Now they're experts on Bin Laden
Conspiracy theorists Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer, who believe that US foreign policy is dictated by a massive cabal called the "Israel Lobby," have succeeded in reading the mind of al-Qaeda chieftain Osama Bin Laden. In a talk at MIT last week, they announced that they have concluded that - surprise - the September 11, 2001 al-Qaeda terror attacks on the United States were caused by - you guessed it - American support for Israel: "A critically important issue when talking about America's terrorism problem is the matter of how US support for Israel's brutal treatment of the Palestinians relates to what happened on September 11," said Mearsheimer, who played the role of attack dog, while Walt set the stage.They then went on to blame Israel and the "Israel Lobby" for the US invasion of Iraq, claiming that Israel and the Israel Lobby were two of the "main driving forces" behind that war. That's pretty funny given that former State Department official Larry Wilkerson says that Israel urged the US to attack Iran and not Iraq.
Mearsheimer suggested that the notion of payback for injustices suffered by the Palestinians is perhaps the "most powerfully recurrent in [Osama] Bin Laden's speeches," who, he said, had been deeply concerned about the plight of the Palestinians since he was a young man. He said that Bin Laden's concern had been reflected in his public statements throughout the 1990's - "well before 9-11." Citing the 9-11 Commission report, Mearsheimer and Walt argued that Bin Laden wanted to make sure the attackers struck Congress because it is "the most important source of support for Israel in the United States," adding that Bin Laden twice tried to move up the dates of the attacks because of events involving Israel. Mearsheimer and Walt went on to argue that 9-11 architect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's animus toward the United States stemmed not from his experiences in the United States as a student, but rather from his violent disagreement with US foreign policy favoring Israel. "Its hard to imagine more compelling evidence of the role US support for Israel played in the 9-11 attacks," said Mearsheimer.
"In short, the present relationship between Washington and Jerusalem is helping to fuel America's terrorism problem," he went on to say.
They said that US support for Israel motivates some individuals to attack the United States and "...serves as an important recruitment tool for terrorist organizations," according to Mearsheimer. He said that US support for Israel generates huge support for terrorists in the Arab and Islamic world.
Suggesting that Israel had outlived its usefulness to the United States, Walt added that "Israel may well have been a strategic asset during the Cold War," but that "...the Cold War is now over." He said that America's unconditional support for Israel in the Middle East is "one" of the reasons "we have a terrorism problem, and it makes it harder to address a variety of problems in the Middle East."
Can we officially declare Walt and Mearsheimer anti-Semites and treat them like Norman Finkelstein and Ward Churchill yet?
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:51 PM
3 Comments:
Reality check:
For seven years the PA did not lift a finger to stop the terrorism against
Israel or against itself. The Egyptians are not taking action to stop the
smuggling of arms into the Gaza Strip.
Public Security Minister Avi Dichter - quoted in Haaretz 2 October 2007
They (Israelis) are also satisfied with the (West Bank) status quo that
relies on the Shin Bet security service and the Israel Defense Forces.
Haaretz editorial 3 October 2007
What's the logical conclusion? That the generally effective West Bank
security approach should be extended to the Gaza Strip or that the security
hiatus/chaos of the Gaza Strip should be ultimately ushered into the West
Bank via a rush to a come-what-may-photo-op-Palestinian-state?
Here's the irony: make a list of the truly burning issues of the day in the
region and a Palestinian state probably isn't in the top ten.
It isn't just Lebanon and Iran. Egypt is facing critical internal political
and economic challenges. Despite all their oil wealth, the Saudis are
struggling desperately to improve the lives of their general population. A
looming water shortage disaster threatens the region and beyond. And the
list goes one.
And none of the problems are going to be solved by creating a Palestinian
state.
Some argue that "solving" the Arab-Israeli conflict via the formation of a
Palestinian state would prevent desperate Arab politicians from launching
campaigns against the Jewish state to divert public attention from domestic
problems. But if they are indeed desperate, the Arab leaders will find the
basis to justify their rallying cry against Israel regardless of what is or
isn't on the ground.
Catching Up: Walt and Mearsheimer
A lot to catch up on after taking off for Sukkot. Surprise, surprise, Walt and Mearsheimer remain on everyone's radar. Professor John Mearsheimer discusses the Israel Lobby with Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert. Who's the joke on?
The Columbia Journalism Review points out The Israel Lobby Doesn't Control the Media.
http://www.cjr.org/top_story/the_israel_lobby_doesnt_contro.php?page=all
Youssef Ibrahrim argues that Israel Lobby's Pull Pales Next to Evil Saudi Input.
http://www.nysun.com/pf.php?id=63353&v=6797961911
See also Jeffrey Goldberg's response to W&M.
http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=20071008&s=goldberg100807
The Video:
http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/player.jhtml?ml_video=104544&is_large=true
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