very bluntly: “the central objective of U.S. policy in the Middle East has long been to achieve regional acceptance for the Jewish-settler state in Palestine.” Or, in other words, for Washington, its Middle East policy – and all its actions – have been determined by “to be, or not to be”: “To be” (that is) – with Israel, or not “to be” (with Israel).
Israel’s Lost Ground
The key point now is that the region has just made a seismic shift into the “not to be” camp. Is there much that America can do about that? Israel very much is alone with only a weakened Saudi Arabia at its side, and there are clear limits to what Saudi Arabia can do.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi.
The U.S. calling on Arab states to engage more with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi seems somehow inadequate. Iran is not looking for war with Israel (as a number of Israeli analysts have acknowledged); but, too, the Syrian President has made clear that his government intends to recover “all Syria” – and all Syria includes the occupied Golan Heights. And this week, Hassan Nasrallah called on the Lebanese government “to devise a plan and take a sovereign decision to liberate the Shebaa Farms and the Kfarshouba Hills” from Israel.
A number Israeli commentators already are saying that the “writing is on the wall” – and that it would be better for Israel to cede territory unilaterally, rather than risk the loss of hundreds of lives of Israeli servicemen in a futile attempt to retain it. That, though, seems hardly congruent with the Israeli Prime Minister’s “not an inch, will we yield” character and recent statements.
Will ethno-nationalism provide Israel with a new support base? Well, firstly, I do not see Israel’s doctrine as “illiberal democracy,” but rather an apartheid system intended to subordinate Palestinian political rights. And as the political schism in the West widens, with one “wing” seeking to delegitimize the other by tarnishing them as racists, bigots and Nazis, it is clear that the real America First-ers will try, at any price, to distance themselves from the extremists.
Daniel Levy points out that the Alt-Right leader, Richard Spencer, depicts his movement as White Zionism. Is this really likely to build support for Israel? How long before the “globalists” use precisely Netanyahu’s “illiberal democracy” meme to taunt the U.S. Right that this is precisely the kind of society for which they too aim: with Mexicans and black Americans treated like Palestinians?
‘Ethnic Nationalism’
The increasingly “not to be” constituency of the Middle East has a simpler word for Netanyahu’s “ethnic nationalism.” They call it simply Western colonialism. Round one of Chas Freeman’s making the Middle East “be with Israel” consisted of the shock-and-awe assault on Iraq. Iraq is now allied with Iran, and the Hashad militia (PMU) are becoming a widely mobilized fighting force. The second stage was 2006. Today, Hizbullah is a regional force, and not a just Lebanese one.
Far-right militia members demonstrating outside Ukrainian parliament in Kiev. (Screen shot from RT video via YouTube video)
The third strike was at Syria. Today, Syria is allied with Russia, Iran, Hizbullah and Iraq. What will comprise the next round in the “to be, or not to be” war?
For all Netanyahu’s bluster about Israel standing stronger, and having beaten back “what he had called the ‘fake-news claim’ that without a deal with the Palestinians ‘Israel will be isolated, weakened and abandoned’ facing a ‘diplomatic tsunami,’” Netanyahu may have just discovered, in these last two weeks, that he confused facing down the weakened Palestinians with “victory” — only at the very moment of his apparent triumph, to find himself alone in a new, “New Middle East.”
Perhaps Pravda was right, and Netanyahu did appear close to panic, during his hurriedly arranged, and urgently called, Sochi summit.
[For more on this topic, see Consortiumnews.com’s “The Possible Education of Donald Trump.”]
Alastair Crooke is a former British diplomat who was a senior figure in British intelligence and in European Union diplomacy. He is the founder and director of the Conflicts Forum.
ISRAEL DEMANDS FROM PUTIN THE GOLAN HEIGHTS OF SYRIA.
Expert assessment of Academy of Geopolitics.
To us some important facts in the light of taken place the day before yesterday — on August 23, 2017 visit to Russia, to Sochi of the prime minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu and the head of the Israeli investigation “Mossad” Yosi Cohen, for a meeting with the President of Russia Vladimir Putin became known. (See http://kremlin .ru/events/president/news/55399 and a photo).
To a trip to Russia the head “Mossad” Y. Cohen with group of the colleagues, including the head of military investigation “Aman” Hertsi Halevy, visited Washington for a meeting with the American vis-a-vis. During these two visits Israelis appealed to the American and Russian interlocutors to prevent the program of expansion of forces of the Lebanese, Syrian and Iranian Shiites near the Golan heights. However, according to our data, both missions terminated in success. If Donald Trump’s administration clearly let know that after destruction of “The Islamic state” the USA will leave Syria (You watch please our analysis:
“Armenia and a new round of cold war between the USA and Russia” — https://ru .armeniasputnik.am/politics/20170804/8176643/sovremennye-vyzovy-i-problemy-mogut-pomoch-v-usilenii-pozicij-armenii.html and https://hayacq .com/19434—.html.
And the president of Russia agreed with arguments of the Prime minister of the Minister of Israel.
During a meeting with the Russian President V. Putinim, the head of the Israeli investigation “Mossad” Yosi Cohen reported that the most probable the scenario according to which Iran will send there to the region of the Golan heights the numerous formations of the Case of guards of Islamic revolution (“Pasdaran”) soon looks.
According to experts of our Academy of Geopolitics, Israel rolls up a hysterics as a result to occupy the rest Golan that there Iranians and “Hezbollah” didn’t come. Israel is afraid of crash of the strategy in Syria in the person of the geopolitical asset — IGIL. (See our analysis: “Libya between ambitions of the marshal Haftar and the emir of Qatar” — http://politobzor.net/show-137606-liviya-mezhdu-ambiciyami-marshala-haftara-i-emira-katara.html and https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=fX-w_BCfF3w ).
To a place it will be told that IGIL in Israel blow up nobody. Israel treats the wounded fighters of the same IGIL long ago – elimination in the territory.
In some European scientific centers experts ask a question, and why so?
One predominant forces try to hold the world supremacy, others in the person of Israel or Turkey, the people at the cost of hundreds thousands lives in other countries, the tranquillity pay, trying to weaken the nearby countries. We think that, unfortunately, the Russian President “is afraid” of insidiousness from Special. Services of Israel, and Russia will make concessions to requirements of Israel: in details about it we wrote here — “Putin doesn’t suit Mossad” — http://ruskline .ru/news_rl/2012/08/30/araik_sargsyan_putin_ne_ustraivaet_mossad/ and here: “Mossad” uses Pussy Riot against Putin — http://sem40.co.il/index.php? newsid=231108 or “DIRECTS ISRAEL to HIZB UT-TAHRIR ON the CRIMEA” – http://rusdozor.ru/2014/10/24/izrail-napravlyaet-xizb-ut-taxrir-na-krym/ and https://twitter.com/germanydiplo/status/525995251236761601
and here: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=n0BZxiS4brE .
That is remarkable: before flying away of the Israeli delegation from Sochi, the president of Russia Vladimir Putin presented to Binyamin Netaniyagu the rare printing Pentateuch edition of Moisey (Torah) with comments of Russia which are considered unsurpassed on depth and availability. The edition of the book is dated approximately the fifteenth century.
In the comments of Russia wrote that Jews will surely return on the homeland, but will be accused of “theft of others earth” — Palestine. Interestingly where they will return: to Donbass or to the Crimea, and can to Kurdistan or to Nagorno-Karabakh? Can and therefore wars in these parts don’t stop.
Israel is afraid of crash of the strategy in all Middle East and therefore looks for sponsors in the person of U.S. Presidents and Russia.
To be continued.
Arayik Sargsyan, the academician, the Honourable Consul of Macedonia in Armenia, the president of Academy of Geopolitics, the Representative of AMS in the countries Blessed. East.
http://www.nt.am/ru/news/243436/
http://rusdozor.ru/2017/08/25/izrail-trebuet-ot-putina-golanskie-vysoty-sirii/
https://hayacq.com/19434–.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX-w_BCfF3w
Remember Netanyahu’s grandstanding before the U.S. Congress a couple of years ago? He had the gall simply to invite himself to a bewildering, accusatory session of breast-beating and complaining about how “HIS COUNTRY” wasn’t receiving enough attention. Now his proxy war to topple Assad and splinter Syria has failed, largely thanks to the Russian air force. No wonder he’s panicking and interrupting president Putin’s holiday to voice his grievances.
– Netanjahu behaves like a spoiled child who Always got what he wanted and now he has to admit that his policies have failed.
– Netanjahu fears that the right wing Naftali Bennett will push Bibi aside and take over the israeli government.
If I could only be the one to tie the noose around netanyahu’s neck and pull the trap door switch to watch him hang and slowly asphyxiate until this nauseous scourge upon humanity was dead.
Cold comfort, I fear – the Republican Congress is now considering legislation to make BDS and holocaust denial criminal offenses, and Trump has indicated that if this legislation passes (it will, AIPAC has it in top priority and punching through) he will sign it into law.
EXCELLENT!
Reading the comments, most are highly critical of Zionism. They should be. It replaces the concept of a master race with a chosen people. Politicians and other powerful people in Europe and America are literally afraid of them, afraid to condemn their ethnocentricity when it tramples the rights of people around them. I would hope the many Jews would come to understand that it is in their interests to grant the Palestinians then same rights as the Jewish Israelis have and remove all the fences and Jewish only roads and roadblocks and on and on. There would no longer be disputed territory but land for everyone on the same terms. Segregations, de jure and de facto to end and the task to create a nation guided by our own First Amendment in our Bill of Rights..
Does Isaiah 13:14 have no relevance…?
after all,
even Gog & Magog “proselytes” to Talmudic Judaism are not
allowed to ‘Bear False Witness’ & Commit Identity Theft, Mass Murder &
Terrorism on a Global Scale, and operate a Global Jewish Crime Syndicate
for filthy lucre….indefinitely
“The Reasons for Netanyahu’s Panic” Panic, you kidding us, it was not panic, it is a man delivering a command from the King of the world, the family is about to make a major move against the world, do not interfere – like Russia under the Czar did during the Revolutionary War in “America.” Panic, the people who are the USA better panic, 20 trillions of debt to the Family, the King is about to send in his collector’s. Money or your hide and he doesn’t care which it is. These Politician’s in D.C., strutting around like roosters in the hen house, hey boy’s, the system doesn’t work for you anymore. All that is Israel, not on any map yet, the Israel that the King and his family intend to own, from sea to shining sea, over there, the force of Israel about to be unleashed against the Syrians, and anyone else in the way. Why should the King pay a bunch of Politician’s in THE UNITED STATES COMPANY 1871, formerly the United States of America 1776, to do what his people, in Israel, can do in a day or two? Any problems with the USC 1871, the lights go out, the banks close their doors and the stock market crashes. Get ready, the King is determined to see his kingdom fully before he dies.
The problem here is, according to the unsubstantiated comments, the Zionists using paedophilia as a honey trap have somehow gained control of the of the US government, or do I read this wrong? Throughout its modern history administration after administration has, to use a betting parlance, backed the wrong horse on occasions too numerous to mention and doing so has placed some of the most despotic characters to walk this earth in power, because America does not understand how a democracy works. After all it is a republic.
…you (certainly) read it right!
Israel is the size of a postage stamp – if they get wiped out – they get wiped out.
The commentary will be – “it’s not as if they weren’t asking for it – hey.”
Israel is concerned as to the numbers of Israeli’s leaving Israel – there is an exodus.
Fear is a great motivator.
I hope you salute as you read – Proudly Captain Dreadful Bibi Nertanyahu !
I would like to see the end result of His Excellency Proudly Captain Dreadful Bibi Netanyahu’s – bombs dropping on Iran escapade.
In fact I hope His Excellency Proudly Captain Dreadful Bibi Netanyahu dose drop bombs on Iran.
It is about time he put up or shut up.
And the suspense is killing me.
Come on man – what’s holding you back ?
Go For Broke Bibi Netanyahu !
It is rumored that there have been more than several assassination attempts on Netanyahu’s life –
If the rumors are true – it could be from the quarter that fears global destruction as a result of this simple minded man.
Very simple solution.
American state dept. informs Israel to withdraw to the 1967 borders or no more $38 billion.
Maybe with a million man/woman march…which is certainly in order!
Remember folks, “With Jews You Lose” !
The blood on Bibi’s hands staggers one’s imagination. I kings 20:11
Hmmm. When was Israel ever anything other than an “ethno-nationalist” state? Haven’t they always self-defined as a national homeland for the Jews? Wasn’t that the whole purpose of Zionism right from start? To establish a ‘Judenstaat’? I don’t think Nutty-yahoo personally dreamed all of that up by himself. As for Israel being a ‘liberal’ democracy, my general impression is it’s somewhat liberal for the Jews, but not liberal at all for the Palestinians.
You omitted to mention the Gentiles. Israel is a Jewish state for Jewish people. Admittedly about 4.2% are liberal.
