Pentagon Wants To Sell Advanced Weapons To Israel
US Defense Department officials are asking Congress to authorize the sale of 3,000 smart bombs to Israel. The Jewish state also plans to ask the American military for 5th-generation stealth F-22 fighter jets.
A Pentagon spokesperson said Friday that it was in the US’s interests to help strengthen Israel’s defenses, and that the sale was in line with the US policy of working to achieve peace in the Middle East, help Israel reach an agreement with its neighbors, and “anchor the stability of the entire region.”
I fail to see how strengthening the greatest power in a volatile region helps to anchor stability or achieve peace. It is somewhat like giving your buddy an AK-47 to protect himself against the neighbor he suspects of having an illegal handgun.
Israel has recently protested against US plans to sell these same bombs to Saudi Arabia.
The entire scheme sounds like nothing more than a plan to maintain the status quo, while using Israel as a pawn with which to pressure Iran and Syria.
There will never be peace in the Middle East so long as Bush and Cheney have their warmongering, moneymaking iron in the fire.
There are 3 Comments to "Pentagon Wants To Sell Advanced Weapons To Israel"
Excellent, insightful analysis. Perhaps you could enlighten us as to why Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush 41 and Clinton failed to bring peace to the region.
In my opinion, the United States has never really been that interested in bringing peace to the Middle East. We have always had another agenda that seemed more important at the time. For instance, during the late 40′s and the 50′s, our main concern was the Soviet Union, and keeping them from moving in on the oil supply there, while at the same time having access to that oil ourselves.
While we have supported various tyrannical regimes during the past 60 years–leading to mistrust by the native peoples–we have always given unwavering support to Israel.
While some of those presidents may have had good intentions, the fact remains that one side–the Palestinians–don’t really trust us. How can the ally of your enemy broker a deal for peace with him?
That is how I see the situation. What is your take on this topic?
Precisely. Peace can only be made between the parties. As some famous statesman said “States do not have allies, only interests”. Please note that the United States has assiduosly followed international law and conventions in re Israel.
Israel was established by the UN in 1948. The states in the region summarily rejected this and attempted to solve their differences militarily. They failed.
Eisenhower stopped European interests when he told Emgland, France and Israel to back off when they attempted to seize the Suez Canal.
The amount of foreign aid to Israel and Egypt has been consistently and purposely approximately equal.
The US has always paid market price for oil. Yes, international free trade is a bedrock of US foreign policy. The US Navy was commissioned in 1794 specifically to deal with piracy by the “Musselmen”.
President Clinton brokered a “deal” for the Palestinians which gave them most of what they wanted. Don Arafat rejected that deal out of hand and called for the intifada.
The Palestinians are not an entity with which you can negotiate. They are, and always have been, victims of the criminal gangs which hold power through brutality and intimidation. The situation has been cynically manipulated by the autocratic regimes in the region for their own ends.
Bringing peace to the middle east has, for the last 60 years, been an objective of US foreign policy. In my opinion the Arabs do not want peace. Peace is a two way street. The only unilateral peace is the peace of the grave. Sometimes you just have to shoot the rats. Nazis, Imperial Japan, Imperial Russia, … Not our preference but excrement happens.