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I
was working out in the gym the other day, when Richard
Rodriguez, a friend of mine, came in, greeted me,
and remarked: "I told some friends of mine about
your book on the Israeli connection to 9/11, and do
you know what they told me?"
"Uh.
Nope."
"They
said that you'd better watch your back."
I
laughed. But Richard looked dead serious.
A
couple of days later, I stumbled on a UPI story that
made me think of Richard's comment in a new light: "Israel
to kill on U.S., allies' soil."
Say,
what?!
UPI
intelligence correspondent Richard Sale reports:
"Israel
is embarking upon a more aggressive approach to the
war on terror that will include staging targeted killings
in the United States and other friendly countries, former
Israeli intelligence officials told United Press International….
"The
Israeli statements were confirmed by more than a half
dozen U.S. foreign policy and intelligence officials
in interviews with UPI."
If
the Israelis are now killing people on the soil of "friendly"
countries, just think what they might do in enemy territory.
To call this "a more aggressive approach"
is putting it mildly. What it amounts to is a declared
strategy of international terrorism as an instrument
of Israeli foreign policy. It is, in effect, a declaration
of war on the whole world. So what is the response of
U.S. law enforcement agencies to this threat to commit
mayhem on U.S. soil? UPI reports:
"'Mossad
is definitely being beefed up,' a U.S. government official
said of the Israeli agency's budget increase. He declined
to comment on Tel Aviv's geographic expansion of targeted
killings.
"An
FBI spokesman also declined to comment, saying: 'This
is a policy matter. We only enforce federal laws.'"
So
how about enforcing federal laws against murder? I suppose
it's too much to expect the Keystone Kops of our FBI
to protect us against any sort of terrorism, including
the Israeli variety, given
their record on this score. You would think that
our politicians would at least make some pretense at
protesting the declared intent of a foreign power to
turn the U.S. into their happy hunting ground. But no
dice:
"A
congressional staff member with deep knowledge of intelligence
matters said, 'I don't know on what basis we would be
able to protest Israel's actions.' He referred to the
recent killing of Qaed Salim Sinan al Harethi, a top
al Qaida leader, in Yemen by a remotely controlled CIA
drone.
"'That
was done on the soil of a friendly ally,' the staffer
said."
So
because we targeted enemy terrorists in Yemen, Israel
now has the right to target anyone it chooses in the
U.S.? The logic of this syllogism is elusive, to say
the least. If that anonymous staffer is at a loss to
explain how we could possibly protest the killing of
U.S. citizens on U.S. soil by agents of a foreign power,
then perhaps his "deep knowledge of intelligence
matters" is more than balanced by his sheer ignorance
of other matters. Such as the primary responsibility
of the U.S. government – which is to guard the
integrity of its own borders, and protect its citizens
from foreign invaders.
The
UPI story, if true, is bone-chilling in its implications.
Will we now have the Mossad rampaging through the U.S.,
eliminating the alleged enemies of Israel, with an increasingly
nutty and desperate claque of Likudniks acting as judge,
jury, and executioner? It's unthinkable – isn't it?
I'm
not so sure. UPI cites a source in the Israeli government
who claims
"In
the past Israel has not staged targeted killings in
friendly countries because 'no one wanted such operations
on their territory.'
"This
has become irrelevant, he said."
The
denial of past instances of Israeli terror on "friendly"
soil rings false. Surely the ghosts of Robert
Maxwell, the British publishing magnate many suspect
was offed
by the Mossad,
and Gerald
Bull, the Ontario-born scientist and U.S. citizen
who worked on Iraqi arms production and was killed in
Belgium, are crying out in protest. There can be no
doubt that "no one wanted such operations on their
territory," but one has to wonder how and why this
has suddenly become "irrelevant." Is it because
these "friendly" countries are proving their
friendship by agreeing to it – or because they have
no way to prevent it?
The
new thug-in-chief of the Mossad, Meir
Dagan, nicknamed "the gun," seems ideally
suited to implement this new policy of kill-at-will:
"Former
Israel Defense Forces Lt. Col. Gal Luft, who served
under Dagan, described him as an 'extremely creative
individual – creative to the point of recklessness.'