A very good report from Wayne Madsen has the real guts of the US/Israel/UK ISIL connection.
https://player.fm/series/kpfa-guns-and-butter/guns-and-butter-june-7-2017
The intellectual tone of the comments here is excellent. Somehow, however, too many people think that Netanyahu is anything independent. He is a puppet. Israel is a chess piece on a chess board that has been played for thousands of years. All of us are part of that game. Perhaps this would be a good place to start : https://lipstick-and-war-crimes.org/spirit-behind-israel/ On same site do search for ‘Jewish’ and for ‘Israel.’ Lastly, exactly what good does it do, to be an arm chair pundit? What do we enable in our lifestyles and how are we warning our children? Here is an article on that: https://lipstick-and-war-crimes.org/transcript-david-icke-the-cloud-silicon-valley-facebook-google-nightmare/ The same people that invented Google and Facebook also invented Israel, and also handed Bill Gates an operating system. Bill Gates grandfather was Frederick Gates, an attorney who helped create Rockefeller Foundation. The father of Bill Gates, William Gates Sr. was a head of Planned Parenthood. The chess game is bigger than Netanyahu. It’s the civilization, friends. It is not enough to point fingers now. We must do something personal in our own lives. We must boycott something or else we enable anything. I too support Steele and McKinney and their Unrig tour : http://phibetaiota.net/2017/08/126958/
Um, no. Israel was “invented” a couple of hundred years ago by some fanatical Christians who dreamed of making the End Times a reality. I must admit they and their heirs have had a lot of success with their quest right on up to the present day.
Ray,….I just got around to reading your informative website. There is an overlay window that prevents viewers from completely reading parts which I’m sure you’re aware of and will eventually master. I know how annoying that can be as there are a lot of technicalities I need yet to address with my own website. Anyway, keep at it…it’s very relevant to our discussions here.
Parry, I hope you’re proud of your Comments section, especially of this type. I know you don’t believe in censorship, but it seems now your standards have completely vanished into your dogma.
In his haste to condemn Mr. Parry and all (excepting of course himself) who post here, “Larry” forgot to specify what he believes ought to have been censored.
To be brief:
Israel is rotting within and viewed increasingly around the world, including America, as a geopolitical liability, a rogue/pariah and a fascistic/racist butcher/oppressor.
Most importantly, more and more Jews, especially all important youth, are seeing Israel for the monster it is and are abandoning Zionism and Israel. Given that Israel was “founded” by foreign thieves, thugs, liars, murderers and poseurs, it should come as no surprise. The handwriting is on the wall. It’s only a matter of time before the “Zionist enterprise” in historic Palestine is relegated to history’s dustbin.
Be careful of projecting your wishes onto reality, as Mr. Crooke is doing here. Israel is not going anywhere, and pretty much controls US foreign policy in the ME. With billions of financial aid and free military equipment coming every year from the USA, and with AIPAC pretty much owning and operating Washington DC, Israel will most likely take over all of Palestine. I hate to say this as I really wish for a two state solution with an independent Palestine; but the fact of the matter is that Palestine is a broken, fragmented and pretty much defeated people. Even the other Arab nations have let Palestine down. Egypt won’t even open Rafah crossing, how lame is that? Egypt has been bribed with billions of US dollars in aid to be Israel’s puppet. Meanwhile the Israeli settlements continue apace, taking more and more land from Palestinians. This fact flies in the face of Crooke’s arguments here. More broadly speaking, the ongoing dismantling of ME countries which were formally Baath Party secular Arab nations, strong enough to stand up to Israel continues apace: Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, and now Syria have all been dismantled and weakened. Who can deny it? This is exactly, exactly what Israel has wanted for decades, and they got it. Anybody who thinks Israel is on the ropes like this author argues is delusional.
As is America and all its apologists. The only thing distracting the likes of Hezbollah, Iran etc is the total unrest in the surrounding states and as long as America can foment that instability then Israel remains safe. But if Egypt, Iraq, Iran and Syria believed that reducing the threat to their regimes could be bolstered by a two-state solution or the formation of a Palestinian state incorporating the Jews. You can be assured that is what will happen.
You don’t seem to understand the “wag the dog” reality of the situation.
Mostly your post is excellent, but your conclusion is shaky. Israel’s definition of being “on the ropes” is being denied its fifth serving of ice cream. Israel isn’t used to situations where it and the hasbara trolls can’t define whatever it just did as a glorious victory. Israel definitely hasn’t gotten its way in Syria. Hezbollah and Iran still exist. Getting only 95% of what it wants is defined as a “loss” in the little cesspool of a state.
God’s Favorite People demands better than that.
Well, the Zionists didn’t get regime change they wanted in Syria; but Syria has been torn to shreds, it’s cities in ruins so they are certainly quite happy about that. What a cruel, sickening country. There are even numerous YouTube videos showing wounded ISIS fighters being given free medical care in Israeli hospitals. How about that?
‘Putin-chev’s Cobra’ –
Unlike the daring Russian fighter pilot acrobatic maneuver but unusable as combat technique, Putin has just weaponized the most beautiful maneuver of operational Russian geostrategy ever exec*ted. If it wasn’t his checkmate – which it was – I will claim it. It belongs to history now.
‘Putin-chev’s Cobra’ was his Jewish Russian Oligarchs. Putin sent in his ‘sacrificial’ Russian Jewish Oligarchs to entrap and take out Israeli and US Jews/US Israel Lobby pushing America into WWIII with Russia (if necessary) in order to get the prime Israeli/Israeli Lobby strategic goal of W*r with Iran, which is existential to the Kahanist Apartheid. He succeeded.
‘Putin-chev’s Cobra’ was successful – WWIII was averted. Further, his Jewish Russian Oligarchs (the cobra) has stung the whole Israeli Lobby/Israel/’Jewish part of the Deep State’/Political Judaism itself that is stuck to Kushner and Netanyahu. He has eliminated the driving force behind American bellicosity towards Russia.
Incredibly, Israel and her Lobby have been selectively and surgically snakebit by Mueller;s investigation into their ties with Putin and his Oligarchs – and they’re going down because the American people will demand it
H*ll, it wasn’t even a sacrifice for Putin, he won the game, and his Oligarc buddies probably don’t even give a hoot.
The Plan:
This Grandmaster has successfully moved his pieces to trap and destroy the Israeli Lobby/Jewish Lobby in the US, by entrapping Jared and Trump in his Jewish Russian Oligarch honey-money sweetheart deals collusion traps, thereby opening up the windfall felony exposure of Mueller’s ‘crime family’ investigation of Jared, Trump, and Netanyahu in their Dec 20-23 2016 collusion with General Sisi of Egypt to subvert and overthrow the eventually successful passage of the existential to the Kahanist Apartheid UN Sec Co Resolution 2334.
Well, so there’s THAT – and then the embarrassment of all the other felonies such as the money laundering, campaign contributions(?!) and Trump’s collusion with Putin himself (Sater, Goldstone, etc) and his Oligarchs, and then Israeli Jews in the NY money laundering markets for Israelis and Russians. More felony counts than I’ve got fingers almost
Jews in Israel, Russia and the US looting and conspiring, kind of as transnationals. The Jewish part of the Deep State.
How:
Putin sends in his Jewish Russian Oligarchs in order to trap and expose both his own Russian Jews as well as other Israeli Jews and US Jews intent on WWIII with Russia if necessary in the pursuit of W*r with Iran, the Clean Break 2.0 Plan, when they themselves get busted. H*ll, it wasn’t even a sacrifice for Putin, he won the game.
Result:
WWIII averted – a miracle. Jewish power in the US and Israel is completely exposed and busted by the American people, as the American people went after Trump and Putin. Yep, Putin. Full Circle within his Zone
CHECKMATE Jewish Power in US and Israel. Putin avoids the WWIII coming his way by the Lobby intent on Iran. The greatest strategic checkmate of all time?
It’s one of the overarching strategic victories over the Israeli Lobby/Jewish Lobby in the US as well as Israel
‘Putin-chev’s Chutzpah’ – the Checkmate of Netanyahu and the Israel Lobby and their drive to WWIII
VOTE Tulsi and Lance 2020 Sat Yuga, the Successful 2nd American Revolution Party,The Obama Revolution’s Great Tsunami over Kahanist Power rolls on
Bluto, if Popeye hears about this – you are toast!
I cant say whether all of bluto’s conclusions are correct, but this actually sounds like a much more realistic account of how the sausage factory works.
It’s the age of building walls, which can be most effective. If Israelis and Palestinians cannot live together in peace as one nation, then build more walls to physically divide the two cultures and call the parts what you like.
Right, walls are the answer! My little house in the woods lacks a wall, and just merges into the forest around us. I need a wall to keep everything I am afraid of out – the whole world in fact. Then I should scrap all my electronic devices, because the others could use them to subtly tunnel into my refuge. Maybe I could camouflage my house, cover it with foliage or something. Maybe then I could have that separate peace I have always dreamed of…………but I could never be sure that my enemies were not penetrating my disguises and defenses………….
Wait till it snows or torrential rains fall, you won’t care about it much. Don’t sweat the place . You can make it to the supermarket before it closes and pick up some Ben & Jerrys if you leave right now. . Summertime and the Livin’ is easy.
I appreciate this piece by Alastair Crooke, but I think he slides too easily from a realistic appraisal of the disadvantageous position in which Israel finds itself thanks to its bad (in several senses of the word) decisions, to an exaggerated idea of Israeli vulnerability in the short to medium term.
To invert a phrase he uses above, the “futile attempt” at this point would be for any aspect of the Hizbullah-Lebanon-Syria-Iran side to try to retake the Shebaa Farms or Golan Heights by force. Such an attempt would be a military failure and political gift to Israel when it is back on its heels. Any statements by Nasrallah notwithstanding, I trust that he and his allies are too wise to try something like that.
President Putin’s comments prior to the upcoming BRIC’s summit in China next week are so reasonable and peace oriented as compared to the United States threats and demands.
http://thesaker.is/brics-towards-new-horizons-of-strategic-partnership/
I’m sure most of you have already heard about the US closing and searching Russia’s Trade Mission in addition to some embassies.
https://www.rt.com/news/401822-russia-us-mission-summoned/
“The world has gone mad today, good’s bad today…” — Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes”
How much provocation can one country endure?
Where can wisdom be found? May it be found, and prevail.
There will be payback for this, and most likely from a quite unexpected angle. Russia must be careful not to do more harm to itself than to the US. I can think of a number of very painful things they can do without hurting themselves hardly at all. And if a casual reader like myself can do that, I’d expect they can do much, much better.
The end is in sight. The genocidal entity currently styling itself “Israel” is doomed to be nothing but a blood-drenched footnote in the history books. Vive la Palestine !
Whenever I read stories like this I feel sad. It is because I sense a loss of our American sovereignty, our government is now operating for the benefit of a foreign state that the majority of Americans don’t understand is really happening. We have members on the House Foreign Affairs committee more dedicated to Israel’s sovereignty then to our own. Wolfawitz was Deputy Secretary of Defense for the U.S., and while serving in that post was honored as man of the year in Israel. These events point to me that within our government there are people of the jewish persuasion that think they are serving in Congress to guarantee Israel’s success while using American treasure and blood. As a 17 year old Marine in 1971, I thought I was fighting the Communist monolith determined to bury us. What do our Marines think they are fighting for today? Greater Israel. Wahabbism. Now we have legislation pending restricting American political speech that might be critical of Israel? As the kids like to say. WTF? I fought for my country and now I can’t express my political beliefs? Once more, WTF?
I think Israel is a scapegoat. The US has been at war since its inception, it has been consistent powerplayers in Middle East politics absorbing most of the resources in the world. George Bush, Dick Cheney white guys, who were Wolfowitz’s boss.
No, Israel is the sole reason that the MIC warmongers target the Mideast. We can buy oil from whomever has it like everyone else. Since the end of the USSR the warmongers have to find a new monster, and since 9/11 they found it most profitable to support “anti-terror” terrorism in the Mideast for zionist bribes.
Please find any US interest in the mideast that can’t be met peacefully. Those are zionist interests.
There is no way oil is not a key motivator, if not the key motivator of the past century. Recently, there has been a great deal of inroads in US production, but half of the worlds oil production still comes from Opec and Russia. That is a gigantic amount of money. Weapons, heroin, human trafficking, along with an assortment of other illicit trades are also tremendously profitable industries.
Israel is a big player in the game, but by no means are the power brokers in the US, Europe, the Arab sheikhs, sitting on the sidelines because of their delicate sensibilities and good Christian values. We are all just following orders from Tel Aviv, is nonsense.
Bullshit. Those goddamn Neocons were, and are, telling everyone else in Washington where to go and how to get there. Maybe not that prick,Cheney, who comes from Big Energy. But Chimpy McFlightsuit? He couldn’t tell anyone what they had for breakfast that morning.
The Dulles brothers, Kermit Roosevelt, Rockefellers, establishment WASPs – definitely not Jewish.
http://www.politico.eu/article/why-the-arabs-dont-want-us-in-syria-mideast-conflict-oil-intervention/
Israel kind of innocent.
US always guilty.
This adds up to HASBARA to me.
What’s most striking is Mr Crooke’s panicky tone. It’s overkill! He tries much too hard and much too frantically to prove that Israel is defeated, abandoned, alone. The claim that Natanyahu was in panic is neither made nor confirmed by any of the sources Mr Crooke quotes other than Pravda and he himself seems to doubt the accuracy of that claim. Arab News says that “the Iranian expansion concerns Israel, but there is no panic”. “Asking for the moon” is not a quote from that article. The Ha’aretz article highlights the latent hostility between Russia and Iran and the inherent incompatibility of their respective goals in Syria. The Pravda article is certainly hostile to Israel and extremely venomous in tone, which suggests that Israel is seen as Putin’s enemy. That’s a change from reports of earlier meetings in which Russia and Israel were presented as being very friendly. What it also reveals is that Putin is now hopelessly bogged down in Syria. The US can come and go as it pleases but Putin is condemned to prop up Assad until the end of time and against all comers! Mr Crooke’s article also reveals the increasingly, and increasingly open, hostility to Israel in the pro-Putin camp. They seem to see things as “Israel or Putin”. One or the other has to fall! I wouldn’t count on it being Putin and that will no doubt become even clearer as the midterm elections approach.
