Peter Myers Digest December 11 – Situation Report: The World

(1) NYT article says Israel Knew Hamas’s Attack Plan More Than a Year Ago
(2) Intelligence Failure story was a cover-up
(3) Israel Saw Warnings of Hamas Attack The Day Before Oct 7, Chose Not to Alert Nova Festival
(4) Despite Intel Warnings, IDF didn’t inform the Nova Festival – Haaretz
(5) Ban Israel from the UN – Eric Walberg
(6) At UNSC, US vetoes Gaza ceasefire resolution sponsored by UAE
(7) Israeli Soldiers Sing “I’m Coming to Occupy Gaza” and “Wipe off the Seed of Amalek”
(8) Thomas Massie (R-KY) suggests that Congress Cares More About Israel Than America
(9) Washington is run by Israel’s proxies – PHILIP GIRALDI

(1) NYT article says Israel Knew Hamas’s Attack Plan More Than a Year Ago

This is significant, and suggests a Stand-down occurred on Oct 7. By comparison, the NYT has never published assertions of a standdown on 9/11 – Peter M.

Israel Knew Hamas’s Attack Plan More Than a Year Ago
A blueprint reviewed by The Times laid out the attack in detail. Israeli officials dismissed it as aspirational and ignored specific warnings.

By Ronen Bergman and Adam Goldman
Reporting from Tel Aviv

Published Nov. 30, 2023
Updated Dec. 2, 2023

Israeli officials obtained Hamas’s battle plan for the Oct. 7 terrorist attack more than a year before it happened, documents, emails and interviews show. But Israeli military and intelligence officials dismissed the plan as aspirational, considering it too difficult for Hamas to carry out.

The approximately 40-page document, which the Israeli authorities code-named “Jericho Wall,” outlined, point by point, exactly the kind of devastating invasion that led to the deaths of about 1,200 people.

The translated document, which was reviewed by The New York Times, did not set a date for the attack, but described a methodical assault designed to overwhelm the fortifications around the Gaza Strip, take over Israeli cities and storm key military bases, including a division headquarters.

Ronen Bergman is a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, based in Tel Aviv. His latest book is “Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel’s Targeted Assassinations,” published by Random House. More about Ronen Bergman

Adam Goldman writes about the F.B.I. and national security. He has been a journalist for more than two decades. More about Adam Goldman

A version of this article appears in print on Dec. 1, 2023, Section A, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: Israelis Saw Plan For Hamas Atttack Over a Year Ago. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

(2) Intelligence Failure story was a cover-up

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2023-12-02/vindicated-israeli-intelligence-knew-october-7-attack-plan-year-advance

VINDICATED: Israeli Intelligence Knew October 7 Attack Plan a Year in Advance

BY TDB
SUNDAY, DEC 03, 2023 – 5:04
Originally published via Armageddon Prose:

On October 8th, the day after the Hamas attack, I penned an article calling bullshit on the “intelligence failure” narrative that emerged immediately in the aftermath — how could the governing authorities and media call it confidently an “intelligence failure” mere hours after the event? — just as the same narrative emerged just following the 9/11 attacks in Manhattan and DC.

Although I always take the time to carefully weigh evidence before making any definitive statements, as responsible journalists do, I didn’t feel compelled to wait or hedge in this case because it was palpably clear from the start that the narrative was total propaganda and would subsequently be debunked in the coming days and weeks.

Even based on the limited evidence available on October 8th, basic logic defied the “intelligence failure” story:

· Gaza is among the, if not the, most heavily surveilled strips of land on Earth, both from the air (satellite and drone surveillance) and via Mossad spooks on the ground (what the so-called “intelligence community” calls “human intelligence” or “humint” because it loves insular jargon)

· Gaza is among the most densely populated strips of land on Earth

· The Israeli government controls all of Gaza’s borders in a total siege-style blockade. Nothing goes in or out without the state’s blessing

· The October 8 operation involved tens of thousands of operatives and a bevy of equipment that would be virtually impossible to move into and around Gaza without detection

· Hamas clearly had international financial and logistical support, which could not have flowed into the strip without detection

· Months, if not years of planning went into the operation, including erecting a mock Israeli town inside of Gaza to use for practice. Israeli intelligence literally watched these training sessions from outposts on the border.

