tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25656996.post1650495315997601725..comments2024-03-28T21:47:05.704+00:00Comments on David Lindsay: Getting Israel RightDavid Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06839882674758833524noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25656996.post-72827918283136268592011-06-17T04:32:14.451+01:002011-06-17T04:32:14.451+01:00Greetings,
Can you please provide a source for th...Greetings,<br /><br />Can you please provide a source for this statement: "When Israel attacked a nuclear reactor in Iraq in 1981 almost the entire US Congress voted to condemn the act".<br /><br />Thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25656996.post-57472449703922293732011-06-03T15:15:14.649+01:002011-06-03T15:15:14.649+01:00It's not em to whom you need to be telling the...It's not em to whom you need to be telling these things.<br /><br />And again I say, the Reagan Administration could do as it liked, but this is about the American, not the British, system, and members of Congress are not bound by what their party does in the Executive branch. Those Cold Warriors and Moral Majoritarians did not recant their censure of Israel. Very few of them did, in fact.David Lindsayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06839882674758833524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25656996.post-37664565487487867192011-06-03T15:09:00.915+01:002011-06-03T15:09:00.915+01:00Two points:
The Reagan administration corrected i...Two points:<br /><br />The Reagan administration corrected itself, and stood on Israel's side regarding the Iraq nuclear reactor. That is a fact.<br /><br />As for the Iraq invasion, a number of American Jewish groups supported the war. The Israeli government, however, strongly opposed the war. Moreover, that government provided the US government its security assessment that Iraq was not likely building nuclear weapons. That is a fact, one which even Walt and Mearsheimer have now publicly acknowledged. Once the US made clear that Israel's opinion on the matter was not welcome, Israel, on their telling, fell in line and supported the US program.<br /><br />Small countries, like Israel, do not have the luxury to waste time on fights that do not effect their survival. Iraq, while clearly a enemy of Israel that supported terrorists fighting Israel, was not Israel's concern, not then and not now.Nealnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25656996.post-13623480656053990212011-06-03T14:47:34.529+01:002011-06-03T14:47:34.529+01:00"the same people all came to conclude"
..."the same people all came to conclude"<br /><br />"All"? Every one of those members of Congress, almost the total membership, who had so very recently voted to censure Israel?<br /><br />As for Israel's not having ordered up the Iraq War, well, all I can say is that certain members of the Lobby are still decidedly behind the curve if that is now the party line. Any criticism of that war was screamed down as "anti-Semitic" at the time and for several years thereafter, and by certain people it still is.David Lindsayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06839882674758833524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25656996.post-8850994710288537412011-06-03T04:38:54.425+01:002011-06-03T04:38:54.425+01:00I understood the article. However, you fail to rec...I understood the article. However, you fail to recognise that shortly after condemning Israel, the same people all came to conclude, after Israel provided them with intelligence the US lacked, that Israel was in the right. <br /><br />Your contention seems to be that Israel somehow controls US policy, post Reagan. That, however, is nonsense. If Israel really controlled the US, the US would not have attacked Iraq - something the Israelis strongly counselled against and, instead, attacked Iran, as Israel then counselled. <br /><br />So, I think we have an article that is, on the surface, nonsense. Israel never controlled US policy. Israel has gotten its way often but not always, with all administrations. That is no less true under Clinton and Bush II, who routinely ignored Israel's requests and gave arms, against Israel's requests, to Israel's enemies. <br /><br />Again, we have people who are obsessed with Israel ever getting its way, alleging, notwithstanding all evidence, that again and again, Israel does not really get its way with the US. Or, perhaps you might note: the Israelis are ticked off with Obama for breaking a promise given in writing to the Israelis, on which the Israelis banked on as the quid pro quo for ceding Gaza. That is not quite siding with Israel, is it? Nor did even Bush II always side with Israel. He also played games with them.Nealnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25656996.post-23492093967547960992011-06-02T22:59:46.315+01:002011-06-02T22:59:46.315+01:00Not at all. This article is about the numerous Con...Not at all. This article is about the numerous Congressional Republicans at the time who were hardline Cold Warriors, or fervent members of the Christian Right, or both. Almost all of them voted to condemn Israel.<br /><br />Indeed, almost the only Republican who didn't was Ron Paul, precisely because he didn't see it as America's business whom anyone else bombed, so long as it wasn't America.David Lindsayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06839882674758833524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25656996.post-23803959320328853692011-06-02T22:49:27.310+01:002011-06-02T22:49:27.310+01:00Not mentioned in the article is that Reagan and hi...Not mentioned in the article is that Reagan and his foreign policy team, shortly after condemning Israel's attack, came to believe the attack was an act of great courage and in the interest of the US. So, the premise of this article is suspect.Nealnoreply@blogger.com