Dr. Pangloss had a song in the musical Candide including these verses:
“Once one dismisses
The rest of all possible worlds
One finds that this is
The Best of All Possible Worlds”
Ignoring all the evidence that Israel is a big loser in Syria – and knows it! – permits the conclusion that the little outhouse of a nation has won a glorious victory there and also that “Putin is condemned to prop up Assad until the end of time”.
Some headlines:
“Russia Responds to Netanyahu’s Ultimatum in Syria With a Warning to Israel”
“Netanyahu’s Dangerous Failure”
“Israel Threatens To Bomb Assad’s Presidential Palace “
“IIran/Hizballah noose tightens around Israel”
All that’s really necessary is to chant a protective charm which ought to include the words “Putin”, “evil”, Ukraine, and “Israel is always victorious”.
The Russians are neither “bogged down” nor “hopeless” in Syria. Air defense systems, a mobile and advanced Air Force, and a recovering Syrian government are manifestations of smart, proactive policies and stratagems Their bank isn’t busted and their means aren’t overstretched. It’s a good line for them to stand firm with…and they will easily do so. What Russia seems “condemned” to do is defend itself from aggressive warmongers and the use of terrorist proxies to destabilize their backyard. Syria represents a line in the sand
Don’t even try to associate siding with Putin’s view of internationalism as some sort of impetus to see Israeli foreign policy in a bad light. You are just trying to polarize a situation in a black-and-white frame of reference. Criticism of Israel stands on its own for longstanding reasons, and in its basics, is not “increasing”. It is what it has always been, a defense of human rights and decency.
Invading racist thieving JewNazis in Palestine will burn under Islamic Nukes, and sadly take the rest of the world with them, with the Samson Option, triggering a global nuclear war.
Thank you Consortium News for posting this article by Alastair Crooke on the geo-political shift that has taken place since the western, which includes Israeli, force of arms has been beaten to a standstill in the Middle East. While the west won the opening battles it now appears the tide has shifted with the recognition that in the background looms the coming of a new multi polar world that stands for economic cooperation rather than the old colonialism with all of its divide and conquer and oppression of the locals. Israel need not panic if she can accept the coming new order and reverse her course. If not the future of Israel will be tied to that of declining western system that should have ended after the second world war with the divestment of colonies that took place then. It seems western capitalists, standing undamaged after that war in America thought they might create a new economically based empire (rather than the older military occupational model) that is lingering today. While this western empire is far from a spent force, economically and militarily, the writing is on the wall and appears most strongly in this new Middle East that is emerging. How long this will take with the subterfuge and meddling the west is capable of is anyone’s guess but coming it is.
The truth about US support for the FSA terrorists in Syria – Now playing on DTube – Intentional Lies and Taking Lives – U. S. State Department Greatest Hits on Syria (Highly Graphic – N.S.F.W.)
https://dtube.video/#!/v/clarityofsignal/mzaqrtv3
This highly revealing video features numerous heightened tension moments during U.S. State Department briefings where reporters exposed the U.S. State Department spokesperson’s hypocrisy and misdirection related to events in Syria. These reporter questions relate to horrific events in Syria, including the beheading of 12 year old Abdullah Issa by US backed terrorist group Nour Al-Zinki, the chemical weapons attack that took place in Kherson, Syria on April 4, 2017 and the bombing of the UN convoy in September 2016, as well as parallels between events taking place in Yemen in comparison to Aleppo in December 2016. This video exposes the fact that the FSA and White Helmets are aligned directly with al-Nusra Front (al-Qaeda in Syria) terrorist groups and have consistently received US and western support for their actions. Photos at the link reveal that the White Helmets are, in actuality, terrorists and not the humanitarian rescuers the mainstream media portrays them to be. The terrorist photos contrasted with the State Department statements put forth in the videos reveal that the US government and media have been intentionally lying and covering up the truth about terrorist related events in Syria all along.
Additional links proving the White Helmets are terrorists –
Massive White Helmets Photo Cache Proves Hollywood Gave Oscar to Terrorist Group – clarityofsignal.com/2017/02/27/massive-white-helmets-photo-cache-proves-hollywood-gave-oscar-to-terrorist-group
Direct Terrorist Collusion: Over One Dozen Videos Capture White Helmets Working Side-By-Side With Terrorist Groups in Syria –
clarityofsignal.com/2017/05/08/direct-jihadist-collusion-over-one-dozen-videos-capture-white-helmets-working-side-by-side-with-terrorist-groups
Tapestry of Terror – White Helmets Exposed As FSA Terrorists Linked With ISIS (Highly Graphic – N.S.F.W.) – steemit.com/video/@clarityofsignal/now-playing-on-dtube-tapestry-of-terror-white-helmets-exposed-as-fsa-terrorists-linked-with-isis-highly-graphic-n-s-f-w
Intertwined – The White Helmets and FSA Terrorist Groups – Evidence of Collusion -Part 1 -steemit.com/news/@clarityofsignal/intertwined-the-white-helmets-and-fsa-terrorist-groups-evidence-of-collusion-part-1
Numerous US Government Officials Caught On Camera Meeting With White Helmets and FSA Terrorists -clarityofsignal.com/2017/07/18/numerous-us-government-officials-caught-on-camera-meeting-with-white-helmets-and-fsa-terrorists
“Now You See Me” – Over 100 White Helmet Self-Posted Facebook Images Expose Fake Humanitarian Group as FSA Terrorists Linked with Al-Qaeda – clarityofsignal.com/2017/05/01/now-you-see-me-over-100-white-helmet-self-posted-facebook-images-expose-fake-humanitarian-group-as-fsa-terrorists-in-bed-with-al-qaeda
White Helmets Exposed: Numerous Videos and Photo Evidence Directly Link White Helmets to FSA Terrorists Torture and Atrocities –
clarityofsignal.com/2017/01/30/white-helmets-exposed-numerous-videos-and-photo-evidence-link-white-helmets-to-fsa-terrorists-torture-and-atrocities
Video composed by Clarity of Signal utilizing official State Department briefing moments combined with Free Syrian Army (FSA) cached screen images proving the US supported FSA is comprised of murderous terrorist groups who conduct atrocities in Syria.
A very interesting article, just to add an important point re Wahabism.
From Russian standpoint Wahabism is the definition of “militant” or “aggressive” islamism. In the Northen Cacusses Wahabi sponsored persons and enties were the driving force of 90s conflict in Chechnia that nearly spilled over into Daghestan. The solution was to drive out or kill all the Wahabi preachers and closure of the financial channels from the Middle East.
Word “Wahabite” contiues to be a synonim of “terrorist” in Russia.
So I think the main reason for Russia to provide support to Syria is not because Asad is some sort of long term “client” of Russian establishment but rather that Syria became the next target of Wahabism via its new “ISIS” spun-off and any success of the latter in the ME would quicky get extended into the FSU.
Putin was blunt about that – “we’d rather kill them there than wait till they come here” stuff.
And he sent ethnic Chechen national guard servicemen to oversee transition in Aleppo as non Wahabi yet Sunni muslims who would be able to build trust with the locals and prevent sunni-shia clashes. Which they achieved it looks.
To cut the long story short I cannot understand how in Europe everyone turns a blind eye on continued proliferation of Wahabi militous ideology via sponsord preachers, mosques etc.
FT publushed an article on the issue a couple years ago and that was all.
I think the Russian perspective that you bring up with the Gulf-sponsored terrorist link between northern Caucasus and Syria has been overlooked in Western media, although crucial. There seems to be more attention the last years in Sweden at least to radicalisation and recruitment of terrorists to the Middle East. One may guess that the sponsors of radicalisation has been and is a sensitive issue.
I completely agree, the Sunni Muslims of my father’s generation, absolutely hated the fanatical Wahhabi Saudi’s.
However, the nurturing of Wahhabism by the West is no accident, it was a deliberate policy of our oil barons to appease the Saudis.
Excellent point, Alex…I don’t either.
Netanyahu is a war criminal and a thief in my opinion,
All Israelites are syrians the Jewish people of what they’re calling Israel are actually syrians the likes of Netanyahu are polish immigrants pour that converted to Judaism those people are not syrians in my opinion they need to pay back rent for 60 years or become slaves to the homeowners they stole their home.
http://www.amidyousef.com
Great comments on a great article here. We are seeing a major change in power relations in this era due to the confused and consistently contradictory policies coming out of Washington and that was before Trump’s election. Now the chaos has intensified and new forces are emerging that is changing the nature of the Deep State. The Israelis depend on a strong centralized State in Washington and that’s why they are in a state of panic. They can bribe and threaten all they want but while the State and its propaganda organs can give 100% support to Israel it no longer means much due to those underneath the chaos that now seems to be the new normal in Washington. At the moment Washington may still rule the world economy through the new condominium of finance oligarchs who are, in the main, uninterested in war or geopolitics and are seeking stability and a move away from the American Empire and toward a multi-polar world where politics is subordinate to economics. China’s path seems to consist of rational politics in the service of economic growth and prosperity and are in high contrast to US’ highly irrational policies. Eventually European leaders are going to have to pull away from Washington even though the CIA and its contractors still control the leadership class in Europem–once that happens we may see a Berlin Wall moment in Europe, at least in Western Europe assuming China continues to quietly expand its influence and Russia continues to continue its restrained policies. This is why Bibi went to Sochi and not Washington.
Good riddance to the criminal zionist entity and its degenerate proxy ISIS = Israeli Special Intelligence Service , NOT that intelligent EH!
I always respect the judgement of this commentator. Once Israel (and its allies/and/or satellite patrons) allied with the Wahhabi raghead element, they lost any pretence of legitimacy and descended by reflection into barbarism. Their resulting defeat is a necessity for civilization to be restored in the western areas dominated by Israeli influence.
The celebration of dumb and worshiping with bent knees and head butting Mother Earth in praise of ignorance by many above is astounding given that most post scripts by readers of Consortium News figure far above zero on a number line. For those that don’t read modern Hebrew, a street version, of one of many Fertile Crescent languages mouthed long ago and recorded, there is Ora Cummings translation in American English, of Ben Caspit–a senior columnist for an Israeli daily newspaper, “Ma’ariv”, where he has lined out for years his informed opinion on Israel and its relationship with neighboring countries– book in English, “The Netanyahu Years” published two months ago as a “Thomas Dunne book”, by St. Martin’s Press. For the “devil in the detail”, for those who have not, consider reading Barton Gellman (like Mollie in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”, Gellman won a “Pulitzer Prize” in 2008), “Angler The Cheney Vice Presidency” as a case study in what several U.S. Presidents and their vices–seek, worth reading both books.
Douglas, I can’t guess which comments you refer to as being “in praise of ignorance.” Nor why you can’t state “what several U.S. Presidents and their vices–seek” so not sure anyone will seek the citations just to find out.
106 in San Francisco yesterday. Maybe hotter today. Is that covered in those books. I don’t care about Netanyahu , he’s all bad. I wish he would go away , far away , forever. . Thought he was gone the first time they got rid of him. . It’s a good thing all those right wing Russians immigrated to Israel and changed the vote from a Labor Majority to a Right Wing/ Settler Coalition. Better still , I suppose that Rabin was assassinated. That was great for everybody and it’s sure is paying major dividends in the region. Meanwhile , I better drink some water I don’t want to get dehydrated. Peace. Or Shalom as the case may be. Do the dumb and worshipping voters in Israel matter as well on the zero dumb line?
I have long been a fan of Consortium News, because of the depth and rationality of its discussion, particularly regarding foreign policy. When a discussion segues into graphic and salacious sex crimes of a religious group, emotion gets in the way of proper assessment of the connection between alleged (possibly true) incidents of wrongdoing and the culpability of the group or institution as a whole. This is especially true when deep-rooted prejudices against the larger group are awakened. I think that Consortium News would do well to stay away from linkages to salacious material because of the possibly unfair impact on judgements of the larger group. There is an honorable place for exposure of evil and for bringing perpetrators to justice in the legal system. But there is also a not-so-honorable exploitation of individual cases of wrongdoing for reinforcing prejudicial attitudes against the larger group, for example by constant repetition or emotion-arousing imagery. Evaluating the good works of a group or institution, as compared some bad acts of some members, is a huge undertaking.
Consortium News is at its best when it calls attention to alleged “truths” perpetrated by the mass media, where evidence is suppressed in the preservation of a certain group-think. It should be wary of being sidetracked from this mission by engaging in discussions that find their basis in salacious claims that, true or not, distract from the preoccupation with truth and evidence and fuel prejudice.
Good point, Randal!
So we’re supposed to be coldly analytical about it? From what I could see on a search, this is a problem connected with the “Orthodox” faction.
Could you kindly tell me about the “good works” associated with this breed? They are reported to spit on Christians in Israel. To casually steal and murder in that nation. Engage in nasty discrimination against women.
What do they have going for them which counterbalances their known negatives?
Zachary,…I think Randal’s point was that some of the reactions didn’t make that distinction and could thus serve the agenda of CN’s critics. I. myself, forwarded the link to my wife who was reared a Catholic and accustomed to the scandals that plagued the church. As far as the Hasidic sects are concerned I once worked in N.Y.C. and commuted by bus from N.J.. I was young at the time and didn’t know a Hasidic from an Amish as they both wore the long black garb with the hats and long beards. One day an elderly appearing Hasidic man was boarding the bus with a huge trunk…I had grabbed the trunk in a gesture to hand it up to him and he immediately shouted”don’t touch that!”…no please, no apology. It was probably loaded with jewelry as I later learned that most of them worked in New York’s “diamond district.” When I related this incident to a Jewish neighbor he said they were “a happy people” that liked to sing and dance a lot”, yet I never witnessed any common courtesy.