· Hamas, sponsored by Iran, had enormous geopolitical incentive to attack when it did, as Israel was on the verge of signing normalization agreements with the Sunni Muslim world that would have threatened Iranian interests, which Israel well understood

· Netanyahu’s historically controversial and unpopular government was barely clinging to power at the time of the attack, the target of unprecedentedly intense and large protests. Bibi himself was on the verge of imprisonment on corruption charges. An excuse to wage what could be framed as an “existential” war and remain in power indefinitely — which has since transpired — was seemingly the only way to remain for Netanyahu and his hardline allies to remain in office and out of prison. This objective necessarily would have required ignoring actionable intelligence.

… And this is by no means an exhaustive list of the reasons that point to the impossibility of Israeli intelligence ignorance of the impending attack and the incentives that all parties involved had to let October 7 play out the way it did.

It subsequently came out that the substantially less powerful Egyptian intelligence, which does not operate in sovereign Israeli territory of the Gaza Strip as Mossad does, knew of the attack beforehand and warned their Israeli counterparts, which went unheeded.

And now we have further vindication.

Via The New York Times:

“Israeli officials obtained Hamas’s battle plan for the Oct. 7 terrorist attack more than a year before it happened, documents, emails and interviews show. But Israeli military and intelligence officials dismissed the plan as aspirational, considering it too difficult for Hamas to carry out.

Hamas followed the blueprint with shocking precision. The document called for a barrage of rockets at the outset of the attack, drones to knock out the security cameras and automated machine guns along the border, and gunmen to pour into Israel en masse in paragliders, on motorcycles and on foot — all of which happened on Oct. 7.

The plan also included details about the location and size of Israeli military forces, communication hubs and other sensitive information, raising questions about how Hamas gathered its intelligence and whether there were leaks inside the Israeli security establishment.

The document circulated widely among Israeli military and intelligence leaders, but experts determined that an attack of that scale and ambition was beyond Hamas’s capabilities, according to documents and officials.”

Ben Bartee, author of Broken English Teacher: Notes From Exile, is an independent Bangkok-based American journalist with opposable thumbs.

(3) Israel Saw Warnings of Hamas Attack The Day Before Oct 7, Chose Not to Alert Nova Festival

https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=64163

Israel Saw Warnings of Hamas Attack The Day Before Oct 7, Chose Not to Alert Nova Festival

Chris Menahan

Dec. 06, 2023

It’s looking more and more like Israel let the Hamas’s Oct 7th attack happen to provide a pretext to level Gaza.

From Haaretz:

QUOTE
‘This Massacre Should Have Been Prevented’ | Despite Israeli Intelligence Warnings About a Hamas Attack, the Army Didn’t Evacuate the Nova Festival

Top defense officials held urgent consultations the night before October 7 about a possible Hamas attack. But no one in the IDF notified the the Nova festival organizers or the party-goers, hundreds of whom were mown down – and for nine hours, no one came to save them

by Yaniv Kubovich | Dec 5, 2023

Hours before Hamas’ October 7 terror attack, Israel’s security forces had enough warning signs to prepare — at least partially — for the possibility that terrorists would seek to infiltrate from Gaza into Israel.

Despite the fact that the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade approved the Nova music festival’s staging in the Kibbutz Re’im parking lot, was responsible for its security, and its commander was aware of the warnings, no one in the IDF notified the thousands of party-goers or the party’s organizers of their concerns, or demanded that the event be shut down.

Moreover, it turned out that army units that were on alert in the area at the start of the Hamas attack had no knowledge of the party.

In the earliest hours of the massacre, party organizers called the officer with whom they had been in contact and were told that the forces were in disarray and that they would have to manage on their own. The result was that about 360 festival attendees were murdered by terrorists, and at least another 40 were taken as hostages into the Gaza Strip.
ENDQUOTE

The Nova festival was a peace festival full of hippies who Netanyahu’s hyper-religious, far-right government no doubt despised. The fact they were massacred by Hamas forces while calling for peace was a Made-for-Hollywood bitter irony which was used to provide further justification for the war.

Haaretz continues:

QUOTE
The festival production team says that if they had received a warning from the army even an hour before the attack, they could have evacuated all the party-goers in time.

