QUOTE of the WEEK:
"...the memorandum which we signed yesterday
reflects...a quantum leap in the strategic relationship between Israel and the United
States."
Israeli Prime Minister
Netanyaha, 10/30
E X T E N S I V E W E B O F
A G R E E M E N T S
AND DEALS -- A FEW PUBLIC, MOST SECRET --
NOW ENTANGLE U.S. & ISRAEL
MER - Washington - 2 November:
What the recent Wye meetings were all about trickles out in bits and
pieces. Wye is leaking.
What one can be certain about is that the public diplomacy and the
public documents resulting from Wye are not even the tip of the iceberg this time. Just
hours before they were all smiles and handshakes at the White House TV extravaganza, the
principles had been screaming unprintable invectives and insults at each other.
Rather the public aspects to this political theatre mask the truly
important and mostly secret things that were being worked out during those long 9 days at
the Wye Plantation. And while the roots put down at Wye remain deeply secret, a few
aspects are popping up to the surface.
* Pollard was to be released 20 days after the Wye deal. But the
Israelis pushed too hard, Clinton tested the waters and realized it was too dangerous to
appear to be giving in, especially pre-election time, and the whole episode blew up in
their faces requiring a long Friday morning of damage control.
* Arafat has secretly "agreed" to "put off" the
May "deadline" of next year for two more years; Sharon whispering much to his
Palestinian interlocutors to convince them to "convince" Arafat.
* And most important of all, the "quantum leap" in, and a
major new emphasis on, the U.S.-Israel "Strategic Relationship" was highlighted
by the dual signing ceremonies a few days ago (in both Washington and Jerusalem) that
didn't make it onto TV.
Many forget that this U.S.-Israel "strategic relationship"
was formally created in the Reagan years while the Cold War raged and as part of the
continuing pay-off for Camp David. Since then a great deal has been done, including the
U.S. Navy using Haifa as a port away from home, and extensive growing relations between
the U.S. military and the CIA and their Israeli counterparts.
Now a "strategic planning committee" is being set up to
continually upgrade and expand military and technological cooperation and coordination
between the the two countries.
This newest and latest "strategic cooperation"
"quantum leap" binds the U.S to provide money and technology to counter
ballistic-missile and mass-destruction weapon threats against Israel. The immediate
ramifications will be stepped up American help to counter and undermine the Iranian
military build-up, with further steps to be taken against both Syria and Iraq. The new
"Ankara Pact" will also be further implimented and pushed forward, with
considerable U.S. involvement.