BobH, you have got that exactly right.
As for Hasidism, my knowledge, such as it is came from Martin Buber and his references to the Baal Shem Tov (if I’ve got the spelling right). From what I’ve heard its turned into something very different from its laudable (to my mind) beginnings. Someone may know what happened to it down through the centuries, but in this forum it would be a distraction to pursue the matter. Once again, I refer to BobH and thank him.
I wonder if I’d have been “moderated” if I’d done a “Great Post”, Randal?
Russia is playing a longer game in Syria than I thought, obviously longer than Israel and the US thought as well. At times it seemed as if they were pandering to their western partners but as the Syrian Arab Army retakes every inch of the country it’s clear they are master chess players. Israel is out. Notice they haven’t *knock on wood* bombed anyone in Syria recently? Russia has finally got their S-400 on lock. I really believe that everything happening in the US and between US-Russia is due to Russia destroying their plans for Syria.
Assad’s Daddy was not abandoned by the USSR back in a ’67. The Alawite people are playing a long game, it’s called survival. Assyrians have been there a long time. Millennia. They will not commit collective suicide and they will fight to the Death, like the Kurds and like the Shia . The majority Sunnis will never defeat any of them. and Jewish money can only buy the most corrupt of then (President Barzani and his ilk). Russians will also fight to the death as the Nazis and Napoleon found out. Why would Russia behave differently?
LJ, I positively agree with your comments. The NeoCons sure know how to pick (dumb) fights. First, it was “get the Iranians” (in antiquity, Persian’s- known to be the originators of human crucifixion) then a fight with Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, a descendant of the House of Steppenwolf, with a historical bloodline that can be traced to the Ottoman dynasty and the imperial House of Osman. Can such a set of gene’s fashon a man who can be easily decieved or outright tricked?- not likely.. and now Assad, leader of an army of biblical reputation, as fierce fighters and unforgiving! The young up-starts of the first world must learn thier place in world history, and frankly speaking, they’re about to graduate- from primary school.
The US policy in Syria was rather confused – supporting “rebels” who were closely allied with Islamist extremists, and many of the US weapons for the “moderate rebels” ended up with terrorists, it is not clear whether the US goal was just to prolong the war or whether it really wanted a victory of Al Nusra/Al Kaida and ISIS/Daesh.
The Israeli actions were much more limited. They made some attacks, mainly in order to hamper the delivery of weapons to Hezbollah, and they supported some rebels in close vicinity to the Golan Heights – compared to the scale of the whole war, these were rather small actions.
I don’t think that the current developments in Syria are that unequivocally bad from an Israeli point of view. Israel seems to have preferred Sunni extremists to Shia armed groups related to Iran, but – even though Israel probably has some secret spies among the Islamists and there are ways to influence them via Saudi Arabia and other Sunni states with which Israel unofficially seems to have relatively good relations – Al Nusra and ISIS/Daesh still are a certain risk, and their victory probably would not have been seen as something clearly good from an Israeli point of view. A war that goes on for many years may have been good from an Israeli point of view – of course, it is terrible from a humanitarian point of view, but at least, then, there would not be a strong country that could be a potential threat in the North. A Syria in which Russia has a strong influence is not that bad from an Israeli point of view because Israel and Russia have relatively good relations, and there certainly is no such level of distrust as there is towards Iran. A Syria in which both Russia and Iran are influential is already somewhat worse – then, Israel tries to use its relations with Russia in the hope that it will work towards a diminishing Iranian influence. At the moment, it is not realistic that Iranian troops and other foreign Shia troops in Syria will leave Syria, but when the victory against ISIS/Daesh and other Islamist armed groups is complete, this possibility would already not be so far-fetched. Of course, the Syrian government will not let Israel dictate which troops may be in Syria, but if there is no military threat any more, it may well prefer not to have too many foreign troops in the country, and Russian troops may be seen as less problematic than Iranian troops for different reasons. If the Israeli government is reasonable, it understands that Iranian troops certainly will not leave Syria now, and its demands are only meant to support a reduction of Iranian troops after the end of the war.
In normal English Usage “some” is a number larger than “a few” but much less than “many”. Since the Israelis have bragged about making over 100 attacks, I believe “many” would be a better word.
Most Israeli activities are going to be “under the table”.
(Thursday, 31 August 2017)
I’d predict that ISIS and the other crazy factions are riddled with Israeli agents. They’d be competent, fluent, and probably never short of cash. I’d say Mossad plays the same role with the “rebels” in Syria as the FBI does with the mentally ill folks in the US – leads them around by the nose for Holy Israel.
Syria has to rebuild, but also continue to defend against the agitations of the US and Israel and Saudi Arabia. Since it gave away its chemical weapons, and nukes are no longer practical, it will likely depend upon Iran to help build a retaliatory force comparable to what Hezbollah has assembled in Lebanon. The “underground factories” Israel has been hyperventilating about are very probably going to start happening. Just because Israel lost this round doesn’t mean it has abandoned the desire to seize the best watered parts of Syria. Land Grabs are what the little shithole of a state does best.
The accuracy of Iran’s missiles keeps improving, and one of these years they’re going to get into the tack-driving capability which the Bigger Powers currently have.
Israel has struck Syria scores of time over the last several years apart from Hezbollah. . Subservient Western Media sources have completely whitewashed Israeli aggression in Syria, Israel has evacuated and treated wounded Daesh terrorists and resupplied them at every possible turn. Don’t whitewash it, Israel was all in. Who was behind the sarin gas attacks outside Damascus , Turkey, Israel or KSA? I surmise that, given access of Daesh propaganda tapes to Western media, and that these tapes were immediately broadcast in an unquestioned and unqualified manner on American television on CNN, FOX News, etc. for instance and the NY Times printing complete bullshit regarding rocket vector analysis and other crap none of which was backed up by the UN Investigation indicates to me that Israel was behind the Black Flag operation and you may recall that Bibi was the head Cheerleader for Obama to launch an attack immediately if not sooner. One more thing!!!!!, in the early stages of this Regime Change attempt Israel launched a massive rocket attack on Damascus that killed scores of people, including no doubt Russian nationals. You may recall at that time that John Kerry made an emergency call on Moscow, the next day in fact, and that Putin left him on an outside tour of the Kremlin for 6 hours before seeing him. No Israel is at fault here and if this writer got one thing right it’s that Israel picked the wrong side. Russia doesn’t like it’s people being murdered any more than Israel does. Bibi has squat with Putin . There is no statute of limitations on murder anywhere. .
The Netanyahus have other problems too. They have made enemies and there are investigations (and public protests) of their personal corruption: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/he-was-once-netanyahus-housekeeper-now-hes-on-a-mission-to-bring-him-down/2017/08/30/39ba6060-8bf9-11e7-9c53-6a169beb0953_story.html?tid=ss_fb-amp&utm_term=.06f4e405b1cb
The Likud party may have lost, but on a human level the Jews won big. If the Syrian war escalated into a war with Russia this could have easily led to a third world war an a second Jewish holocaust. If cool heads prevail, the world may dodge a nuclear bullet. This is victory disguised as a defeat.
Agree. The ziocon lunatics have been endangering the Jews worldwide.
OK. Thanks.
So, maybe Anna meant “payback,” not “payoff.”
Good news!!!!
God may not exist but Putin does – and right now that is good enough.
“Netanyahu believes [Iran] is determined to destroy Israel”.
Wow! `
Where CAN he have gotten this crazy batshit conspiracy theory?
Iran has for many years denied Israel’s right to exist, preached the “liberation of ALL Palestine” and supplied weapons and funds to Hamas.
If those manifest and repeated acts are not sufficient to make Israel apprehensive, then words have no meaning and we can all stop talking and writing right now, because it´s just noise.
oh well, at least Israel has nukes – wait… I guess we don’t really know.
http://www.ibtimes.com/israel-should-declare-nuclear-weapons-sign-non-proliferation-treaty-un-1732435
And their Samson option will bring everyone down with the temple. Cold comfort to the world.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samson_Option
You might want to thumb through “The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine” by Ilan Pappe. That will give you a good idea why Israel should really be apprehensive. Many are growing tired of the chosen few, and there are a lot of people who haven’t forgotten about the USS Liberty.
Iran may be preached but Israel was on a killing spree, both in its occupied territories and in the neighboring countries (by proxy) by using the Lobby to relentlessly pushing the US towards “humanitarian” interventions in Libya and Syria. Some 2 million civilian deaths; a lot of the murdered were babies and children. The data are not noise. Whereas Bibi’s grumblings are.
Your powerful Israel-firsters in the US and UK are war criminals guilty of wars of aggression in the Middle East. The sooner the US gets rid of ziocons, the better for the humanity at large.
This Alastair Crooke article hints at monumental geopolitical shift(s) not specifically mentioned but certainly are running in the background. As always, it’s about gas/oil, distribution pipelines and the known recoverable reserves throughout the world today. Not to stray too far off the articles point but should an American military option be used in Venezuela (U.S seizure of oil reserves equivalent to what Saudi Arabia possessed back in the 1950’s) , it would quickly be responded to by Putin, delivering additional batteries of S-300 and possibly S-400’s to Assad’s Air Force. The Iranians and Russians will do everything in their power to prevent the GCC (House of Saud) and British -American petroleum companies to dominate the oil distribution markets destined for the EU. They are committed to a, long in the works; Iran, Iraq and Syria pipeline deal (singed in 2010) that will bring a 3,480-mile natural gas pipeline connecting from Iran’s South Pars field to the EU via a northern Syrian port. Bibi’s order to bomb Assad’s Palace would provide, just the excuse required, to completely turn loose Libyan and IS fighters in possession of shoulder fired Stinger’s and S-200’s. They can be launched from any number of boats, barges and or islands along commercial air spaces and consequently, against Israeli commercial jets traversing the Mediterranean sea. Israel’s Likud-nick Party had better start the carrot instead of stick strategies, with a lot of skilled diplomacy….and in haste!!
Venezuela has a history of being pro-Palestenian, so it’s likely that U.S. foreign policy for that country will be written by the Israeli lobby. I remember reading a Venezuelan op-ed piece some years ago about an opposition presidential candidate going to Israel and being offered election influence in exchange for support of Israel.
Katherine: During the period of electioneering, it’s not at all uncommon in such circles, to seek out the favors and influence of prospective candidates aspiring to win any high office. This is a universal practice, it only becomes illegitimate when back room agreements are not in the best interests of the voting public, this is applicable to those countries seeking corporate and or governmental contracts (from some other country) intended for future commerce BUT through lawful negotiations. I was so surprised about that Russo-phobic flap, regarding Trump’s possible connection with Putin’s various business enterprises. I mean, so what? this politicking has echoed throughout the centuries, with many a deal between friends and enemies. I can only hope that Venezuelans will continue to provide oil for our refineries, paid with USD’s and at the same time, be permitted to trade the remainder of it’s oil resources or other commodities for that matter, in Euro’s and or other currencies. Our seizure of Venezuelan fields would only precipitate even more animus and ill will. I hope Trump invests his time and efforts into making a lasting energy-treaty with Maduro and Julio Borges. Our POTUS would be wise to ring up the Pope and ask for help in securing such a civilized deal..
I wonder why Gypsies didn’t get land in like Romania or somewhere post WW2? Where’s the Balfour for them?
Because the Europeans treat their dogs, better than they treat the gypsys.
Pravda is not a respected news source. It was proudly “fake news” before such a thing became the flavor of the day. If Bibi is panicking it’s because they got the goods on him and he’s done if their Justice system allows charfges to b=e brought. so ne’s playing to his base and making big promises but Israel isn’t putting any more skin into the fight than China is with India. Posturing. Putin is the dad. So what is the point of this fake news by Crooke. I take exception with his ridiculous, that’s RIDICULOUS, broad brushing equating Bibi’s Zionist fantasy with Americans wish to place Mexicans and Blacks in a similar position as Isreal treats the Palestinians. Why then Is Ryan telling Trump to not mess with the Dreamers Act. Why aren’t they Republicans moving on legal immigration or Trump’s Wall. Because it’s a non-starter. They are here to stay as is NAFTA. AS for here to stay, Why is it that no one ever points out that the Slave Trade moved from external trade to internal trade in the 1840’s. Why does this matter? Well if you are a descendant of Slaves your ancestors have been here longer than the Irish, longer than the Eastern Europeans, longer than the Chinese who built the railroads, longer than 95% percent of Jews and longer than the Chinese that are coming here now, And they aren’t leaving either and nobody is getting forced out. , This kind of stupid thinking is maybe natural for Zionists and works in trems of advancing Israels interests in the Congress and Senate because they can buy politicians, Yeah THEY can and do. However he Government of the United States is not going there . F Bibi his day is over, if that pig Abbas would die maybe then Bibi could disappear and maybe Trump will also, but not soon enough.
From that I deduce you don’t like the essay. After examining the rest of your post I’m quite uncertain about the “why” of it.
He qualifies what he is saying himself. It’s like the 9/11 Commission report beginning with a disclaimer. He says this situation may have occurred . He’s equivocal about the whole affair so why report or speculate on it? That’s what fake news is . It’s like Feinstein threatening Trump if he removes Mueller with no information that he actually was trying to do so then covering her diatribe Right? And the source of this speculation is Pravda? Right? Bibi interrupts Putin’s vacation to throw a hissy fit and threatens to bomb Damascus? Without US back-up? Israel’s Cabinet would go along with this let alone the military? No I don’t like the article and claiming that some Americans with access to power want to turn America into an Apartheid state like Israel as well? That is more than broad brushing, that’s’ overreaching . No I don’t like this article and I wonder who actually wrote it. Seems like an intelligence piece , from a committee of writers not a single author, like a Crichton novel.