Even though the defense establishment did not anticipate the size of the incursion by Hamas terrorists, it received warnings the night before that the organization would try to stage an attack inside Israel.

The intelligence was based on several sources that pointed to worrisome preparations on the other side of the border. The later warning had been preceded by other intelligence that aroused concerns among officials.

The findings were worrying enough that top defense officials held two urgent consultations on Friday night in an effort to determine whether the intelligence they had in hand pointed to plans by Hamas to infiltrate Israeli territory.

The first phone meeting took place close to midnight and included senior figures from the Shin Bet security service’s southern district and Military Intelligence; Gen. Oded Basyuk, head of the IDF’s operations branch, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkleman, the head of the Southern Command and other senior officers. Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi was made aware of the warnings and the urgent consultations.

A second consultation, which included now Ronen Bar, the Shin Bet chief, took place at about 3 A.M. Saturday. The commander of the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade, Col. Haim Cohen, who signed the papers on October 5 authorizing the Nova party, was aware of the warnings, and knew about the urgent meetings that were taking place that night.
ENDQUOTE

Their top officials were all discussing the possibility of an attack right before it happened.

Here comes the cover story:

QUOTE
Following the second meeting, the IDF decided to accept the Shin Bet’s opinion that Hamas was conducting a training exercise and was not preparing for an attack. Military Intelligence accepted that view but due to concerns by the Southern Command forces were to be made ready for the possibility that Hamas might act.

The commander of the Palmachim Base, Brig. Gen. Omri Dor, received an order to step up drone monitoring of Gaza. Calling up a drone crew on a weekend is an exceptional act, reserved for concrete warnings and concern of an imminent security incident.

During the night, the Shin Bet decided that the determination that this was only a drill was too strident, and sent a crew from the “Team Tequila,” the service’s operational unit, tasked with preventing abductions in the event of incursions into Israel, to the Nahal Oz area.

Concurrently, the IDF decided to put two teams from the commando brigade on alert in case of incursion, to serve as temporary intervention teams until special forces arrived if needed.

At 3 A.M., an IDF spotter at the Kisufim Outpost reported a suspicious figure across the border, approaching almost to the fence and pointing at Israel. A force of Golani troops arrived on the scene, fired a few tear gas grenades, and left.

According to the spotter’s testimony to Haaretz, her commanders complained that she “warns them of everything,” and demanded that she be more selective in mobilizing troops.

At 4 A.M., following concerns by some in the security establishment, a few teams of the special anti-terror unit at the Latrun base, were notified to be on alert until dawn.

According to information reported in Haaretz for the first time, at around 5 A.M., lookouts mobilized a Golani force that was near the Nahal Oz outpost due to someone touching the border fence.

The force mounted a jeep and left for the location, but en route received orders from their commanders not to approach the fence area “due to fear of anti-tank or rocket fire from Gaza.”

Throughout that night, no one from the IDF or Shin Bet came to the area of the party to update the party’s security team on the warnings, and no one demanded to stop it. The party received military approval as it was held in an area west of Route 232, under the responsibility of the Gaza Division and the northern brigade.

Some two weeks prior to the festival, the organizers were invited to a meeting at the Gaza Division, at which they were presented with the commanders’ conditions for holding the event. The permit, signed by Col. Cohen, says among other things that “the northern brigade is responsible for regional security during the event in the fence space across from the Gaza Strip.”

But at 6:30 A.M., the festival attendants found out that the required forces were not stationed by the fence. One of the commanders on alert in the area even claimed to Haaretz that no one informed the forces that were placed on alert that the festival was even taking place.
ENDQUOTE

It’s getting really hard to believe this was all incompetence and a series of unfortunate events.

(4) Despite Intel Warnings, IDF didn’t inform the Nova Festival – Haaretz

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-12-05/ty-article/.premium/despite-intel-warnings-about-a-hamas-attack-the-army-didnt-evacuate-the-nova-festival/0000018c-3993-dc03-a9ec-3dfb2cda0000

Haaretz | Israel News

‘This Massacre Should Have Been Prevented’ | Despite Israeli Intelligence Warnings About a Hamas Attack, the Army Didn’t Evacuate the Nova Festival

by Yaniv Kubovich

Dec 5, 2023

Moreover, it turned out that army units that were on alert in the area at the start of the Hamas attack had no knowledge of the party.

