"It's Israel, Stupid"
Khaled Salam, IkhwanWeb - United States
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
On the eve of President Bush’s visit to Egypt, the largest Arab country, and few days after his visit to Israel, the Israeli war machinery killed 18 Palestinians and injured many others in an unprovoked bombing and incursion of Gaza strip. If the American people are wondering why Muslims hate their government and some of them are even willing to inflict harm against their country [US]; there is no compelling evidence than this example. The Israeli provocations sanctioned by the US are feeding into anti-American sentiment in the region which has reached all time high because of president Bush unwise policies in the Middle East and in particular his staunch support of Israel and dictatorial and oppressive regimes in the region.
The American people need to realize that Israel is no longer vital for their interests as their leaders want them to believe. If anything, Israel became a major threat to US interests and its national security. The unwavering US support of apartheid Israeli policies is the main source of Anti-Americanism sweeping across the Muslim and Arab world. The US lost 3000 innocent citizens on 9/11 because of its support to Israel. Almost 4000 US soldiers, and counting, are also dead in unjustified proxy war to protect Israel. Another war is on the make with Iran only to protect Israel, that’s despite the fact more than 15 US intelligence agencies collectively certified that Iran has stopped its military nuclear program. The US has also sacrificed its relationship with more than 1.5 billion Muslims and who control most of the world’s oil supply because of its arrogant and biased foreign policies. The common denominator in all of the disastrous US policy decision is of course Israel.
On the other hand, Israel does not give a damn about US interests or even the safety of its president. What were the leaders of Israel thinking by committing such unprovoked atrocities while President Bush is still on Arab soil and being received by hostile public opinion to start with?!
How could Israeli influence on the US policy makers be that powerful! And how could the successive US governments put Israel‘s interests over the interests and security of its own people! How could the leaders in Washington get it so wrong!
Americans aside from their politicians are beginning to realize that Israel is a liability for their security. In their historical book, professors John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt were able to find an answer to the question which always puzzled the minds of people around the globe. They rightfully argue that the Israeli lobby became so entrenched in the American policy making circuits to the point that all decisions are being diverted to the benefit of Israel.
Historically, the Muslim world had no problems with the American people. For millions of Muslims, the US represented at one point the hope for the new world unlike Europe which colonized and fought many countries in the Middle East for decades. It is only in recent history and after the creation of the State of Israel and its unholy alliance with the US when conflicts began to arise with the Muslim world threatening with grave consequences.
Unless the US changes its biased policies with regards to Arab-Israeli conflict in particular and changes its attitude towards Muslims in general, the US will not be able to achieve security for its people and it will undermine the economic prosperity it once enjoyed.
Khaled Salam, Editor
Ikhanweb"
