"… Graham has been acting as a front man for both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and also for The Jewish Institute for the National Security of America (JINSA), which wrote the basic document that is being used to promote the treaty and then enlisted Graham to obtain congressional support.
Speaking to the press on a JINSA conference call, Graham said the proposed agreement would be a treaty that would protect Israel in case of an attack that constituted an “existential threat”. Citing Iran as an example, Graham said the pact would be an attempt to deter hostile neighbors like the Iranians who might use weapons of mass destruction against Israel. JINSA President Michael Makovsky elaborated on this, saying, “A mutual defense pact has a value in not only deterring but might also mitigate a retaliatory strike by an adversary of Israel, so it might mitigate an Iranian response (to an attack on its nuclear facilities).”
JINSA director of foreign policy Jonathan Ruhe added that “An Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear program would not activate this pact, but a major Iranian retaliation might. – An Israeli unilateral attack is not what the treaty covers, but rather massive Iranian retaliation is what we are addressing.”
Israel has long been reluctant to enter into any actual treaty arrangement with the United States because it might limit its options and restrain its aggressive pattern of military incursions. In that regard, the Graham-JINSA proposal is particularly dangerous as it effectively permits Israel to be interventionist with a guarantee that Washington will not seek to limit Netanyahu’s “options.” And, even though the treaty is reciprocal, there is no chance that Israel will ever be called upon to do anything to defend the United States, so it is as one-sided as most arrangements with the Jewish state tend to be." Unz
————-
I was the head of DoD liaison with Israeli general staff intelligence for seven years. During that time and in subsequent decades I have had many discussions with active and retired Israeli officers on the subject of whether or not they wanted a Defense Treaty of Alliance with the United States. The answer is always the same. "No." The reason for that is simple. A treaty is normally reciprocal and they do not want to be obliged to defend the territory or interests of the United State to whatever extent the treaty's text would require.
If JINSA wants this treaty, then the Jewish Agency and the Israeli government want it. Why do they want it? IMO the answer is hidden in plain sight in the text of the "floated" document. The treaty would be activated in the event of physical attacks on Israel but also in the event of PERCEIVED existential threats.
IOW, if the Israelis were to claim that they feared an onslaught by Syria and Hizbullah they could legally claim that the US is obligated to go to war against Syria and Hizbullah.
What a good deal for Israel! Not only would they continue to receive the present river of largess in defense grants and credits but they would also under the treaty have the means with which to order the US armed forces into action against their enemies of choice whenever they wished to do so.
pl
The problem here is that if you point out the obvious you get called an anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist, and smear merchants pour from the woodwork to ruin your name and wreck your livelihood.
Our true enemies are inside the wire and history will be very kind to Pat Buchanan.
Vegetius
your gratitude is deeply appreciated.
Could this be a sign of desperation on the side of the Israelis? That they would completely throw out their previous position, which they clearly had a self-preserving reason for holding, in order to “force” the hand of the United States?
Because in that scenario, the American public would be 100% certain that their youth are dying for a foreign country. An inconvenient truth that Israel has tactfully avoided until now.
How can the United States defend a country with undefined borders?
She will be fighting forever.
Opposing the policies of the governments of Israel or Saudi Arabia does not make you anti-Semitic. I don’t consider either, due to government policies, to be worthy of any treaties with the US. I would even urge limiting any military or economic support until such time that they show that they deserve it.
As I have said before, they inhabitants of that area have been fighting for about 10 thousand years and it is naive to think the US can end that. It may be contained, but a sizable segment of the political class resist even that.
There seems to be some movement away from uncritical support for Israel and I welcome that.
To paraphrase P.J. O’Rourke, this is like doing real estate deals with your dog.
“Beachfront property? You don’t want that, Fido, I’ve got what you really want, a dump! Chicken bones and dead rats everywhere!”