A former CIA official who knows Dagan said the new Mossad
director knows 'his foreign affairs inside and out,'
and has a 'real killer instinct.'"
This
is the man who has given himself carte blanche to pursue
"terrorists" and carry out assassinations
on American soil. A creative killer, and reckless to
boot, stalking Israel's enemies in America, both real
and imagined. And our government has "no comment"
on this "geographic extension of Tel Aviv's targeted
killings." It would be funny if it wasn't so sinister.
UPI cites another former Israeli government official
who averred that, under Sharon,
"Diplomatic
constraints have prevented the Mossad from carrying
out 'preventive operations' (targeted killings) on the
soil of friendly countries until now. He said Sharon
is 'reversing that policy, even if it risks complications
to Israel's bilateral relations.'"
Beleaguered
politically, facing a possible delay in the much-anticipated
Iraq war, and increasingly put on the defensive by an
organized opposition in the U.S., Sharon cannot afford
to have any compunctions about offending his allies.
Nor does he have much reason to worry about "complications"
that might arise from American displeasure at such illegal
activity. That's what the "special relationship"
between the U.S. and Israel is all about: we'll cover
their asses no matter what.
Widespread
reports of an Israeli spy ring that may have been
tailing the 9/11 hijackers and simultaneously penetrating
U.S. government facilities, were denied by the Department
of Justice, disdained by U.S. government spokesmen as
an "urban
myth." This denial occurred as a 61-page report
by the DEA's internal security bureau detailing
the activities of hundreds of Israeli spies was circulating
among journalists and over the internet. Our media was
no less opaque. As Jane's Intelligence Digest
remarked
at the time:
"It
is rather strange that the U.S. media, with
one notable exception, seems to be ignoring what
may well prove to be the most explosive story since
the 11 September attacks – the alleged break-up
of a major Israeli espionage operation in the United
States which aimed to infiltrate both the justice and
defence departments and which may also have been tracking
Al-Qaeda terrorists before the aircraft hijackings took
place."
Look,
I suppose that a book reporting and expanding
on this story – that the Mossad knew more about the
9/11 conspiracy than they ever told us – might make
its author a target. Not of violence, necessarily, but
of a smear campaign, especially given Dagan's inclinations.
As part of the new policy, and aside from purging moderates
and packing the highest echelons of the Israeli spy
apparatus with like-minded hard-liners,
"Dagan
is also urging that Mossad operatives rely less on secret
sources and rely more on open information that is so
plentifully provided on the Internet and newspapers.
'It's a cultural thing,' one former Israeli intelligence
operative explained. 'Mossad in the past has put its
emphasis on Humint (human intelligence) and secret operations
and has neglected the whole field of open media, which
has become extremely important.'"
Israel's
above-ground amen corner in America has been among its
most valuable assets, and Dagan wants to make more use
of it. Character assassination, and not physical assassination,
is the preferred method when dealing with Israel's American
antagonists. You don't kill an author – just his book.
So,
no, I'm not afraid that they'll get me in an alley somewhere.
After all those hours in the gym, I'm pretty buffed
out, bud, and those muscles aren't just for decoration.
But, just in case this UPI story is true –
and Dagan "the gun" is more "creative"
than I'd like to think – I'll be watching my back
all the same….
ALL
OUT THIS SATURDAY!
Okay,
so I've been critical of the leadership of the antiwar
movement, especially
the A.N.S.W.E.R. group, but I wouldn't miss Saturday's
demonstration
for the world. I know, I know, I once wrote that
"I
ain't marchin' anymore," but my regular readers
know me well enough to realize that nothing –
not even a mild case of the flu, or a looming book deadline
– is going to keep me from being where the action
is. Besides, when the speakers start droning on about
Mumia, or blaming capitalism for the war, you can always
put on your headphones and break out the picnic basket.
It's
important that the media and the politicians begin to
realize that the antiwar movement in this country is
not only strong, but getting stronger even as the prospects
of war loom larger. So, get out your "Patriots
for Peace" placards, guys and gals – all
out on January 18!
–
Justin Raimondo
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