The U.S. response to Israel's invasion of Lebanon and the corporate media reporting on it are a textbook study in Zionist propaganda. Every propaganda technique--from obfuscation and prevarication to transference, name calling, and direct censorship--is represented. Here I write to NPR's "All Things Considered" on the obfuscation of very direct leverage which the U.S. could exercise in reigning in Israel--if it so chose.
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To: All Things Considered
Date: July 15, 2006
I am writing in response to Michele Norris' July 14 interview with Edward Djerejian. When Norris asked the former U.S. ambassador to Israel (and Syria) what steps the U.S. should take to address the current situation, the ambassador blithely came up with a mouthful of diplomatic-sounding niceties, like a U.S. call for cessation of hostilities by all parties, getting the opposing sides to talk, and possible prisoner exchange.
He did not mention--and Norris did not dare ask about--the most obvious leverage the U.S. has in the conflict--the six billion dollars plus, which the U.S. doles out to Israel every year. Does that mountain of U.S. tax payers' money come with no accountability whatsoever?
It would seem that attempting to unseat a duly elected government (Hamas), bombing the Beirut Airport, and destroying vast civilian infrastructure in Gaza are violations of international law, whatever excuses Israel makes for these actions. If an Arab state engaged in such violations--for any reason--it would be under international sanctions or other forms of economic strangulation, like yesterday. A perfect example is the U.S. rush to block previously promised aid to Hamas, in the absence of any provocative acts by the latter, subsequent to the PA election.
It is high time to hold Israel to basic standards of International Law, or stop sending them our tax dollars.
Sincerely,
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