Let me be the devil’s advocate for a minute:
Let’s say that the US DOES go to war to defend Israel. Let’s say, Israel fires missiles into south Lebanon and Hezbollah responds in force. Netanyahu then sends his armored divisions northward where they are immediately bogged down taking heavy casualties…
Netanyahu then implores Trump to send in the troops, and Trump obliges. (Grovelling Congress of course offers their complete support.)
Then what??
Then American troops are killed and wounded in a war that does NOT involve US interests at all.
Imagine how that changes the consciousness of Americans across the country. Imagine how all the taboos about criticizing Israel get flushed down the toilet overnight. Imagine how our relationship with Israel fundamentally changes as the price in blood and treasure becomes unavoidably obvious to every american with access to a TV set or newspaper.
Any war in which even one american soldier dies to defend Israel will fundamentally change the “special relationship” forever. And that could be a very positive development indeed.
Col. Lang
I would hope that all here would appreciate the tremendous professional and personal sacrifice you have made as a result of calling out malign neocon and Zionist influences within the USG. As a patriot & honorable man you will say you had no choice, but I for one would like to express my gratitude nevertheless. Many lesser men have taken the easier path.
The KSA and Likhud share a common battle song – “Onward Christian soldiers”
I second that…Bravo for Col.Lang!
We should all speak out. Traitor trumps anti Semite in every country in the world and ‘imo’ applies to some politicians.
I wrote a letter to Rep Joe Wilson in SC (even though he wasn’t my rep)during the run up the Iraq invasion because of his disgusting salivating for war and called him a traitor. I got back a two page letter explaining how he wasn’t a traitor and I was wrong about the Iraq “threat”,
Only time I ever gotten more than a form letter from a politician….LOL
Review of 1973 Israel/Syria/Egypt War may be instructive here. Israeli-occupied territory in Egyptian Sinai and Syrian Golan was attacked and overrun by those Arab armies.
“We were determined to resist by force if necessary the introduction of Soviet forces into the Middle East regardless of the pretext under which they arrived,” then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger wrote in his memoir.
President Obama/Secretaries Clinton and Kerry diplomacy, whatever else it was, resulted in Russian Federation firmly not only reasserting herself in the Arab world, but in a way more directly at odds with whatever it is that can now be called US middle east “policy” in that region.
Though to many US middle east “experts” UNO Security Council resolution 338 may be a thing of the past, Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly re-stated support for that as the means to address the Golan problem.
338 states as follows: “The Security Council
1. Calls upon all parties to the present fighting to cease all firing and terminate all military activity immediately, no later than 12 hours after the moment of the adoption of this decision, in the positions they now occupy;
2. Calls upon the parties concerned to start immediately after the cease-fire the implementation of Security Council resolution 242 (1967) in all of its parts;
3. Decides that, immediately and concurrently with the cease-fire, negotiations shall start between the parties concerned under appropriate auspices aimed at establishing a just and durable peace in the Middle East.”
And 242 requires Israel to vacate Golan. Camp David Accords resulted in Israel vacating Sinai.
In practical terms what would a Defense Treaty of Alliance with the United States and Israel accomplish?
President Obama’s complete diplomatic failure by which Russia returned to Syria is as big a part of this issue as any.
Obama’s “feckless” foreign policy, as stated by the late, reckless, Sen. John McCain in 2014, referenced Russia actions in Ukraine and Syria.
The fecklessness one may have resulted in direct Russian intervention in Syria, a year later. The reckless one’s answer, as espoused now by Sen. Graham, will not remove them.
The Palestine issue, an unsolved matter from World War I, in fact, also remains at the heart of this conflict.
Henry Churchill King and Charles R. Crane, among others, knew that in 1919, and say so in their report to President Woodrow Wilson.
A century later, where are we?
242 requires Israel to vacate occupied Palestine.
arze
Instructive? Sounds like you are in grad-school. we operate at the post-doctoral level on SST.