The festival production team says that if they had received a warning from the army even an hour before the attack, they could have evacuated all the party-goers in time.

Following the second meeting, the IDF decided to accept the Shin Bet’s opinion that Hamas was conducting a training exercise and was not preparing for an attack. Military Intelligence accepted that view but due to concerns by the Southern Command forces were to be made ready for the possibility that Hamas might act.

Concurrently, the IDF decided to put two teams from the commando brigade on alert in case of incursion, to serve as temporary intervention teams until special forces arrived if needed.

According to the spotter’s testimony to Haaretz, her commanders complained that she “warns them of everything,” and demanded that she be more selective in mobilizing troops.

At 4 A.M., following concerns by some in the security establishment, a few teams of the special anti-terror unit at the Latrun base, were notified to be on alert until dawn.

According to information reported in Haaretz for the first time, at around 5 A.M., lookouts mobilized a Golani force that was near the Nahal Oz outpost due to someone touching the border fence.

The force mounted a jeep and left for the location, but en route received orders from their commanders not to approach the fence area “due to fear of anti-tank or rocket fire from Gaza.”

Shortly after the Hamas terrorists broke through the border fence, they reached the area where the festival was held and massacred hundreds of civilians. Some police and security guards who were there tried to fight, but they couldn’t hold for long against the hundreds of heavily armed terrorists who entered the area.

At 7 A.M., the party organizers tried for the first time to contact a military agency: One of them called Lt. Col. Elad Zandani, head of the Home Front Command at the Gaza Division and the man tasked with the process of approving the festival — and told him that terrorists were shooting the partygoers.

Zandani replied that he was unable to help, the troops were collapsing, and suggested that they fend for themselves. The first IDF forces only arrived at the party scene at 3 P.M.

“The military understands that the Re’im festival will be at the center of the inquiry commissions that will be established at the end of the war,” an IDF source said this week, adding: “This massacre should have been prevented.”‘

(5) Ban Israel from the UN – Eric Walberg

Date: Tue, 5 Dec 2023 19:51:15 +0000 (UTC)
From: Eric Walberg <walberg2002@yahoo.com>

in 1975 south africa was banned from UN.
The same year Zionism was declared racism at UN.
We should be aiming at banning Israel from the UN and renewing the declaration of Zionism as racism.
eric

(6) At UNSC, US vetoes Gaza ceasefire resolution sponsored by UAE

United States on Friday vetoed the UAE resolution that called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, although 13 of the 15 members of the UN Security Council voted in its favour. Britain abstained

https://www.dawn.com/news/1796392/us-vetoes-un-security-council-resolution-calling-for-immediate-ceasefire-in-gaza

UNITED NATIONS: The United States on Friday vetoed the UAE resolution that called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, although 13 of the 15 members of the UN Security Council voted in its favour. Britain abstained.

The US veto ended a desperate effort by the UN Secretary General António Guterres who warned that if not stopped now, the fighting in Gaza would endanger the world peace and destabilise the Middle East.

The resolution, moved by the UAE, the only Arab state in the 15-member Council, was voted in the early hours of Saturday morning (Pakistan time).

Earlier, US Ambassador to the United Nations, Robert A. Wood, had made it clear that Washington did not support an immediate ceasefire.

In his address to the emergency session, called by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Ambassador Wood criticised the Security Council’s failure to condemn Hamas’ Oct 7 raid and emphasised a “fundamental disconnect” between discussions and realities on the ground. The United States, he said, opposed an immediate ceasefire, as this “would only plant the seeds” for the next crisis because Hamas has “no desire to see a lasting peace, to see a two-State solution.”

But the US envoy also warned Israel that “there must be no enduring displacement or reduction in Gaza’s territory. Under no circumstances would the US support forced relocation of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank.”

Secretary-General Guter-res, who used his emergency powers to call the meeting, expressed concern over the potential collapse of the humanitarian support system in Gaza. Emphasising the risk of devastating consequences for public order, mass displacement into Egypt, and regional security, he reiterated his call for “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire” and urged the Council to “act now.”

British Ambassador Barbara Woodward said the “shocking scale of civilian casualties” was alarming. While supporting Israel’s right to self-defense, she called for targeted and precise actions, protection of civilians, and increased humanitarian aid to prevent a catastrophe.