Whatever…you are the FAKE haha
Most of the problems in the Middle East are caused by oil companies operating through crony politicians or rogue intelligent agents, aka spies. However, bad one sees Israel, they are just one more player in the game struggling for survival, who have been on the receiving end of all the racism, intrigue and betrayals for time immemorial.
Sure; we have to give the farm to those zionists, or we’re all anti-semites, rights? Fooled us all.
You are implying that America is a victem.
While I agree that the American people also have to spill their blood for our MIC, the MIC is predominately the US oligarchs.
“…the MIC is predominately the US oligarchs.”
You overlooked the financial class — the “great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money.” Along with the MIC and “squid,” it would be proper to include the mega corporations (oilmen come to mind) to the US oligarchy. We live in the Empire of FedReserve.
I agree, no question about the vampire squid.
It is ironic that the Zionist state is based on the same ideas as the National Socialists of Germany: “blood and soil”, ethnic cleansing, concentration camps of “undesirables”, attacking the people around them, and, worst of all, the philosophy that there is no morality in the world of space, time, energy, and matter, which he believed (an Enlightenment idea) to be the whole of existence.
But the Zionists should have realized where this political philosophy led the Germans. Hitler died kicking and screaming as his people suffered tremendously and his country was torn in half. He had it all reasoned out, or so he thought. Fact is, if you do not treat other people nicely, then other people won’t like you. Germany could have solved their problems peacefully, but they chose not to. It is not too late for the people of Israel to learn this lesson of history. War always seems like a good idea if you assume beforehand that you will win.
Good perspective Stan. I would like to add, that the U.S. should pay attention to a few other once empires now blown to the wind, and the results of their experience at failing. That is if that doesn’t interfere with the ‘too Exceptional’ who dwell among our great nation. Good insight Stan, reverse roles with same outcomes. Joe
“It is not too late for the people of Israel to learn this lesson of history. ”
I think it is probably too late.
No one would believe it for an instant if Israel suddenly started to “make nice.”
Just more manipulation.
Please delete last comment by Stan. Hitting enter key accidentally submitted. Is incomplete.
The “edit” feature no longer shows after a post – accidental or otherwise. You have to call it up with the “refresh” button by the address window, or by hitting the F5 key. That gives you a 5-minute window to alter or even delete the post you just made.
It is ironic that the zionist state is based on the same ideas as the National Socialists of Germany: “blood and soil”, ethnic cleansing, concentration camps of “undesirables”, attacking the people around them, and, worst of all, the philosophy that there is no morality in the world of space, time, matter, and energy. Hitler expressed this idea in Mein Kampf:
Zionism and Nazism came from the same country and from the same ideological pool of romanticized delusions.
Okay, if I were a betting man, I would place my money on Israel getting the U.S. to go along with an Israeli plan to do something stupid. What stupid thing is that? Well picture Syria fighting Israel over the Golan with Iranian help, or said to be aided with Iranian help, and all hell breaks loose. Then Israel declares war on Iran. I will delay my celebration, and make no mistake about my delay being against Syria’s win, but my delay is due to Israel’s history of it being an unsavory nation, with loads of unsavory ambitions. I guess all that the Yinon Plan did, was unite the Arab population against the wishes of Israel and the United States. When will the U.S. realize that everything in life isn’t a nail?
Agree. The Israel-occupied territory of the US Senate will dance and jump on Israel’s orders. In the absence of restraints, the Israel-firsters and the state of Israel have formed a terrorist entity that is able to commit any kind of atrocities.
You mean the congress who couldn’t sit still giving their leader Bibi Netanyahu 29 standing ovations. Yes, the same congress who cried out to their president while delivering his healthcare speech yelled out, ‘you lie’. Why Americans fear Russia may gain control of American democracy I don’t know, because first Russia would need to take that honor away from the Israeli’s. Damn Harry Truman, for not listening to George Marshall.
Joe, I wouldn’t take the opposing bet. Unfortunately, I think this is likely the course of current events.
P.S. See my comment on “Galveston Bio-Lab Declared Safe”. I provided a link you were seeking.
Thanks for the link to Cynthia.
Also enjoy reading your comments here. Joe
In the Alice in Wonderland world of the middle east that the Saker described as like a kindergarten on LSD, predictions of where the insane games of musical chairs will end up are essentially guesswork. The underlying intoxicant in this case is actually power, and the participants are each and all fatally addicted to it. It would be so satisfying if we could rationally analyze this game in order to achieve some desired outcomes in the direction of orderly relationships and peaceful outcomes, but alas – as long as the players display the behavior of power addicts, this will not be possible. To imagine that rational moves will somehow cause the chess pieces scattered around from so many tables being kicked over to magically resume their proper positions on the world’s game board, is to indulge in dangerous delusions. In order for stability to come into being, the underlying cause of the craziness must be dealt with and corrected.
The key to restoring sanity was caught in this simple formulation by Jimi Hendrix – “When the love of power is overcome by the power of Love, then we will have peace.”
If you don’t believe this is both true and possible, then you are consigning us to the madness that is leading us to our extinction.
One of the underlying causes of the coming collapse of industrial civilization is the complexity trap. The problems that arise at increasing levels of complexity overwhelm our ability to deal with them. The only solution to many of these potentially fatal problems lies in the direction of moving to greater simplicity. But since the participants in a culture whose increasing complexities have given rise to increasing power and possibilities, become intoxicated and addicted to this wonderland, any move towards simpler ways of doing things becomes a heresy to be avoided, So we become caught in a monkey trap, unwilling to withdraw our hand from the banana we are so tightly grasping.
Truth is simple; deceit and obfuscation is complex. The best gauge of a society is truth: its prevalence and how it’s treated. Tyranny is the sworn enemy of the truth.
“Indifference to evil is the gravest danger we face”
Exercising rational moves in the attempt to secure favorable outcomes IS the karma yoga, Mike, to exercise the moral muscles, and so the moves must be made, leaving the final outcome to the Gods of Karma and Grace. We don’t know if it will be thumbs-up or thumbs-down on us and our efforts to right what is wrong.
mike k-
You have a great way of getting to the root of the problem. Good comment!
This is an especially dangerous time for the Palestinians, for a cornered Netanyahu (and Israel) is going to be temped to do something drastic. Something may be about to happen to give the thieving and murderous little pesthole of a nation an excuse to start the final clearing out of the Palestinians and the second-class Muslim Israeli citizens of Israel. Something to justify the final Death March.
Look at what the criminal pig said recently about the West Bank:
This has always been the truth of the situation over there, it’s just that it is being openly admitted.
h**p://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/08/netanyahu-vows-to-maintain-west-bank-settlements-forever.html
An Israeli attack on Syria isn’t going to be a simple matter for the little cesspool nation. Both Syria and Russia have got their defensive ducks in a row. In the first place, the Russians will be watching. Literally, watching.
“Russian-Syrian airborne radar covers all of Israel”
IF this is true (the site is notorious for exaggerations and direct lies) any attack will be tracked from the moment the attack force leaves the ground. A person would suspect that Allied forces like Hezbollah would get a quick ‘heads up’ phone call to alert them to prepare.
h**p://www.debka.com/article/26202/Russian-Syrian-airborne-radar-covers-all-of-Israel
Hezbollah is bound to be stronger than in 2006. The heavy manpower losses in Syria are counterbalanced by the combat experience acquired there and exposure to Russian weapons and organization skills. Their missile force will also be larger, and more accurate.
Israel may well do what it has promised – attempt a version of the fictional Exodus mass murders, only do them for real in both Lebanon and Syria. Slaughter on a Biblical scale, and trust the likes of the lying NYT and WP to cover up. It could also break out the nuclear weapons. Does anybody suppose the Trumpies, Hillary Democrats, or any of the Corporate Media would do anything except applaud?
If I were in command of Hezbollah, any retaliation I made would send the junkiest of the rockets towards industrial and military targets in Northern Israel. This would partly counterbalance their inaccuracy, and possibly force Israeli operations to slow down, or even halt.
In the course of looking into this I found an amazing/surprising event.
“After 50 years of stonewalling, American Legion finally calls on Congress to investigate USS Liberty attack”
Better late than never, I guess. This might be another indicator of why the little shithole state of Israel is running scared. Times are changing, and not in the way the crappy Zionist state desires.
h**ps://www.sott.net/article/360698-After-50-years-of-stonewalling-American-Legion-finally-calls-on-Congress-to-investigate-USS-Liberty-attack
This is a “cornered rat” situation, and for that all the more dangerous.
It’s true and Syria & Russia radar systems are tied together.
The day after his visit with V. Putin the Russian in Syria shot down 3 Israelis drones. Woops, I guess V. Putin gave him his answer.
Zachary you raise a disturbing thought, to what if Israel decides to go nuclear? For the record, I’ve always thought Israel the most dangerous nation to have nukes. Israel’s Right Wing is viscous.
That’s what John Kennedy tried his best to stop and got himself murdered under orders from the Israeli government with the help of the CIA headed at the time by James Angleton a notorious Mossad asset.
“…with the help of the CIA headed at the time by James Angleton a notorious Mossad asset.”
The Israel-firsters were and are the Fifth Column in the US. They are helping the little parasitoid to extract as much from the hapless host as possible. See the process of “extraction” in picture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovo_T0KqdYg
Wow. This is something.
There is definitely Intelligence in the Universe . . .
Or, selective pressure is awesome.
The Russians , once they put their radar in the Triangle { Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos } gave those soldiers a 30 minute to 1 hour notice before the B-52s showed up. There again, Russia was invited to help stop the genocide, and maybe it stopped the US from claiming 5 million dead instead of 3 to 4 million – dead. Russia seems to do the best they can do for their allies. The US just uses their allies for cover.
TO ZACHARY SMITH:
Hear! Hear!
—-Peter Loeb, Boston, MA, USA
Zachary Smith: “Slaughter on a Biblical scale, and trust the likes of the lying NYT and WP to cover up. It could also break out the nuclear weapons. Does anybody suppose the Trumpies, (……) would do anything except applaud?
You should make sure of Trump’s position on nuclear war, Zachary, before coming to these conclusions. He is by no means “a-crazy-in-the-basement” and for this reason many of us back him over his rapprochement with Russia. The infuriating Russia-gate hysteria from the left and their fury that war hawk Hillary now won’t get to use the Ukrainian neo-Nazis to invade and humiliate their Russian enemies. Or reduce St Petersburg to a glass mirror.
Trump is more interesting than the “Left” would have you believe. This most recent meme of Trump the Loon, or Alzheimer victim, is shallow name-calling to confuse. Don’t fall for it.
Israel Shamir had an article worth reading on the subject of US policy towards Israel: “Trump Sets the Cat Among the Jewish Pigeons
Israel Shamir • December 18, 2016
“I learned of Trump’s choice for his ambassador in Tel Aviv ten days before it was announced (and published that in Russian), so I had enough time to discuss the nominee with Palestinians and Israelis, as well as with Russian diplomats. The nomination of David Friedman horrified liberal Israelis, cheered Palestinian activists, befogged the Israeli and Palestinian officials, and created a great rift among US Jews. With one brilliant stroke Donald Trump made more mischief than one would think possible. If you have no time for details, I’ll tell you: it is a good, even very good development for Palestine and Palestinians, and it is likely to save Trump’s skin back home.”
http://www.unz.com/ishamir/trump-sets-the-cat-among-the-jewish-pigeons/
I wish my leftwing friends would see further than the ends of their noses sometimes. Sigh.
I like to read Israel Shamir, and I liked the article of his that you linked. I don’t believe Trump deserves any credit for the appointment, even if it does work out well. (and it may not!)
Trump has been appointing monsters left and right. Gorsuch on the Supreme Court. DeVos in Education. Perry in Energy. The list goes on and on. That one of them might work out to our advantage (“our” meaning the non-1%) would be great, but it would also be a Cosmic Accident.
That Israel currently has its panties in a wad is due to the Russians more than anyone else. Iran and Hezbollah deserve a lot of credit as well. That Trump didn’t escalate is probably due more to his natural Isolationism than to any strategic insight.
I’ve no reason at the present time to believe Trump has any kind of mental illness, but there are many reasons to believe that his total ignorance about nearly everything can make people believe something is wrong upstairs. Especially when that ignorance is paired with an amazingly oversized ego.
Perhaps a reason for Netanyahu’s panic is that he was banking on the USA and Russia brokering a deal re: Syria. Israel would annex the Golan Heights portion of Syria in exchange for Russia annexing the eastern portion of Ukraine. For the time being, this appears to have gone “up in smoke”.
The above should read:
Perhaps a reason for Netanyahu’s panic is that he was banking on the USA and Russia brokering a deal re: Syria. Israel would annex a portion of Syria adjacent to the Golan Heights in exchange for Russia annexing the eastern portion of Ukraine. For the time being, this appears to have gone “up in smoke”.
I don’t think Russia has a lot of interest in occupying and annecting parts of Eastern Ukraine (Donbass or more).
There is a certain internal pressure for the Russian government to support Russian-speaking people in Donetsk and Luhansk who are attacked by the Ukrainian army and right-wing radical armed groups (Azov battalion). But apart from that – why should Russia be so interested? It has enough territory. A solution in which Donbass has some autonomy, which means both that people in Donetsk and Luhansk would probably be alright and not be oppressed and that there would be a significant force and voting block within Ukraine for more Russia-friendly policies would probably more in Russia’s interest than adding a tiny additional piece of land to the already huge Russian territory.