Fourth and Long
Incomprehensible
”Let’s say, Israel fires missiles into south Lebanon and Hezbollah responds in force. “”
Israel has that covered already. They will claim Americans were also attacked by Hezbollah….if they have to blow up our new US base there themselves. Say Thank You to our Traitors in congress.
_____________________
US opens first permanent military base in Israel | TheHill
https://thehill.com › policy › defense › 351274-us-opens-first-permanent-…
Sep 18, 2017 – Israel and U.S. officials on Monday inaugurated the first permanent American military base in the country, which will house dozens of U.S. troops and a missile defense system. The base will be located within the Israel Defense Forces Air Defense School in southern Israel, near Beersheba, Defense News reported. The facility will include a barracks and several other buildings for U.S. troops to be stationed in the country, as well as systems to identify and intercept various aerial threats. It will operate under Israeli military directives
”It all started at the end of the past decade: Sen. Mark Kirk, one of Israel’s biggest supporters in the US Congress, suggested situating in Israel the sophisticated X Band Radar, a defensive system that gives early warnings of missile strikes. To the surprise of decision-makers in Jerusalem, the US administration’s Secretary of Defense Robert Gates quickly authorized the exceptional request and within two months, by September 2008, the huge radar system was built in the Negev. It includes two towers of sophisticated sensors, the tallest of their kind in the world”
Where do you place the Star of David on old glory?
pl it won’t matter if we sign it or not. the great bulk of useful israel is confined to a narrow band of land within range of a massive precision conventionally armed missile attack. in the event of a real shootout by the time washington rode in to help much of useful israel would be in ruins and i think it improbable washington will destroy lebanaon,syria and iran BEFORE any of them launch a first strike against israel.
the treaty seems to me more of a realization how screwed the israelis now think they are against implacable foes who can now deliver as good as they get. in the world of geopolitics this treaties existence and public discussion is an open admission of israels already baked in the cake military defeat should they start a real war.
which is why the israelis will try to maintain for peace despite all their usual ‘you’re gonna get it…. threats’
PROsemitism ——- what is it?
If there is an “antisemitism” you must ask: “What is PROsemitism?”
PROsemitism must be a supporter of “semitism”, which really means Judaism (though most Moslems are SEMITIC and most JEWS are NOT). So what are you supporting if you are a PROsemite? Well first of all we must define Judaism:
Judaism is neither a race or a religion, it is Xenophobic Tribalism.
XENOPHOBIC: n.
A person unduly fearful or contemptuous of that which is foreign, especially of strangers or foreign peoples.
TRIBALISM: n.
1. The organization, culture, or beliefs of a tribe.
2. A strong feeling of identity with and loyalty to one’s tribe or group.
So right off the get-go you hate all NON-Jews, NON-members of YOUR group(TRIBE).
You “bundle together” for support and safety, the very definition of Fascism
THAT means, that if I am not one of the TRIBE, you do not like me.
Jews have been practicing eugenics for 3,500 years. Jewish mother “makes” you a Jew. Jewish father decides your tribe.
Since Jews BRAND all NON-Jews “gentile” automatically denigrating them, to be PROsemitic one must by definition be ANTI-GENTILE.
They hate all NON-Jews so fundamentally, that they have to SPECIFICALLY name “RIGHTEOUS GENTILES”.
Those are NON-Jewish HUMANS that went so far out of their way to help/save Jews that the Jews were FORCED to ACKNOWLEDGE the humanity of that specific ‘gentile”. You see, PROsemites do not acknowledge the EQUALITY of spirituality and humanity of “gentiles”
What the Jewish Rabbis think of JESUS “As for Christianity, there is a dispute among Halachic authorities, but the vast majority consider it idolatry as well. Islam, on the other hand, is not considered idolatry.” Read that last bit again VERY SLOWLY so the “christianzionists” can follow: “ISLAM, on the other hand, is NOT considered idolatry.” ………..