France’s Ambassador Nicolas de Rivière reiterated the call for “an immediate humanitarian truce leading to a permanent ceasefire.” Condemning Hamas’ actions, France deplored the decision not to renew the UN Resident Coordinator’s visa. France also expressed concern over Jewish settlements, calling for a two-state solution.

Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun supported the UAE’s draft resolution for an immediate ceasefire, stating that “it is crucial to save lives and pave the way for a two-State solution.” Zhang Jun warned of an imminent larger crisis, urging Member States to act promptly.

“A larger crisis is imminent, and regional peace and security are on the precipice. The world is watching. Member States must act,” he warned.

Russia’s Deputy Repre-sen-tative Dmitriy Polyan-skiy urged the Council to “save Palestinians from extermination” and deman-ded an end to hostilities. “We hope that all colleagues will find the strength and courage to adopt the draft resolution prepared by the United Arab Emirates,” Mr Polyanskiy said. He also said that flooding Gaza with seawater by the Israeli military as a tactic of war would amount to a war crime.

UAE Ambassador Mohamed Issa Abushahab stressed the need for urgent Council action as little aid was reaching Gaza, creating increased danger for civilians. Mr. Abushahab highlighted the new and dangerous phase of the unrest, particularly the siege of Khan Yunis and other parts of southern Gaza.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2023

(7) Israeli Soldiers Sing “I’m Coming to Occupy Gaza” and “Wipe off the Seed of Amalek”

https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=64166

Israeli Soldiers Sing “I’m Coming to Occupy Gaza” and “Wipe off the Seed of Amalek”

Chris Menahan

InformationLiberation
Dec. 07, 2023

Israeli journalist Yinon Magal on Thursday “proudly” shared video of Israeli soldiers singing about wiping out the “seed of Amalek” in Gaza where there are no “uninvolved civilians.”

The Israelis have made wiping out “Amalek” the central part of their war.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism_and_warfare>

This is explicitly genocidal rhetoric <https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=64154> that is widely embraced and is <https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=64105> reflected in policy and actions.

The controlled media in America is completely ignoring this and telling everyone <https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=64165> they should be crying about privileged Ivy League Jewish college students having to “walk through” pro-Palestine protests to get to class.

(8) Thomas Massie (R-KY) suggests that Congress Cares More About Israel Than America

https://www.unz.com/aanglin/thomas-massie-kicked-a-rats-nest-by-suggesting-congress-cares-more-about-israel-than-america/

https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=64162

Breitbart Throws a Fit Over GOP Rep. Thomas Massie Sharing ‘Anti-Semitic Meme’

Chris Menahan

Dec. 05, 2023

Breitbart’s Joel Pollak joined with Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and the Biden White House on Tuesday to condemn America First congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) for sharing an “anti-Semitic meme” suggesting Congress cares more about “Zionism” than “American Patriotism.”

From <https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/12/05/rep-thomas-massie-posts-antisemitic-meme-claiming-congress-chooses-zionism-over-american-patriotism/> Breitbart, “Rep. Thomas Massie Posts Antisemitic Meme Claiming Congress Chooses ‘Zionism’ over ‘American Patriotism’ “:

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) posted an antisemitic meme on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Tuesday, claiming that “Congress these days” had rejected “American Patriotism” in favor of “Zionism.”

The meme, which borrows images from the video for “Hotline Bling” by Drake, is commonly used to mock hypocrisy.

The idea that “Zionism” and “American Patriotism” are contradictory is a common theme on the antisemitic far-right.

Zionism is the belief that the Jewish people have the right to a state in their historic and spiritual homeland of Israel. Since the late 19th century, antisemites have used the idea of “Zion” to suggest Jewish control and manipulation of world governments.

Just look at what an evil menace Massie is!

That, for example, is the theme of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, an antisemitic forgery distributed by the Russian imperial state that spread throughout Europe before the Nazi era, and which remains widely distributed in the Arab world today.

[…] Massie posted the meme as the House was holding hearings about antisemitism on college campuses, which has flared since the Palestinian terror group Hamas carried out a devastating terror attack against Israel on October 7 that killed 1,200 people.

Massie has been under attack from pro-Israel groups after voting against funding for Israel, ostensibly on budgetary and foreign policy grounds. He appears to have taken that argument to a completely different place with his antisemitic post.

