MER - Washington - 19 January:

So much for the "Peace Process".  They don't even all meet together these days.  Bibi comes to see Bill; but will spend most of his time rallying his American troops.  After decades of organizing and preparing, the Israelis are ready; and they quite literally get away with murder. Yasser then comes to see Bill; but will spend most of his time pretending and dissembling to his ineffectual and demoralized supporters who are totally unorganized and unprepared.  Indeed,
nowhere else in today's world would a leader with such a disastrous record as that of Yasser Arafat still be in power and still be applauded by anyone.

The "peace process" was from the start a dishonest affair designed to make the Americans look good after the carnage in Iraq; to buy still more time for the Israelis to consolidate their hold on occupied Palestine; and to further demoralize, disenfranchise, and divide the Palestinians.  And in these regards it has worked; but as these things go, only for awhile.  Now the chickens are coming home to roost; the inevitable stalemate has become evident to all; and the historical
bills have to start being paid.

The Americans pretend otherwise with never-ending nonsense about being an "honest broker"; and worse yet the Arab regimes, Arafat among them, let them get away with it!  The reality is quote otherwise of course.  It is the Americans that have all along made Israel's policies possible,
providing unprecedented amounts of money, guns, political excuses and U.N. vetoes.  American words mean practically nothing these days.  American actions speak volumes.  And the words and actions hardly every correlate when it comes to Israel.
 
In the end it is the American Jewish community and its infamous lobby, in tandem with a financially manipulated Congress and a craftily controlled White House, that are all responsible for what's going on. And when the history of this period is written, with all the likely future bloodshed and confrontation yet to result, the blame should be put squarely where it belongs.

Many share the responsibility for today's predicament in the Middle East, for the seriously unstable situation so pregnant with further impending conflict and bloodshed, including:

The arrogant American Jewish lobby
The controlled and prostrated American Congress
The complicitious Arab "client regimes"
The corrupt and inept (both politically and financially) PLO remnant of Yasser Arafat
The American military and intelligence agencies
The weak and ineffectual American executive branch
The laughable Arab American organizations

But let's limit ourselves for the moment to the top of the list, the American Jewish establishment and its powerful swashbuckling lobby.

This is the same American Jewish establishment that for over a generation so viciously vilified the PLO and any who dealt with it. Even when the Israelis sent people to jail for just meeting with the PLO American Jewish leaders did nothing.  But then a few years ago when
told by the Israelis practically overnight to start playing another tune, this same American Jewish establishment all of a sudden started its own round of meetings with the same Palestinians they previously despised and even began raising money to keep the PLO going!

Of course there are many individual American Jews who have taken principled positions throughout the years and who deserve to be recognized and applauded for doing so.  But none of the major American Jewish organizations, or their leaders, fall into this category; and collectively they deserve historic condemnation.

And now they've done it once again.  Even though the Clinton Administration is so top heavy with Jewish Zionist personalities and exceedingly pro-Israeli in outlook and policies -- and this includes all the members of the American negotiating team and in recent months even the Assistant Secretary of State for the Middle East! -- this isn't enough for the powerful American Jewish establishment!

Even though it was none other than the U.S. Jewish negotiating team who urged Arafat to visit the U.S. Holocaust museum in Washington this week -- which incidentally receives a substantial yearly U.S. government subsidy -- the Jewish lobby decided to flex its muscles still further, humble the Arabs once more, and let Bill Clinton know who's really in charge at the same time.

Those who read MER know there is little support for or admiration of Yasser Arafat in these quarters.  We know what he's all about; and more importantly we say it openly right here for all to read.  We're well aware how Arafat and his cronies have squandered and stolen hundreds of millions of dollars just in recent years, of how his "police" have cowered and badgered, frightened and tortured, his own people -- manipulated to do so by the Israelis and their American friends.  And we're well aware that the plight of the Palestinian people today is considerably worse than during the days of complete and direct occupation by the Israeli army (still never more than a roadblock away) -- as hard as that is for non experts to understand.
Today's doubly-occupied Palestine has more "police" and enforcers per capacity than any place on earth!  Plus the Israeli Army is never far away!

Even so, guest as he is this week of the U.S. Government -- essentially telling Arafat he's not welcome to visit the Holocaust museum ("unless he comes as an individual"!) shows the outrageous and despicable true nature of those who so vocally represent American Jewry these days. Walter Reich, museum director, should be ashamed of his cowardice; but then he's only doing what he feels he must to keep his job.  "Just obeying orders" are you Mr. Reich?  How ironic for a holocaust survivor!

It's all such good politics in America these days!  Back in 1996 in New York Arafat was already seated at Lincoln Center for a concert when Mayor Rudy Gulliani sent his police to tell the PLO chairman he and his entourage weren't welcome and should leave.  After a few flustered moments, they did; and the right-wing New York Jews loved it! That such conduct branded their country as even more arrogant, more provincial, and more bigoted seemed not even to occur to the American Jewish establishment which rallied to Gulliani's side then as they are rallying to the Holocaust museum "stand" at the moment.

When people don't speak up things of this kind build on themselves and get repeated in worse form. There are many moderate and reasonable persons among American Jewry; but they are not in positions of leadership and on the whole stay quiet and acquiescent.

Many American Jews are ashamed.  But there's allot of threatening going on these days; and most Jews prefer to remain silent even though they are increasingly troubled.  Indeed, the majority of Americans Jews refuse to join any of the many dozens of organizations which combine to make up the extended Jewish lobby -- the considerable majority are simply not affiliated, not involved, and in many cases very much alienated and disgusted.

So...what does this all mean?

In short, much violence, bloodshed, terror, and militarism lie ahead.

And if historic events to come could have a sign on them this sign would read:  "Made in the U.S.A".  And it would be made by the Israeli/Jewish lobby.
 
        MAB