The case of Crimea was quite different. It had been an autonomous republic within Ukraine (and not so long ago actually had belonged to Russia), and the borders were clear, and Russia had a presence there anyway (the port in Sevastopol). Furthermore, the percentage of Russian speakers in Crimea is so high and the percentage of speakers of Ukrainian so low as hardly anywhere in Eastern Ukraine. There are relatively large areas in Eastern Ukraine where Russian is the main language, but the Ukrainian language has a presence there, as well (e.g. the cities in Eastern Ukraine are mostly Russian-speaking with an Ukrainian-speaking minority), but in villages, the situation can be very different, even far in the East there are some where Ukrainian is commonly spoken. So, any change of borders would create new minorities.
Theoretically one can imagine scenarios in which Ukraine as a whole would desintegrate and larger parts of it may want either to join Russia or form a separate country that is allied with Russia, but these are hypothetical scenarios that have little to do with current reality.
I agree with the characterization “Western Colonialism”; the “Western” being referred to, are the “Managerial Elite”, the 1%ers, the Globalists. And they are trying to secure their Southern and SouthEastern flanks (as they have always done since Ancient Imperial Rome), in these modern times, by using their “expendables”: Israel, S.A., and the American Republic (We, The 99%ers). Time for Israel to realize they’re just one more M.E.Nation (promptly retreating back to 1967 borders) among the other Nations of VERY ancient Cultures (S.A. too), but with common shared interests, one major interest being serious water management infrastructure, and “Green the Desert” projects. Israel should appeal to China’s New Silk Road policies, and champion these, promoting themselves, as a rather advanced Nation, as a major workforce for infrastructure development throughout the M.E. Region, as reparations for past wrongs. Time for USA to realize we’re just one Nation on the North American Continent and a Continental power (the REAL America Firsters of the 99%), NOT a global superpower (contrary to the beliefs and behavior of America’s 1%er Globalists). We have no actual interests in the so-called “Old World”, not in the old geopolitical sense. We do have shared interests common to all humanity in all the Nations of the World which can be identified and worked upon, in a genuine U.N. setting, as a cooperative family of Sovereign Nations, using New Deal/Marshall Plan/New Silk Road methods, NOT arms and Armies and Navies and such. This would allow us an opportunity to work on projects as reparations for our past wrongs (perpetrated in our name by the “Managerial Elite” 1%ers).
Brad,
I agree with what you wrote with one exception: a UN setting is NOT the answer. First, the UN signifies centralization (which always fails); and, secondly, the UN is chock full of cowards. Lastly, if their mission was genuine, they would consider relocating to a country such as Haiti, for example, where their presence would likely change the economics of that country. Silly me, with the US supplying a large portion of its operating budget and the lack of world class hookers and expense account restaurants in such a country, the status-quo of the UN shall be maintained.
I’m not sure what the answer is but perhaps it lies in a bi-polar or trilateral world (e.g., US, China and/or Russia).
“Indifference to evil is the gravest danger we face”.
Yes, the USA ,China, and Russia cooperating together was FDR’s vision of keeping the U.N. honest. That all fell apart the day FDR died and the old colonial powers started making plans for their comeback, leaning on their Wall Street assets to “turn the Country” towards their purposes, and we turned-on-a-dime, going from anti-colonial/anti-Synarchist to anti-Communist (which was a left-handed way of being pro-colonial/pro-Synarchist/pro-1%er). China and Russia are on board, while we’re busy turning our Country back to the 99%ers, the Forgotten Ones as FDR called us in his New Deal policies…better late than never.
I maintain hope China can balance and equalize the US. While the actors and the song remain the same now as then, it is a much different stage today with China flexing its economic muscle. The bugaboo yuan isn’t necessarily the countermeasure to the dollar. This is attested by wealthy Chinese who have lost faith in the currency and hedge by smuggling gold out of China via Hong Kong as a means of sidestepping internal currency controls.
Because he corruption is the US is so vast and deep – and the co-mingling of multinational corporate interests and government affairs (“fascism”) is so far along, I strongly believe there are only two ways to return the US to its righteous 99ers. The first and most likely, is a financial- and/or war-driven cataclysm; or, secondly, the adoption of sound monetary principles by abolishing the FED.
As far as I am concerned, the FED is the top of the pyramid. Fiat currency is the enabler of a rentier economy which enslaves each of the 99ers while simultaneously robbing them of their wealth. To the rest of the world, the fiat-driven dollar enables the US to export inflation.
This is circular in nature. Every issue and its ultimate solution comes back to this critical element. “Follow the money”. The Shadow Government is so entrenched and the corruption so vast that the status-quo will continue – nothing will substantially change until – the head of the snake is chopped off. NEVER underestimate the human desire to keep what it has.
“Indifference to evil is the gravest danger we face”.
https://criminalbankingmonopoly.wordpress.com
The financial cataclysm appears to be the choice of instrument (by the Gods?) to effect the deep changes necessary for the favorable outcome for the 99ers. Russia and China are already passed through their insanely communist phase, and are now most reliable partners for World Peace to prevail. Fed will have to be ceased and nationalized. Fiat currency is preferred money method for a CREDIT system of finance, getting rid of the Monetarist system of finance, which oligarchs prefer, seeking to control commodities such as gold via cartels. Lincoln Greenbacks foiled this system of oligarchic control, which is why they assassinated him. What counts is Congress formulating a Capital budget (EIR and AMI can re-educate them and walk them through this process) then instruct Treasury to print & spend Greenbacks to execute the Capital Budget Plans. First we must reinstate Glass-Steagall and conduct bankruptcy reorganization to break Wall Street Oligarchy. Such moves are already being strongly advocated in congress, then we 99ers will complete the Triad of USA, Russia, China, cooperating on New Silk Road policies for the benefit of the whole World. We’re living in an historic moment with a realistic chance of securing World Peace. It can also all go off the rails, and miss this chance. It’s maddening to be so close and in such danger too.
ScottB-
Great comment! People casually throw the word fascism around (especially nowadays), and for decades the way our government has operated is the very definition of fascism.
I thought it was US, Great Britain, and Russia (FDR, Churchill, and Stalin – there is a famous picture of three leaders sitting side by side at Yalta Summit soon after WWII).
I think you mentioned the greatest danger we face, in your line above that sentence: “…but perhaps it lies in a bi-polar or trilateral world (e.g., US, China and/or Russia). What a nightmare.
Probably so a nightmare. Like it or not, it is perhaps the most likely outcome given the present set of circumstances. We reached this junction through our indifference.
TO JOE TEDESKY:
The link you cited fails to examine the integral importance
of “SHADOW BANKING”. For details see jack Rasmus, SYSTEMIC
FRAGILITY IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY. The title is a monstrosity
but the content is a requirement.
Other works of Rasmus such as EPIC RECESSION….” provide an
intorudction in part. Rasmus’ work brings economics to
the 2lrst century.
I have not yet read his more recent work on central banks.
—-Peter Loeb, Boston, MA, USA
Will do, thanks Peter. Joe
This is one of those very significant “threads” that almost exclusively happens here at Consortiumnews like wise old friends reaching a consensus. I thank you all. This feels like a “Paradigm Shift”.
Brad and interested others, I’m currently reading “In The Shadows Of The American Century” by Alfred W. McCoy who has been a go to author for me over the years and he has much to say on this topic. I’ll link it here:
https://www.amazon.com/Shadows-American-Century-Decline-Dispatch/dp/1608467732/ref=sr_1_1/145-6689046-7047346?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1504391209&sr=1-1&keywords=alfred+w+mccoy
I have ordered, after seeing the piece on Tom Dispatch.
My copy has not yet arrived.
How did you get yours so fast?
Kindle?
He was served up ice by Moscow.
I can just see it now, NK darts dancing on empty ISRAELI runways as Hizbullah and Iranian boots pry open the TEL IT TO AVA gates AND SYRIAN Golan claim encourages Russia and China to arm the Palestinians? QUITE AN ARTICLE.. with realist perspective. Wonder what Trumpet might do about these changes. Could it be Netanyahu is concerned about stuff in the following links.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/03/middleeast/israel-netanyahu-investigation/index.html
http://nypost.com/2014/08/06/netanyahu-asks-us-to-help-israel-avoid-war-crime-charges/
article quote ““In more traditional bastions of support for Israel, Netanyahu took a calculated gamble — would enough American Jewish support continue to stand with an increasingly illiberal and ethno-nationalist Israel, thereby facilitating the perpetuation of the lopsided U.S.-Israel relationship? Netanyahu bet yes, and he was right.””
I detect a misunderstanding? The so-called “Jewish support …” to continue the drain of American money(see Mearshimer and Walt, The Israeli lobby and US Foreign Policy) through the USA to Israel relationship has produced a strong backlash at nearly every level of American society.. Its strong enough IMO to suggest the Jewish support for Israel in not supported by the majority of Americans . The Jewish claim on American money has become a major issue in America as has the corporate efforts to control dissent on those who are backing Israel. https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/08/31/google-coming-after-critics-academia-and-journalism-its-time-stop-them. Very good article
The Lobby has been increasingly seen as a Fifth Column (which it is). There is a sign on a wall for the Israel-firsters and this sign cannot be ignored anymore.
This is concerning. We have the head of a mad dog state acting like an unstable and unhinged sociopath.
Israel attacks peaceful flotillas, bombs residential neighborhoods, tortures innocents in Jewish dungeons and now the leader of that fascist, militarist. racist, colonialist state is putting on public displays of hysterics when in the company of other heads of state.
The seminal question we’re faced with: Has Israel become a lunatic state? I don’t mean to be glib or funny about that at all. It’s a fair question. Has Israel become a lunatic state?
No, it’s a typical Bronze Age theocracy, and it’s behaving the way any such anachronistic political entity might be expected to act if armed with modern technology and nuclear weapons. It represents a classic “millennial movement”, which some might concede is a form of mass cultural hysteria – but the social scientists are unwilling to classify such movements as “pathological” for fear of social justice warrior blowback. The bottom line is, yeah, they’re looney. But I don’t expect anyone will concede the existential threat to humanity embodied in that diagnosis.
Bronze age barbarism, good analogy. And the US?
We’re not above that morally, only in organization. Even John Calhoun “The Marx of the Master Class” noted:
“A power has risen up in the government greater than the people themselves, consisting of many and various and powerful interests, combined into one mass, and held together by the cohesive power of the vast surplus in the banks.”
(speech 1836)
The Israeli equivalent of the KKK and American Nazis is the settler-class of religious fanatics. They’ve been literally getting away with murder for three generations. And they’ve also been breeding like flies.
My answer to your question – “probably yes”.
I can’t help but wonder how the world would react if Israel goes all out and nukes Iran. Would they get away with it?
The propaganda has worked so well in the west that yes, they would get away with it.
Doubtful. The nuking would result in a response towards the midget-state, which could obliterate the snooty eternal “victim.” That would be the only silver lining of the Israeli aggression against Itan.
Nobody is speaking of the Samson Option.
I believe I’ve still got a book by this Martin van Creveld, and when I locate it I’m going to throw it into the recycling box.
Anyhow, the West will stick by Israel because of blackmail on the largest scale possible.
They might ‘get away’ with it, but it is very doubtful they themselves would survive it. One solid hit with Iran/Hizbollah’s newer very accurate, very powerful missiles on Dimona or biologic research centers would be the end of Israel. Recently, when the leader of Hizbollah said they could target the chlorine plant storage tanks in Israel, the government had them emptied. Such is the fear in Israel of even one missile striking one of their sensitive installations and the impact that would have on the micro-nation. I wondered where their faith in the Iron Dome went.
It’s like Reverend Jim Jones of People’s Temple back in 1978 going crazy with 800 followers and their koolaid drink when their bubble was burst, except this time it’s Jim Jones with nuclear weapons.
Jim Jones was actually a Millionaire Communist Democratic Party Donor who was in the process of defecting to the Soviet Union with his Commune who were not religious at all – his group were only in Africa while his money was wired ahead. Somehow the CIA caught wind of where his bank balance was going and a small group of Spies went to Liberia to Spike his punch. Cool Aid share price plummeted.
I’m of Italian origin. My parents lost their homes in Italy due to Mussolini, so I hold no brief for him.
But I object to the ignorant over-use of “fascism” to apply to any political activity we don’t like.
Mussolini’s Fascism had a defined and, in even my own view, noble goal: to unite the Italian people and state around a common, national, Catholic-inflected (rather than Roman Catholic dictated) vision and achieve economic stability and prosperity.
That is what Fascism meant. An American Puritan may not have agreed with its methods or even goals, but American Puritans had/have radically different frame of reference.
Let’s stop using terms we don’t really know the meaning of, especially since such use implies either ignorance, or a guilty conscience that prefers not to call offensive phenomena what they really are, since it might implicate US in the same ideologies and behaviors. (That offensive phenomena is meddlesome ‘exceptionalism’ — the propensity to destroy the culture of another and replace it with one’s own. “Abrahamism” might be a good word for it — https://www.ourjewishcommunity.org/learn/midrashim-legends/abraham-and-the-idols/
I couldn’t agree more.
And some on the Alt-right make a point of stating that “no one knows the meaing of the word ‘fascism'”
This is truly an idiotic statement.
People have gotten used to using the term to designate anything they don’t like:
racism, nationalism, corporate power, male chauvinism–you name it.