According to the SPLC & ADL an organization is a “HATE GROUP” if it has
“beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people”.
Jews have HATED Egypt for 3,500 years.
Jews have HATED Babylon for 2,500 years.
Jews have HATED CHRIST and his followers for 2,000 years.
For 3,500 years antiGENTILISM has been the glue binding Judaism
Israel’s entire being is predicated on the hatered of non-jews holding “The Tribe” together.
David Ben-Gurion, one of the father founders of Israel, described Zionist aims in 1948: “A Christian state should be established [in Lebanon], with its southern border on the Litani river. We will make an alliance with it. When we smash the Arab Legion’s strength and bomb Amman, we will eliminate Transjordan too, and then Syria will fall. If Egypt still dares to fight on, we shall bomb Port Said, Alexandria and Cairo… And in this fashion, we will end the war and settle our forefathers’ account with Egypt, Assyria, and Aram “………….. read that again
“and settle our forefathers’ account with Egypt, Assyria, and Aram”
They are STILL HATING and planning deadly attacks after 3,500+ YEARS .
How do you think they feel about JESUS CHRIST whom they have HATED for 2,000 years.
Israel’s MOTTOES:
(1) NEVER forgive & NEVER forget.
(2) By Way of Deception you will Do War.
Their ONLY(monotheistic) “god” is a WAR god
PROsemitism is antiGENTILEism and Gentiles are ALL NON-jews.
I imagine that’s the point. We are currently in northeast Syria and still in Iraq due to Israel.
What should be the over-under on this passing. I imagine out of the US Senate Vegas would have this at 98 out of 100. Maybe Senator Paul and Sanders would vote against it. Maybe not. I would take the over.
On the House side it is even more of a joke. Over-under at 425. I would bet it all on the over. Minus the Squad. AOC would probably cave since she is eying a long easy career.
This relevant….originally from the NYT
https://theiranproject.com/blog/2019/09/05/the-secret-history-of-the-push-to-strike-iran/
In another sphere this ‘mutual’ defense treaty would be a joke. It is carefully worded to permit Israel to continue to mow the regional grass as it sees fit (Natanz?) with a cast iron guarantee that any sizeable response will trigger war with the US. Sen. Graham may as well be suggesting that the command structure of US Forces be folded into the IDF.
Article 3 includes the following, which to me sounds like wording to cover a cyber attack:
It also includes a catch-all that the treaty can be activated by an “urgent request” by either Power. Article 4 says Israel gets any Five Eyes intel concerning its security. I was surprised by this, as I had assumed this was the case already.
https://jinsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/JINSA-For-a-Narrow-U.S.-Israel-Defense-Pact-7-30-19.pdf
”israelis will try to maintain for peace ”
Time for my true monkey story.
When I was about 10 years old a associate of my father had a pet monkey or it might have been a chimp as it seemed a little bigger.
He had rescued/bought the monkey from a traveling animal show and took the monkey everywhere he went. Restaurants, stores, that didn’t normally allow pets in let him in because they were so taken with the tale of the poor rescued monkey.
The monkey has his own room at his house and a swing set and anything he pointed at and chattered ,the man bought for him.
They were a fixture in town, the man and the monkey.
One day my father mentioned that he was concerned the monkey was getting out of control. The man had brought him to my fathers office and the monkey went wild, jumping on everything and throwing things around.
Sometime later we heard the man was in the hospital. He had trained the monkey to do things at home and bring him things.
So he was sitting on an outdoor porch and told the monkey to go get them two cokes from the fridge.
The monkey went and got the cokes but didn’t want to hand one over to the man. The man tried to take it from him and the monkey bashed him in the head with the coke bottle right beside his eye.
Some neighbors heard the ensuing yelling of the man and screeching of the monkey and went to help.
I don’t remember hearing what happened to the monkey, whether he was put down as dangerous or turned over to some animal zoo, but the man didn’t keep him.