Pollak’s article is actually more hysterical than NBC News writer Megan Leibowitz’s piece attacking Massie over the meme.

Massie was similarly attacked by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Republican Jewish Coalition CEO Matt Brooks.

Massie addressed the controversy in an interview with Glenn Greenwald on Tuesday night and noted how Congress has voted a whopping 18 times on bills related to Israel <https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=64077> since Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) took over six weeks ago.

Full interview:

[Massie segment starts at 34:00]

Joel Pollak is returning to his roots and turning Breitbart into an Antifa blog.

As I reported in October, <https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=64044> Pollak called for Israel to ethnically cleanse Gaza and send America the refugees.

(9) Washington is run by Israel’s proxies – PHILIP GIRALDI

https://www.unz.com/pgiraldi/the-fools-on-capitol-hill/

The Fools On Capitol Hill
Washington is run by Israel’s proxies

PHILIP GIRALDI • DECEMBER 1, 2023
• 2,300 WORDS

Americans remain largely ignorant about the extent to which foreign influence pervades the United States government, and I am not referring to the fraudulent claims made by Hillary Clinton that Russian has interfered materially in US elections. The real threat comes from elsewhere. Few outside the government itself are likely to be aware of the extent to which the state of Israel and its domestic affiliate-lobby operating out of Washington and New York have corrupted the United States political system, to the point where nurturing and enabling the Jewish state in its ambitions to dominate much of the Middle East has become effectively US policy. As the exchanges surrounding the recent fighting in Gaza, rightly referred to as a war crime and ethnic cleansing, perhaps even the first steps in a planned genocide, demonstrate that even when the US has genuine interests at stake Israel believes itself empowered to say “no” to the president of the United States. The assault on Gaza and the ongoing killing of tens of thousands of Palestinians started again on Friday after a week long pause for hostage/prisoner exchanges. It will continue and Washington is complicit in the deaths as it has politically shielded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government no matter what it does while also arming and funding the Israeli actions.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon once said that “We the Jewish people control America.” Indeed, the Israeli dominance of the “fools on the hill” in DC has been carefully contrived, cultivated and sustained. One prime example is the regular rush to the Israeli door whenever Congress is in recess. It is not widely reported how large gaggles of congressmen usually drawn in separate groups from each major party travel to Israel on all expenses paid trips where they are wined and dined and subjected to round after round of presentations that drill into their otherwise empty heads all the virtues of Israel and what it represents. This is propaganda combined with indoctrination at its finest with many “facts” presented by the speakers conveniently fabricated to support Israel’s perpetual victimhood and to hide the fact that Israel is a strategic liability for the US rather than an actual ally or asset. Nor is it a democracy. It is a formula for dissimulation and lying that worked with the Jewish officials in the Pentagon under George W. Bush to provoke a war against Saddam Hussein that killed one million Iraqis and cost the US taxpayer <https://www.militarytimes.com/opinion/commentary/2020/02/06/the-iraq-war-has-cost-the-us-nearly-2-trillion/> nearly $2 trillion.

The trips to Israel are funded by the “educational” affiliate of the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) called the American Israel Education Foundation (AIEF). One might reasonably ask why an organization connected to AIPAC, which describes itself on its website as having the “mission” to “…strengthen, protect and promote the US-Israel relationship in ways that enhance the security of the United States and Israel,” should be able to fund the annual mass migration of congress-critters to promote Israeli interests without having to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) as an agent of the Jewish state’s government? The answer is actually quite simple. Congress and the Justice Department have been so corrupted by pro-Israel money and other manifestations of Jewish power that they do not enforce the law when it comes to Israel. The venal creatures in Congress are a large part of why that is so.

And the trips are structured in a way that discourages any actual discussions of real issues affecting the two countries. The payoff is exceptional from Israel’s point of view, with the United States serving as, <https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/5/20/why-netanyahu-thinks-america-is-stupid> in Netanyahu’s own words, a near unlimited source of money and weapons from a country in thrall, an “America [that] is a thing you can move very easily, move it in the right direction” possessing “an inherently dupable people.”