The Antifa faction is the most recent to get into this circus.
I immediately shut down when someone uses that term.
I know they don’t really know what they are talking about and can’t find a specific term for whatever it is they are criticizing or devalidating.
I propose a moratorium on “fascist/fascism” and a demand that people say what they actually mean.
Faces is a Latin word for “Union” in the literal for of a bundle of sticks bound together known as a “faggot” and these were used as laminated Axe Handles that would not bend. Mussolini revived the idea for a Corporate State that Psephologically Illiterate Karl Marx used for what later became Communism but in the mean time influenced Labor Social Democratic Party’s and George Orwell described EngSOC as being a Fascist (TOTALITARIAN) Form of Centrist “Fabian Socialism” which is as misnamed as Centrist National Socialism
I understand the desire for historical precision, but at the same time we must not impede discourse by denying the nomenclature. The term Fascism was was applied in the US largely to Hitler despite its reference to Mussolini’s party. In modern usage, it is the primary term for movements like the Nazis, and thereby refers to:
1. Extreme nationalism, arrogating themselves special rights, and seizing nations as spoils for followers;
2. Racism both positive (we’re the best) and negative (others are subhumans);
3. An oligarchy of wealth and power;
Many do not understand references to Plato or Aristotle, or the preceptors of the Nazis, but understand the term Fascism.
Also, it is a common tactic of neo-fascists like the zionists to deprecate the term Fascism so as to obscure their own obvious similarity to the Nazis. They insist that the term be used in a strict historical sense, to impede analysis of their crimes. See how much would have to be said every time about zionism, just to show that it is similar to Naziism. This would obscure the essential point.
And calling zionism Fascism shows the tragic irony of nazi fascism begetting zionist fascism in some of its victims, and the wrongfulness of opportunists seeking special privileges and spoils of conquest.
So perhaps we can simply point out the historical distinctions when they might lead to better understanding.
So…does this mean Genie Energy stocks are a bad buy right now? Poor Dick Cheney, all of his hearts will be broken.
Brightened my day with that one.
An excellent, well reasoned article by a noted British diplomat who has experience in the area of the Middle East.
The United States and Israel were nearly guaranteed to fail in their endeavors to remake the Middle East to their advantage as a result of their defiance of a critical military axiom; never underestimate your opponents. Even weakened opponents can defy superior power through cunning and determination.
Syria, Hezbollah, Iran, and even a very weakened Iraq have all shown “true grit” in the face of insurmountable odds with the valiant support of Russia and her well trained military forces.
However, Israel has more to fear from its own internal deterioration than that from any “existential” threat that the Israeli government just loves to claim to the world media at large. Israel’s ongoing abuse of the WWII Holocaust as a political weapon, which they have turned into a religious ideology along with her ongoing interference in American society for its own benefit while still claiming that any form of criticism of the Israeli state is now some form of antisemitism, no matter how legitimate, are all going to combine at a point of convergence that will eventually tear the Zionist project to pieces.
And as the endeavors of the American Right, both of the legitimate and illegitimate forces, grows even fiercer due to the Cultural Marxist “identity politics” that is now threatening to tear Americans society to pieces, the Israeli penchant for attempting to control the sociological processes in other societies is starting to backfire, and as some very reputable observers have noted, with possibly very frightening consequences.
Israel is quite right to fear yet another Holocaust but it will not come from its surrounding neighbors but as a result of its arrogance, sense of superiority to all who surround her laced with its won brand of ancient, religious, fundamentalism that is constantly used as an excuse against the Muslim countries of the region, and Zionist deprivations internationally let alone the horrors they have unleashed on the Palestinian Peoples, are all coming home to roost on an ethnocentric cultural construct that should have disappeared thousands of years ago along with the ancient Kingdom of Israel.
The hardcore, Zionist Right; those who populate the Israeli Regime along with their US and European counterparts have been living on borrowed time for centuries. And it is time they learned that to live and survive in the modern world you have to modernize your views and ethnic outlooks, which is something that the Israeli leadership and their Zionist lackeys have never considered even just for the necessities of their own survival.
So now, the growing military might of the combined forces of Syria, Hezbollah, Iran, Iraq, and Russia are now converging into a “perfect storm” that promises to send the Israeli state into political oblivion if it refuses to join the rest of the region as an equal and compromising partner instead of seeking to dominate it with ancient, inbred, sociopathic constructs that are now bringing the state to a reckoning point in its short history…
“Israel is quite right to fear yet another Holocaust but it will not come from its surrounding neighbors but as a result of its arrogance, sense of superiority to all who surround her”
I find myself more and more avoiding Jews.
I never used to think for an instant wehther someone was a Jew or not.
As a teenager I had no idea that most of the summer people we knew were Jews. It just wasn’t a relevant fact.
As Jewish Americans take up the larger portions of the local paper with their incessant navel gazing and combined with political cluelessness, regarding both the USA and Israel, I have become thoroughly sick of all of them!
And I am a proud Jewish “quadroon” myself. But don’t want to have anything to do with the Jews I see around me, ever more Zionist and neurotic in their outlook.
So do I. I never even knew whether a person was a Jew or not. I never thought about it.
For many years I had no idea what Jews were. Now I think back on many individuals I have known and try to connect them to a kind of behavior.
And I am devastated by what I have learned.
I seems to me that Jews are creating a profile for themselves that did not exist a few years ago.
Litchfield and Others:
See Francis Jennings (THE INVASION OF AMERICA) on “civilization”.
There are, of course, other sources as well.
This writer is of “Jewish” origin. My ancestors were “Jewish” but
never practiced. (A more orthodox rabbi in a nearby small town
came to my Dad then in hospital for appendicitus and informed
that “It is time!” for me to become Bar Mitzvah. My Dad’s response
was: “I’ll ask Peter.” The rabbi was horrified. Dad did ask me
(13 years of age) and I said no. Why should I learn Hebrew
“and stuff” l0 miles away when all my friends were Catholic
(a tiny smattering of non-Catholic)? In my town
you were Catholic until proven innocent. I went to church
and sat at the back while they did confession. I knew the
town’s priest as just “Peter”.
The point is that while other faiths and sects constantly
admonish believers to “choose Christ”, to reaffirm their faith
etc. etc. Jews of the Zionist variety do not need to “choose.”
A Jew is born Zionist.A guaranteed superiority…. This is
arrogance incarnate.
Zionist strategy (see Thomas Suarez) has cyncally
made this into a central hallmark of their strategy.
(I eventually became a short-term Unitarian-Universalist
but found the environment too grand. I gravitated to
the Quakers (Society of Friends) to which I am
in the process of returning.
I remain passionately anti-Zionist.
The very makings of a “hate crime”??? And of course,
“anti-semitic” as well. As Suarez among others has
pointed out, Zionists having cooperated with
facists of the axis powers (to weaken the allies and
to financially profit Zionist efforts in Palestine,
it suddenly re-invented itself as a fighter
against Fascism, the evils of the holocaust
etc. etc.This guarantee world pity on “Jews”
(Zionists) and guaranteed impunity for Zionists/Israelis.
—Peter Loeb, Boston, MA, USA
PS I have still a favorite drawing by Ben Shaun which
says something in Hebrew (I am no Hebrew-speaker)
and underneath admonishes in English:
“Thou shallt not stand idly by.”
—Peter
Excellent comment.
“Israel is quite right to fear yet another Holocaust but it will not come from its surrounding neighbors but as a result of its arrogance, sense of superiority to all who surround her laced with its won brand of ancient, religious, fundamentalism that is constantly used as an excuse against the Muslim countries of the region, and Zionist deprivations internationally let alone the horrors they have unleashed on the Palestinian Peoples, are all coming home to roost on an ethnocentric cultural construct that should have disappeared thousands of years ago along with the ancient Kingdom of Israel.”
Tremendously fascinating piece of writing..and yes there are some anachronistic vestiges of thought or belief that need adjustment.
Correct me if I’m wrong Steve, but you seem to be saying that Israel will have to accept some equality of interests among peoples to be diplomatically relevant in an emerging world that can more strongly defend those interests….and that Israel, and quite possibly by extension, the United States, is not at all likely to adjust well to these realities, but is rather more inclined to arrogantly incite a broadly devastating military conflagration before ever accepting a peacefully cooperative existence that necessarily entails compromise.
I have to laugh whenever somebody uses the term ‘cultural Marxism’ this being a reference to identity politics and suchlike. I am inclined to wonder whether these people have actually ever tried – and I would emphasise tried – reading Marcuse, Adorno, Horkheimer and the rest of the Frankfurt School. I tried once as a student reading Adorno and Horkheimer, ‘Dialectic of the Enlightenment’ but gave up since I had not a clue what they were talking about. Twenty years later I had another go – same outcome.
Try this from Herbert Marcuse (Reason and Revolution)
”Being, for dialectical logic, is a process through contradictions that determine the content and development of all reality. The Logic had elaborated the timeless structure of this process, but the intrinsic connexion, between the Logic and other parts of the system, and, above all, the implications of the dialectical method destroy the very idea of timelessness. The Logic has shown that time being is the idea, but the idea unfolds itself in space (as nature) and ‘in time’ (as mind). Mind of its very essence affected by time, for it exists only in the temporal process of history.”
Get it?! Cultural Marxism (sic) Could anything be clearer?
Phew, this German metaphysics is too much for me. Perhaps we could get Alex Jones or Steve Bannon to explain it to us.
Russia’s Pravda is better known for its UFO coverage
That’s nothing. Check out the NYT and WAPO. They’re fixated on “”Russian collusion.” At least there’s evidence of UFOs.
A 5-Star AAA: Awesome Analysis, Alastair! Write on!
Fully agree!
The analysis from Crooke brings some welcome insights into Netanyahu’s maneuvers to avoid being forced back into his own cage but I would be hard put to predict what might happen as there are many imponderables when it comes to the MidEast.
!- What will happen to Saudi Arabia when many ISIS terrorists retreat to their homeland where they blend in with their supporters?
2-What will happen if/when the Kurds go through with their proposed referendum on independence in Iraq? What will Erdogan’s reaction be? The treatment of the Kurds within Turkey is not much different than the treatment of Palestinians within Israel.
3- Would Trump support Netanyahu’s wildest dreams?…or if he didn’t is there anything that could put him in check considering all the neocons in congress?
4- Could Russian diplomacy keep Iran or Hezbollah from overreacting or giving Netanyahu a pretext to make more trouble in Syria?
5- Are there any forces in the E.U. that would break with American unconditional support for Israel and support a Russian initiative for peace in the region?
Wow, after a good article, what a good list of serious questions. I still fail to understand the US’s unwavering support of Israel, especially since the end of the cold war and all the atrocities associated with Israel’s demand for all the territory they can get. I’m thinking with the neocons firmly in power here nothing much will change; but who knows.
First, thanks for the kind words, Ol’Hippy!. “I still fail to understand the US’s unwavering support of Israel”…I think you probably know the underlying answer to your consternation is “buying influence”. Aipac (the Israeli lobby)is at least an equal to the oil lobby as far as that’s concerned and there are many greedy congressmen and think tanks that are only too happy to take their money and render a quid pro quo. As to your other point ” I’m thinking with the neocons firmly in power here nothing much will change; but who knows.” I believe something will change but have few clues as to what it will be. The right kind of leadership is lacking(at least in this country) but let’s hope for the best!
Robert David Steele is running an interesting campaign called #Unrig… You can put that into a search engine and read what his intent is. He has linked up with Cynthia McKinney on this endeavor; the idea is to challenge each and every Congressional member to switch from their sworn allegiance to Israel via Aipac (through which they get money which should be illegal, but apparently is not) and sign a pledge to support the US Constitution. The name came about from something Trump said about how the US government is rigged. It’s a very worthy endeavor.
I wrote my US Senator a couple of weeks ago and asked about Israel’s interference in Constitutionally guaranteed rights such as freedom of speech. Got the usual blarney back about how Israel is a democracy and our best friend in the Middle East. BUT Israel is not a democracy. They are a theocracy, highly restricted and elitist. And to my mind they are our biggest enemy in the Middle East and maybe the biggest enemy to peace worldwide. Something needs to be done about this bandit country. They are a very serious problem, for us/US and for their neighbors.
“It’s a very worthy endeavor.”…I agree, “worthy” albeit futile…unfortunately our representatives believe their only constituents are the funding interests that put them in office.
This question has been answered many times,“I still fail to understand the US’s unwavering support of Israel”. The Ministry of Truth” has concealed, painted over and created complete lines of propaganda since before WWI at least.
“The only question that really matters: Why?” “Why have we not Known?”
https://www.opednews.com/articles/The-only-question-that-re-by-George-King-Co-existence_Death_Fascist_Israel-170410-906.html
When we don’t question the nature of mainstream propaganda and ask the questions why, we neither seek nor shall receive the understanding of truth. Then we remain subject to manipulation by those who may not have the peoples best interest at heart.
“When Einstein was offered the Israeli presidency, Israeli Prime Minister David Ben Gurion stated, “I’ve had to offer him the post because it was impossible not to, but if he accepts we are in for trouble.”
In a letter written in the same year, Einstein compared the Zionists’ project with that of the Pilgrims, noting, “how tyrannical, intolerant and aggressive [they] became after a short while.” And in Einstein’s last media interview, which ran in the New York Post a month before his death, he stated “We had great hopes for Israel at first. We thought it might be better than other nations, but it is no better.”
BobH: The argument that the US support was bought is hugely simplistic- there is a mountain of evidence that it stems from far broader and deeper motives.