The man let the poor abused monkey get too spoiled and got bashed in the head for it. This is where we are at with Israel and its supporters.
Bibi is iching to attack Iran – it fits the image he has of himself. It is probable that Bibi will take advantage of this proposed treaty. I can see a scenerio where the IAF bombs Iranian nuclear facilities (the IAF has already flown a number of missions to the Iranian border to test Iranian defense responses). When Iran and Hezballah respond with missiles into Israel, Bibi will run to Trump and try to get the U.S. to take over bombing of Iran proper as well as the ground operation to rout out Hezballah from Lebanon. This could get ugly fast and spark a much wider Mideast War as Iraqi and Syrian shite militias join the fight and I can see the possibility that the Iraqi government will declare war against Iran’s enemies.
I think Israel will be making a major mistake is provoking a wide ranging mideast war. Hezballah’s missiles alone will cause major panic in Israel leading a portion of the millions of dual passport holders to leave, perhaps permanently.
jdledell
As I have proposed before you would be most welcome as the head Israel person on SST.
I read Mr. Giraldi’s piece on this issue shortly after it was posted on the Unz Review last month. I immediately began drafting a letter for both of my U.S. Senators. Coincidently, I put the finishing touches on the letters this evening and prepared them for the USPS, and I will drop them into the box tomorrow morning.
I ended my two page effort with the following paragraph:
“How about, for a change, we put the national security interests of the United States ahead of those of a foreign power. Our country is already overcommitted around the world. The defense of Israel is not a compelling United States national security concern. Let’s consign Senator Graham’s proposed treaty to the dustbin, where it belongs.”
I expect to receive a response from Pat Roberts (R-KS); he has always been courteous about responding to my communications, even when he disagrees (he was not happy when I wrote a couple years ago about the USS Liberty incident).
I won’t hear a thing from Jerry Moran (R-KS).
You are underestimating what is at stake here. Should Israel, the state as well as the Jewish people, attack Iran, it would the first time in 2500 years that Yehud have betrayed Iran. For their sake, I hope they do not test Iran. The war with Iran and Shia will never end until Israel is destroyed, in my opinion.
Short answer: No!
Long answer: The same No. We already give them a huge chest of treasure every year, why would we want to give our blood to defend them. The IAF is the aggressor in the region, conducting pre-emptive attacks on Iranian positions in Syria and Iraq. Yet Iran is not going to attack them unless they attack Iranian soil. Iran and China are working on a strtegic partnership of their own. An economic pact and not a mutual defense pact, but it would put 5,000 Chinese in Iran. They don’t want to upset that applecart, and neither should we. But unfortunately there are plenty of hardliner hotheads in both Israel and Iran.
https://www.petroleum-economist.com/articles/politics-economics/middle-east/2019/china-and-iran-flesh-out-strategic-partnership
And why should we upgrade Israel from their current status as a Major Non-NATO Ally? That already gives them the same standing as Japan and South Korea and was put in effect by Papa Bush and his congress. Then a few years ago we advanced them to a so-called strategic partner through the US-Izzie Strategic Partnership Act. No further alliances are needed.
Graham should stop stirring the pot, drop his US citizenship, and enlist in the IDF. He could then lie about his military service there like his spurious claim that he was a veteran of both Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
https://apnews.com/a1fcceda5e00bfa840afe5a82260c2ef
Chimpanzees are known for this sort of behavior. From human perspective, they are deranged.
Thank you, Colonel.
Re-destabilizing Syria would seem to be a feature here, for Bibi and Erdogan.
The IAF doesnt have the capability to drop 30 ton MOABs, short of us giving them a B-2. Perhaps the goal is to “mow the grass” (see NYT story) enough to trigger a response and get the US to do the heavy lifting and keep Iraq in-line.
Is Lindsey on Israel’s payroll?
Agreed!
“I second that…Bravo for Col.Lang!”
