Obama's nose meets AIPAC's bottom.
8th March 2012
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If there was a US political version of the Ten Commandments the most important of them would be thus: thou shalt kiss the behind of American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
In 2008, on his way to the White House, Barack Obama made a grovelling speech to them, pledging $30 billion dollars of assistance over a decade, and promising to protect them from Iran (though in reality, it is Israel & the United States who are posing the threat to Iran).
On Sunday Obama found himself back in front of AIPAC, when he delivered a speech that was quite frankly awful. In it, he repeatedly claimed that he was Israel’s 'greatest friend' and that ‘he had Israel’s back’.
He also made some interesting statements, challenging the Goldstone Report on the basis that it, "unfairly singled out Israel." But maybe the reason that this 'singling out' happened was that the UN fact finding mission, despite ‘repeatedly [seeking] to obtain the cooperation of the government of Israel’ never received the support of the Israeli government. The Palestinians on the other hand, did offer the mission their full assistance.
The report, which focuses on the Gaza War that took place from December 2008 - January 2009, does in fact criticise Palestinian attacks which ‘fail[ed] to distinguish between military targets and the civilian population,’ and ‘caused terror in the affected communities of southern Israel’.
What irks Obama is the fact that it also highlights numerous Israeli abuses, including their use of white phosphorous and their ‘deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian objects’. One such example being an attack on a house in the al-Samouni area of Gaza City, in which a house that had been filled with Palestinian civilians by Israeli forces was then intentionally shelled.
In his speech, Obama went on to say that, “When Israel was isolated in the aftermath of the flotilla incident; we supported them,” referring to the raid that took place in May 2010 in which 9 Turkish activists (one of whom was a Turkish-American called Furkhan Dogan) were killed on board the Mavi Marmara.
This raid was denounced by the UN as a ‘violation of international law’ and led to a breakdown of the friendship between Israel and Turkey, one of the United States key allies.
Obama continued by stating his opposition to ‘one-sided’ Human Rights Resolutions brought up at the Human Rights Council.
One of these was a resolution that called for the Israeli government to conduct an independent investigation to look into what happened during the Gaza War. This resolution passed with 29 votes in favour, 6 votes against, and 11 abstentions.
Obama then went on to defend his veto of a Palestinian state last September at the UN, and spouted his usual guff about Iran’s nuclear capabilities and the country’s support for terror. There was of course no mention of Mossad (Israel’s central intelligence agency) assassinating Iranian scientists.
In 2008, on his way to the White House, Barack Obama made a grovelling speech to them, pledging $30 billion dollars of assistance over a decade, and promising to protect them from Iran (though in reality, it is Israel & the United States who are posing the threat to Iran).
On Sunday Obama found himself back in front of AIPAC, when he delivered a speech that was quite frankly awful. In it, he repeatedly claimed that he was Israel’s 'greatest friend' and that ‘he had Israel’s back’.
He also made some interesting statements, challenging the Goldstone Report on the basis that it, "unfairly singled out Israel." But maybe the reason that this 'singling out' happened was that the UN fact finding mission, despite ‘repeatedly [seeking] to obtain the cooperation of the government of Israel’ never received the support of the Israeli government. The Palestinians on the other hand, did offer the mission their full assistance.
The report, which focuses on the Gaza War that took place from December 2008 - January 2009, does in fact criticise Palestinian attacks which ‘fail[ed] to distinguish between military targets and the civilian population,’ and ‘caused terror in the affected communities of southern Israel’.
What irks Obama is the fact that it also highlights numerous Israeli abuses, including their use of white phosphorous and their ‘deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian objects’. One such example being an attack on a house in the al-Samouni area of Gaza City, in which a house that had been filled with Palestinian civilians by Israeli forces was then intentionally shelled.
In his speech, Obama went on to say that, “When Israel was isolated in the aftermath of the flotilla incident; we supported them,” referring to the raid that took place in May 2010 in which 9 Turkish activists (one of whom was a Turkish-American called Furkhan Dogan) were killed on board the Mavi Marmara.
This raid was denounced by the UN as a ‘violation of international law’ and led to a breakdown of the friendship between Israel and Turkey, one of the United States key allies.
Obama continued by stating his opposition to ‘one-sided’ Human Rights Resolutions brought up at the Human Rights Council.
One of these was a resolution that called for the Israeli government to conduct an independent investigation to look into what happened during the Gaza War. This resolution passed with 29 votes in favour, 6 votes against, and 11 abstentions.
Obama then went on to defend his veto of a Palestinian state last September at the UN, and spouted his usual guff about Iran’s nuclear capabilities and the country’s support for terror. There was of course no mention of Mossad (Israel’s central intelligence agency) assassinating Iranian scientists.
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