One particularly tone-deaf recent trip to Israel occurred in 2019. In the wake of two heavily reported mass killings in Dayton and El Paso that were attributed both by the media and the Democrats to “racism” a senior US Congressman <https://mondoweiss.net/2019/08/democrats-affiliated-violates/> led a delegation of 41 of his Democratic Party colleagues plus spouses on a week-long luxury all-expenses-paid trip to Israel, which is one of the few countries in the world that defines its full citizenship as a matter of race and religion and which was at that time as now widely criticized for its human rights record. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland led the annual excursion, having made the pilgrimage to Israel more than fifteen times. “I am pleased to join so many House Democrats in traveling to Israel to reaffirm our support for a critical US ally and to continue learning about the opportunities and the challenges facing Israel and the Middle East,” he <https://www.majorityleader.gov/content/hoyer-house-democratic-members-travel-israel-and-palestinian-territories-2> said shortly before departing for Tel Aviv.

Other politicians at state levels have followed the federal government lead by making their way to Israel to kiss Benjamin Netanyahu’s ring. Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, who is a presidential aspirant, has gone way overboard in expressing his love for the Jewish state. He transported his whole cabinet to Jerusalem to publicize his legislation to combat what he views as antisemitism and has followed through on that by banning Palestinian student groups at the state universities. He also opposes allowing Palestinian immigrants into the US because they are “antisemites.”

More recently, California governor Gavin Newsom has made the pilgrimage trip and his office has <https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/10/20/governor-newsom-travels-to-israel/?fbclid=IwAR1gVv9y8UjWSic7UrKJO6zm1e50Y3Wo8fabuinAAa8HUQftXqh56HuDeVE> released his comments on just how wonderful Israel is. He wrote his heart out, meaning that the memo is totally phony and contrived bullshit which demonstrates no sympathy at all for the tens of thousands of Palestinian victims: “As I reflect back on the extraordinary people I just met today in Israel, I am reminded of the deep connections between my home state and this country. A country that has faced many dark times before, and certainly is in one now. But amid this present struggle against terrorists are stories of unimaginable heroism — and unspeakable tragedy. I grieved with families in mourning, I met with young soldiers fresh from bomb shelters and battlefields, and I sat with leaders who bear the responsibility of response to it all. Despite the horror, what I saw and heard from the people of Israel was a profound sense of resilience. A commitment to community and common purpose, especially in these most difficult of times. That’s the Israeli spirit. And it’s also the California spirit…”

Republican presidential wannabe Chris Christie has also recently shown up in the Jewish state to kiss the ring and we expect that Nikki Haley will soon arrive bowing and scraping, particularly as it is Jewish money honoring her passion for Israel that is floating her campaign. And there is lots of love even at the bureaucratic level in a number of states to make sure Israel is getting enough American money. In some states including Virginia Israel <https://viab.org/> trade commissions have been funded which have benefited Israeli businesses and investors much more than local workers or companies. In Virginia the commission is staffed by American Jews and Israelis even though it is funded by the state.

The Israeli power over Congress is also reflected in billions of tax dollars that flow from the US Treasury to the Jewish state each year in spite of the fact that Israel is a wealthy country. Also one might consider the White House’s supine behavior vis-a-vis Netanyahu and its large percentage of senior level staff appointments that are given to Jews. Donald Trump gave away the house to Netanyahu by moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem, approving the annexation of the Golan Heights, and giving the Israeli government a free hand to “deal with” the illegally occupied Palestinian areas on the West Bank and Gaza, which has produced thousands of Arab arrests without trial. Trump’s Ambassador to Israel was his lawyer David Friedman, who spent four years covering for Israel and represented its interests rather than those of the United States. Biden arguably has done even worse by becoming complicit in war crimes by enabling Netanyahu and his band of criminals to perform a developing genocide in Gaza.

One must look at how the power of the Lobby has influenced senior staffing decisions coming from the White House in Israel’s favor because that is where foreign policy is made. President Joe Biden personally considers himself to be a “Zionist.” The president’s Chief of Staff and the State Department’s top three officials have been Zionist Jews. Jews also head Treasury, Homeland Security, the Office of National Intelligence, the Justice Department, the National Security Council and the deputy director slot at CIA.