I would like to ‘third’ that!
Good capsulization!
Yup. Just like 9/11.
if the isareli military command structure is a dumb and spoiled as that monkey we all are in trouble. if however only the israeli politicians are idiots then for moment there is small cause for alarm.
same here, even though presidents and advisors can starts wars if the military high command is deeply opposed to it before a war begins its scale is likely to be downgraded from ………we are all gonna die if WE do as you want (stated by the pentagon) to… lets just make it ..look like.. we are serious.
i seriously doubt the ability to actually start a world war is left to the judgement of politicians in this day and age. only after a purge of sane military command could such insanity prevail
i for one am enjoying the squad of 4 yapping away, as i enjoy bernie fulminating and warren scolding us all for being, warmly human.
i say go for it guys because if this nonsense does NOT awaken normal americans to see the threat these people pose then we genuinely deserve what fate has in store for us should they prevail.
Any number of passports above one, reduces the loyalty of the holder to 0. It is a mystery why the USG allows citizens of other nations to sit in our legislatures, run our banks and control our infotainment industries. Much as I dislike most functionaries and minions, I would think that at least they should be loyal to their paycheck issuer.
Pat,
I think the formulation “enemies of choice” is sadly very accurate.
Netanyahu just visited Boris Johnson in London and he pretty much demanded flatly that the UK has to stop talking with Iran about keeping the 2015 agreement with Iran over nuclear things alive (despite Trump), for Israel (and against the rest of Europe).
Odds that Johnson will obey are IMO great. I read Johnson wants to move the UK embassy to Jerusalem too.
In its own way it reminds me of Brazil Bolsonaro’s son Eduardo.
That man is iirc currently under investigation for apparently hiring a murderer who shot a left critic of dad (now, who isn’t left of Bolsonaro?). Daddy Jair Bolsonaro apparently wants to make Eduardo ambassador to the US. Probably … overqualified.
Eduardo Bolsonaro very recently said that Brazil wouldn’t, quote, “prostitute itself” to get foreign money to fix the damage of the massive amazonas fires.
https://media1.faz.net/ppmedia/aktuell/2011629659/1.6359403/format_top1_breit/deutliche-worte-von.jpg
Saying so he chose wore a Trump 2020 baseball cap. Already rented?
Alas, Stephen Bannon advised his dad during the election (just as he co-wrote Johnson’s resignation letter).
the IAF has already flown a number of missions to the Iranian border to test Iranian defense responses
This is what Israel and its US media say. Those statements picked the tempo (so to speak) precisely around the times when Israel almost totally lost any ability to enter Syria’s air space (especially after IL-20 incident) and was reduced to attacks by stand-off munitions from own (Israeli) air space. Most of it is bravado. To attack Bushehr, which is in 1000 miles straight distance from Israel’s air fields (that means flying also over Kuwait and Iraq) while using Israel’s longest range stand-off munition such as Delilah with its 180 miles range will require a major operation and a number of munitions to even dent anything around Bushehr, which, accidentally, is defended both by S-300 PMU-2, Tor M1 (which is specifically designed for defeating cruise missiles) and by Iranian indigenous complexes. So, no Israel is probing nothing because Israeli Air Force has an experience of “encountering” air defense systems. In 1973 it didn’t go down well even against rather mediocre Egyptian crews, diluted with some Soviet advisers. They know (in Israel) how to calculate SEAD and that is why Israel desperately needs USAF and its assets in the region to get involved. After all, nobody still (on Israeli side) can give a coherent answer on what kind of “stray bird” “damaged” IAF’s F-35 above Syria that it allegedly “hard-landed” somewhere in Israel. As Iranians proved recently, by shooting down RQ-4A Global Hawk, they see whatever they want to see and that they are pretty good in targets’ tracking (there was US P-8 flying not far from Global Hawk). Israel knows this. Because of that Israel will continue her PR campaign trying to involve US into this whole mess. Israel is also highly aware (as well as very sensitive to) that if alleged “probing” ends with one or two of the “probing” IAF’s aircraft being shot down–that will create a political crisis in Israel on a major scale.