And the influence of the pro-Israel forces in the US, indeed the whole Israel saga, is hugely overdone too. Watch what happens in China, the proliferation of nukes, the collapse of Arabia, the immigrants and terror turbulence in Europe, the mayhem in Central/South America and so on and on – a world on the edge of a volcano – and you will see how flimsy, or again hugely simplistic, is this Israel-centered outlook.
It might also help to review the Franklin Scandal. This occurred in the 80s during the Reagan/Bush terms. They hosted midnight ‘tours’ of the WH with kids taken from the iconic Boys Town. They were set up with politicians in apartments in DC, whose antics were taped and videoed. AIPAC has been peripherally implicated as one of the instruments and the blackmail used to further their ambitions. The group behind this venture saw to it that the kids were jailed as perjurers and an investigator died under strange circumstances. Only one person, the alleged orchestrator, although charged and convicted of some charges, did little or no time and never paid a dime in compensation that was ordered. No one else, including those manipulated were ever charged. But, this is how the strangle hold is enforced. Not only would their careers be over, but prison would ensue. Paedophilia is the new ‘closeted gay’ used for iron control of those in government. The other problem is dual citizenship politicians running our country. Their pledge is to Israel first, US second.
That happens to be my own view, too. Probably those agents and their American Helpers made sure nothing happened to derail the plan.
An InformationClearingHouse article “Netanyahu Intends to Assassinate Assad” notes that Israel hopes to
“overthrow and replace U.S. President Trump by his Vice President Mike Pence, who is a fundamentalist Christian whose entire career in public office has been unwaveringly pro-Israel. Perhaps Netanyahu is waiting for clear signs of whether Trump will soon be replaced, before launching his planned invasion of Syria.”
See http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/47724.htm and a link there to a ZeroHedge article “Israel Threatens To Bomb Assad’s Presidential Palace”
Iran is said to be moving the latest Russian SAMs into place in southern Syria. Such an aggression would generally be viewed as sufficient cause for major retaliation, so Russia might make a strategic arms statement to prevent a recurrence, or the Golan might be taken in response.
Netanyahu’s Panic ? Cold comfort, I fear – the Republican Congress is now considering legislation to make BDS and holocaust denial criminal offenses, and Trump has indicated that if this legislation passes (it will, AIPAC has it in top priority and punching through the Us Congress) he will sign it into law.
Kudos to Syria: “A small, armed (revolutionary) movement had stood up to Israel – against overwhelming odds – and prevailed: it had stood its ground. This precedent was widely perceived to be a potential regional “game changer.””
The tragedy of so many Jewish people becoming fascist in response to fascism is a great historical lesson.
Most of the world and probably most of the US welcomes a “new middle east” with the Israeli Nazis contained, Saudi Arabia soon ready to implode with returning Wahabbists vs. dissident Shiites, Russia and China building influence, and Iran/Iraq/Syria/Jordan/Lebanon likely to support repossession of territories bordering Israel.
The sea change will be alliance of the Sunnis KSA/Egypt et al with the Shiites against Israel. Then they can break the Gaza blockade by sea and reinforce Gaza, and the West Bank via Jordan, and then blockade Israel. Once I would have suggested a two-state solution, but I no longer think that Israel deserves it. The US should not accept their refugees, as they have destroyed democracy in the United States and would continue to do so.
To understand Bibi’s mindset here is a paper on the pedophilia among the Orthodox Jews: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qbe8bp/the-child-rape-assembly-line-0000141-v20n11
First, the Rabbis do not recognize any rules that could infringe on their power
Second, they use tribal solidarity to crush any dignified dissent to the subhuman behavior of Jewish elders
The currently ongoing illegal search of Russian consulates and immediate eviction of the personnel (including their babies) from the apartments, seem to be the Israel-firsters’ payoff for the loss of Syria to Syrians.
” Russia’s Foreign Ministry has reported that US security services including the FBI intend to search and possibly strip the facilities at the Russian Consulate in San Francisco as well as the residences of Russian diplomats living in the US. The statement accuses the United States of a gross violation of the Vienna Convention which defines the property of foreign embassies and missions abroad as the sovereign territory of the nation whose embassy is on the property.”
Good heavens, what a shocking article. One hopes that this will be systematically investigated.
I recall investigating (by internet) the famous Penn State pedophilia scandal, the worst in the US with around 150 child victims, and being shocked to discover that the major actors were all Jewish, but this was covered up by the mass media, which are largely zionist controlled. The mass child-rapist Sandusky, the board members of his “youth athletic” group Second Mile (until just after the scandal), the head of Penn State, and the private investigator himself Louis Freeh (former head of FBI) were all Jewish. I don’t know whether they were also Orthodox. There was no investigation by police or state police or FBI so far as I know, which in itself is hard to explain without serious further wrongdoing.
It appears that the time has come for a major expose on the matter, if this is largely true.
The Jewish obsession with fiddling with infants’ foreskins is a bit weird, if you think about it for a second. Not to mention genital mutilation as a religious ritual—THE religious ritual that “seals and symbolized the covenant with God that makes Jews the “chosen people”—that is still tolerated in the “modern” West. It is all total BS and should be criminalized like any other culture’s genital mutilation.
Pfui.
I think Freeh was/is Catholic.
Thank you, Coleen. I’ll have to review my summary of the Penn State evidence. Freeh was the private investigator hired by the Penn State board of trustees after they fired the Jewish president. His report studiously avoids any mention of the Second Mile trustees, although they were the problem. He tries to pin the blame on go-betweens during the year in which Penn State knew there might have been a problem (accusations and retracted statements by victims), and does blame the Pres for not advising the board of the accusations, but he was the only one already fired.
The most suspect factor in Freeh’s investigation was that Penn State apparently had very little to do with the problem (Sandusky was retired early due to several unsubstantiated accusations and had been retired for years when the scandal broke) other than owning the locker rooms used by Second Mile. But Second Mile was never even investigated, not were any of its officials even mentioned in the Freeh report.
The Intercept has a 2015 article describing Freeh’s profits in false exonerations of billionaires:
“Louis Freeh, the former FBI director whose wife was deeded half of a $3 million beachside penthouse by a businessman–just nine days after Freeh cleared that same businessman of wrongdoing–is onto a new job: Helping exonerate a billionaire businessman accused of bribing an African government.”
https://theintercept.com/2015/01/02/louis-freehs-latest-investigation-billionaire-businessman-accused-bribing-african-government/
Several sources claim that he is of “Jewish origin” while others claim that he attended Catholic schools and is “devout.” Apparently corruption is fine either way.
I had no idea this pedophilia was going on. The Corporate Media cover-up must have been massive.
everyone knows that there is no pedophilia is chirstianity and islam
Anna,
Regarding your link on pedophilia among the Orthodox Jews – WOW!
The Orthodox Jews drive the settler movement that dominates Israeli politics. Your suggestion that the pathological politics of Israel could have deeper roots makes complete sense.
Thanks Sam F for the very relevant follow-up.
“The currently ongoing illegal search of Russian consulates and immediate eviction of the personnel (including their babies) from the apartments, seem to be the Israel-firsters’ payoff for the loss of Syria to Syrians”
I don’t understand the connection between the Russian consulates and Israel Firsters. Why do Israel Firsters care about the illegal stripping of Russian Consulates? Why is it payoff? What for? Color me confused.
Anna’s post was “spot on”. Israel is trying to punish Russia any way it can for standing in the way of Zionist dreams of dismembering Syria, stealing the Golan heights and other plans associated with “Eretz Israel”.
lexy: “Israel is trying to punish Russia any way it can for standing in the way of Zionist dreams of dismembering Syria, stealing the Golan heights and other plans associated with “Eretz Israel”.”
I don’t think that really matches the facts. The relations between the US and Russia are now very bad. The relations between Israel and Russia are normal, Israel hasn’t even implemented the kind of more moderate sactions the EU has (which, in contrast to the US has no intention of escalating them).
In contrast to the US and the EU, Israel also remained neutral in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine related to Crimea and Donbass. There are many Israeli citizens from the Soviet Union and from Russia, and – especially among those who emigrated more recently, many of them still have relatively strong ties with their original homeland.
I think people sometimes confuse Israel and US neocons. Among US neocons, there are relatively many Jewish people, and they use Israel as an argument for their aggressive foreign policy ideas for the Middle East. But actually, Israeli foreign policy and the foreign policy of US neocons are two relatively different things, and one of the differences is that Israel has a much better relationship with Russia than US neocons.
Three others have commented on the Vice article — incredible unless you’ve read Israel Shahak: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/456305.Jewish_History_Jewish_Religion
But I also compliment you for your astute observation that current retaliation on Russian diplomatic personnel likely results from Zionist (both Jewish and Christian) domination of our federal government.
OK. Thanks.
So, maybe Anna meant “payback,” not “payoff.”
I never heard anything about it before. Incredibly disgusting and perverse.
Thank you for the link.
How is it possible that such perversion has not been made public?
To understand Bibi’s mindset here is a paper on the pedophilia among the Orthodox Jews:
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qbe8bp/the-child-rape-assembly-line-0000141-v20n11
Disgusting barbaric savages.
I strongly suggest that people read the new book by Gilad Atzmon called “Being in Time”. He explains in detail the very negative influence the Israelis (regardless of where they may be) have on not only America but the WEST in general………….
what was your name again:ibrahim…..? o k ,got it
It is unfortunate that things have come to the point where statements such as these reflect reality.
“JEWISH PEOPLE BECOMING FASCIST…”
Zionists (not “Jewish”) dis not BECOME “fascist”. As several have
observed in detail, Zionism was fascist at its root.”From day l”
and clearly many days before “day one”.
In his landmark book about Native Americans and their
conquest, historian Francis Jennings writes (p. 6)
that “the conquerors of America glorified the devastation
they wrought in visions of righteousness…Thus the
absolutes of the predator and prehy have been preserved,
and the grandeur of the invasion and massacre has kept its
sanguinary radiance…”
“…The implication of the word SETTLEMENT …implies
that the preexisting populations did not classify as
humanity, for it is not used to apply to Indians
(=Palestinians, PL); only Europeans “settle”…” p.32
Thomas Suarez in STATE OF TERROR (p.823) cites
a US Intelligence Report of June 4, 1943 entitled
“Latest Aspects of the Palestine Zionist- Arab Problems”
(there was no “Israel” until 1948) described Zionism
as “a type of nationialism which in any other country
would be stigmatized as retrograde Nazism….
{Zionism maintained] “a spirit closely akin toNazism, namely,
an attempt to regiment the community, even by force,
and to resort to force to get what they want.” (See footnote
#154, p.354, re versions in the UK’s Foreign Office arachives
as well as in US archives.)
The bases of the Israel today are well documented
in Suarezop. cit.
—-Peter Loeb, Boston, MA, USA
CORRECTIONS:
My corrections while applied to a copy, did not make the original.
Francis Jennings’ book is entitled THE INVASION OF AMERICA.
sUAREZ CITATION (IN TEXT) IS 82 OR 83.
“Zionists did not BECOME…etc.
Jennings’s is great book.
I’ll reread.
Interesting vision, Sam, but how realistic is it? The US will not let any alliance stand against Israel, nor will it keep Israeli refugees out, like it did with Jewish refugees during WW2.
Good riddance Isragell.
Zionists have not destroy Democracy only in the US:
They did the exact same in many other western countries, particularly in the UK, and France!
Zionism is a plague
can you explain
Are you referring to Russia as “a small, armed (revolutionary) movement”? What has actually changed? Syria has always been a client state of Russia, and remains so. What is different is now Russia is involved not only in defending Syria, but in re-building it. Iran’s relationship with Russia and Syria is the same as it has always been, more or less. How much is Iran going to contribute, to rebuild Syria? Many unanswered questions, including instability and many unresolved tensions. As for Iraq, everyone understands this is a country that Exxon-Mobil, and Chevron have established leases. Does anyone want to challenge this fact?
“Are you referring to Russia as “a small, armed (revolutionary) movement”?”
Is your q. ironic? If so forgive my lack of humour:
Hizb’Allah was the game-changer. Actually, for all the Israelis military might, they were foiled by their soldiers’ poor training when tested in battle. As I remember it, Nasrallah’s men picked up the Israelis phoning their mothers from the field and pinpointed their whereabouts. The inexperienced and naive IDF advanced too fast to the Litani River becoming isolated from their battalion and were swiftly cut off from behind blocking their retreat. They were then routed.
An additional boost to the morale of the small (revolutionary) movement was eavesdropping an electronic communications system that appears to have been simple mobile phones — no cybersecurity streetcred to be seen.
A rather rude Arab joke circulated about the IDF having faced only ragged and starving Palestinian children and women and unused to fighting men.
let us see how much these new “friends ” will hold together
I couldn’t agree with you more, Virginia, the fact that a small, armed revolutionary movement stood up to Israel has produced a game changer. Syria has stood its ground, and Bibi Netanyahu’s panicky run to Russia’s solid proof he’s vulnerable.
This only goes to further prove Israel’s role in the attack on Syria by foreign mercenaries conveniently labelled as “terrorists” to “justify” “humanitarian intervention”. All the “leaders” who have implemented the war on terror and used it to “justify” attacking nations and unseating democratically-elected rulers should be in prison right now and the fact that they aren’t is a giant slap in the face to mankind! Just the fact that the OBVIOUSLY false flag attacks on 911 haven’t had a real investigation, just another coverup by the co-perpetrators of 911, goes to show who the REAL criminals are in all this. The USA and Israel should round up these criminakls and have a show trial to be all show trials, Then they should hang them.