Regarding some other appointments that smell very bad, two recent stories stand out. The first, <https://original.antiwar.com/james-carden/2023/11/21/tel-avivs-man-in-washington/> entitled “Tel Aviv’s Man in Washington”, comes from journalist James Carden. It concerns Amos Hochstein who, has been <https://www.axios.com/2023/11/20/israel-lebanon-border-hezbollah-war-biden> reportedly tapped as President Joe Biden senior adviser for consultations with top Israeli officials in order to mediate between Israel and Lebanon. Hochstein is an odd choice as he was born and raised in <https://web.archive.org/web/20221021074925/https:/www.haaretz.com/opinion/2022-10-21/ty-article-opinion/.premium/americas-dishonest-brokers/00000183-f6b9-dd9c-af97-feff4ef50000> Jerusalem and is a Jewish Israeli-US dual national who served in the Israeli Defense Forces in the early 1990s and who still has a mother and father living in Israel. He moved to Washington after military service and began his unusually rapid ascent to the highest levels of the US government, beginning with a staff position for Jewish Congressman <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Gejdenson> Sam Gejdenson and then as Staff Director of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. It is not clear how he obtained a security clearance given his background, but he obviously was given highly sensitive assignments. <https://archive.is/Y1hQr#selection-1137.374-1137.500> Carden citesthe Lebanese news source L’Orient which reported that Hochstein, as a congressional staffer in the 1990s,” met with an Iraqi Foreign Ministry official to discuss a plan to resettle Palestinians in Iraq in return for sanctions relief.” This background suggests that Hochstein is a bit of a specialist in removing Palestinians from Israel.

After that job, Hochstein joined the Obama administration, eventually being placed in charge of the energy portfolio at the State Department, an astonishing leap in status for a man billed as “<https://www.eenews.net/articles/meet-the-biden-energy-expert-whos-an-oval-office-regular/> Biden’s favorite energy guy” who appears to have no college degree. And what about a <https://www.hadar.org/about/people/board-directors> biographical sketch that mentions Hochstein’s ownership interests in two Washington restaurants and a movie theater? And then there is his obtaining a well remunerated board seat on the Ukrainian state oil and gas giant Naftogaz, which positively exudes a Hunter Biden odor? And it was reported that early in the Biden administration, Hochstein was the president’s <https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/07/biden-envoy-nord-stream-2-479706> choice to lead efforts to block or destroy the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which presumably would have inter aliaenhanced his own likely financial interests in Ukrainian energy companies.

Carden also poses the big question, which is “How could someone of Hochstein’s (opaque) background possibly be viewed as an honest broker in the Middle East?” He responds to that himself with “He isn’t” and then goes on to explain “The practice of appointing foreign nationals in sensitive positions of public trust are wildly inappropriate and lead, inevitably, to a subversion of US national interests. As Biden and his staff of bought and paid for political appointees drag us deeper and deeper into two wars 5,000 miles from our shores, the pernicious influence of foreign nationals at the highest levels of the US government is a danger the American people need to awaken to.”

To that expert analysis I would add that naming an Israeli as US-envoy for dealing with a highly manipulative Israel is completely delusional. Hochstein will lean strongly towards benefitting his country, which is Israel, and when it comes to energy there are large gas and oil fields just off the Gazan coast, which would fall into Israeli hands if the Gazans were completely eliminated. The fields are worth many billions of dollars. It will be interesting to watch the development of what Hochstein will contrive to hand them over to his Jewish countrymen while also benefitting his own interests.

The other story is similar in that it illustrates why you should not send Israelis or even American Jews who feel very strongly about Israel to deal with the Israeli government or even anywhere near the Middle East. I say this not to punish them for being Jewish but rather to avoid placing them in situations where there would be a presumption of serious potential conflict of interest. A former senior US official fitting that profile is facing a backlash after being caught on video included on the link repeatedly <https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/22/ex-us-diplomat-goes-on-islamophobic-rant-wishes-more-dead-palestinian-kids> harassing a halal food vendor in New York and aggressively calling for the deaths of more Gazan children. Stuart Seldowitz previously served as deputy director of the United States Department of State’s Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs where he must have been quite a lot of fun to be around. How does a man like that get a senior diplomatic post dealing with the Middle East? Well, the only answer must be that he is given the job precisely because he is Jewish and will do the “right thing” for the state of Israel. And you wonder why US foreign policy might be politely described as “completely screwed up”? It did not happen by accident!