The Telegraph, which is fairly close to Johnson, seems to deny that Boris will bend his knee to Netanyahu:
“Britain rejects calls to take tougher stance on Iran as Benjamin Netanyahu meets Boris Johnson”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/09/05/britain-rejects-calls-take-tougher-stance-iran-benjamin-netanyahu/
But Johnson has been scarcely coherent this week, so it could be he said the opposite and forgot, ot is dissembling.
William, instead pro-Semitism, one can use “philo-semitism”, with a slight difference in meaning, maybe hairsplitting.
johnf,
re: “But Johnson has been scarcely coherent this week, so it could be he said the opposite and forgot, ot is dissembling.”
I found his brother’s departure from Boris government and the tories simply wonderful, in particular because of his brother’s explanation – that he could no longer balance loyalty to family (i.e. Boris) with the national interest.
Sadly that is IMO rather accurate (never mind that it is a pity it took him so long to speak that out loudly).
I think Boris is currently on a personal amok run, trying to ram the Brexit through with all force (if necessary illegal) in order to take away from Farage’s Brexit party the iirc only thing they so far has in their program – the Brexit (and the creepy grin of Farage).
As for coherence – disturbing enough that Boris said that the UK under him finally made immense progress in negotiation the Brexit with Brussels.
In fact that’s unsurprisingly more of his utter nonsense since the UK is …
(a) actually not negotiating at all and
(b) keeps negotiators out of negotiations since they are ‘needed in London’ and
(c) has not offered anything new, limiting it to more Boris chanting “I want Brexit to Halloween or die”
Farage’s Brexit troupe got iirc some 30% or so in the EU election.
Boris being Boris likely is trying to overtake Farage and the Brexit party by being even righter than the Brexit party. Thus I do not expect any moderation from him at all.
Barbara, the Israelis do cooperate with Five Eyes, but it is usually a one way street. One way because neither the Brits nor the US want Tel Aviv to know the details of GCHQ/NSA spying on Olmert and Barak for sure, and probably also Netanyahu. Five Eyes has also targeted the Racah Institute of Physics in Jerusalem.
https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/21/world/nsa-dragnet-included-allies-aid-groups-and-business-elite.html
Colonel,
Why oh why does Graham walk around with his head up his backsides when it comes to Israel? The only answer I can arrive at is m-o-n-e-y that Israeli 5th column operatives like Sheldon Adelson are slipping Graham under the table.
Graham sadly is a JAG with no combat experience, he’s never witnessed death of other human beings up close and personal, he’s IMO a wannabe arm-chair (g)eneral who likes playing big shot and throwing other people’s kids under the bus for his personal amusement.
Guess he’s never heard of the USS Liberty, or the Beirut Barracks bombing where the Mossad left our Marines hung out to dry, or Graham just doesn’t give a damn.
I think he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place. If he doesn’t do a No Deal Brexit he is likely to lose a large number of votes to Farage in the coming election, if he does swing to Farage he is likely to lose a whole lot of his support to Remain parties.
A fate he richly deserves.
jdledell
I see Haaretz has an op-ed today calling both for a preemptive strike on Hizbullah and for the voicing of an unequivocal threat by Israel that “Tehran will be wiped off the map” in the event of Hizbullah loosing its arsenal. I assume a nuclear strike would be the only way Israel itself could achieve this.
https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-a-preemptive-attack-is-a-must-1.7804152?=&ts=_1567800073800
P.S. I would welcome your authorship of Israel-related posts on SST.
Babak – I agree with you that attacking Iran would be catastrophic mistake. Israel has an abundance of overconfidence. The IDF is basically trained to handle defenseless Palestinians – not warriors like Hezballah. For crying out loud, the IDF got chewed up by even Hamas when they went into Gaza. The IDF is NOT a seasoned or effective military. The reliance on Reserve soldiers with poor cohesion makes for ineffective fighting units. The IAF flying around in Syrian and Lebanese airspace is NOT the same as taking on Iran proper. The IAF in probing Iran realizes that they have very limited ability to deliver the kind of heavy bombs that will hurt Iran. The objective is to piss off Iran enough that they retaliate thus bringing the U.S. heavy bombers into play.
Colonel,
His bio shows that Graham is a Retired Air Force Colonel. Doesn’t Graham’s advocacy for the Israeli government bring his oath(s) into question? His oath as a Retired Officer, and his oath as a sitting Senator.
Colonel,
Take a gander at this article on Graham:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/for-lindsey-graham-years-of-light-duty-as-a-lawmaker-in-the-air-reserve/2015/08/02/c9beb9fc-3545-11e5-adf6-7227f3b7b338_story.html?noredirect=on
A dialogue between Babak and Jdledell might be interesting.
I am leaning towards the elefant’s fabulous memory in private life partly, somwhow, but not in reading, or thus on the web.
I hope you will accept Col. Lang’s offer and be the Israeli source.
You are very objective and rational I think.
I have seen your comments before and paid attention to them…at Steve Clemmons Washington Note?…or maybe elsewhere.
I have also wondered about Graham’s fanatical support of Israel. Its an open secret/rumor that Graham is gay but that’s not enough to for SC to kick him out these days.
Opensecrets shows Graham reveiving $561,615.
But there are 14 others with $1 to $2 million from Pro Israel orgs, with Mark Kirk being the highest at just over $2 million.
http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary.php?ind=q05&cycle=All&recipdetail=H&mem=Y
It may not be money it may be fear of the media and press, that we all know is slanted toward Israel, being unleashed on him by the US Zios if he doesnt follow their commands.
Graham has no life or interest that I could find except his political office and he would likely do anything to keep it.
Dual Passport activity is a big business in Israel. Israel is by definition primarily an immigrant country. Just about all the Jewish population came from somewhere else, Europe and the Soviet Union primarily. Even children and grandchildren of immigrants can establish enough ties to their old countries to get a passport. They do this “just in case” life in Israel gets too hot to handle. Not surprisingly, relativily fewer Americans hold Dual Passports with Israel. I am one of them because I lived in Israel in the early 1980’s and was given one. I only keep it because it makes travel in Israel and especially the West Bank so much easier than with my U.S. Passport. Shin Bet has a file on me which includes ever Blog Post I make about Israel. To put it mildly, they do not like what I write about Israel and make my life miserable when landing at Ben Gurion. However, as an Israeli citizen they have to let me in and I am pretty sure that with just a U.S passport, they would put me on the next plane back to the U.S.
While it may make very good sense for Israel, I do not believe that dual nationality of Americans is good for America.
But then again I am not as cosmopolitan as some.
As the war on error eats up resources,new carrots with longer sticks will be needed.That needs spending and as asia has china to rely on for new carrots resources would be better spent securing a med land bridge through israel in the event of a suez closure or even a yemen coastal closure.red sea access is vital for the same reason.There will come a time when the skies are stalemated and only boots on the ground can win.Oil being replaced by another form of energy is the only reality that can change this scenario.It is israel that secures western access to the oil fields.By choking the oil pipelines and shipping you control the world economies.seizure of tankers is only the beginning of a new reality.This will escalate.Venezuela is the key.The us seizes the oil fields and priorities might change for the us but not for europe.The total encirclement of the honey pot in the m e. by iran will result in the us losing any leverage it has in asia.That includes access to markets.
anon
Israel does not control the flow of oil.
Agreed,market forces do.They rely on intelligence.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/08/iran-warns-israel-aiding-mission-strait-hormuz-190809113216286.html