Phony US Support for Ending Palestine's Occupation

by Stephen Lendman

Washington unequivocally supports Israel. Both countries partner in each other's high crimes.

They oppose granting Palestinians rights mattering most. Claims otherwise ring hollow.

White House chief of staff Denis McDonough is a longtime Washington insider.

Earlier he was Obama's chief foreign policy advisor, his strategic communication National Security Council head, and his NSC chief of staff.

In 2004, he was a corporate lobbying group Center for American Progress senior fellow.

On March 23, he addressed J Street conference participants in Washington.

It's a pro-Israeli front group. Executive director Jeremy Ben-Ami is a former Clinton administration deputy domestic policy advisor.

Earlier he was New Israel Fund communications director.

J Street differs from other pro-Israeli groups in rhetoric and style alone. It's AIPAC wrapped in kinder, gentler Zionist extremism.

Ben-Ami calls J Street pro-Zionist, pro-Israel and pro-peace. He's as anti-Palestinian as overt hardliners.

Former Nixon, Johnson, Clinton official/Council on Foreign Relations member/George Soros advisor Morton H. Halperin serves as chairman.

J Street ideologues believe preparing for war achieves peace.

Their conferences features prominent pro-Israeli speakers.

This year they included:

• former Secretary of State and Treasury/White House chief of staff James Baker;

• former US ambassador to Israel/Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs Martin Indyk;

• former Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns; and

• a number of Knesset members and pro-Israeli journalists - among others.

Denis McDonough was keynote speaker. His comments rang hollow.

He ignored longstanding US policy towards Israel saying and it would "be both wrong and illegal" to keep annexing West Bank territory.

"Israel cannot maintain military control of another people indefinitely."

"An occupation that has lasted for almost 50 years must end."

"After the election, the prime minister said that he had not changed his position, but for many in Israel and in the international community, such contradictory comments call into question his commitment to a two-state solution, as did his suggestion that the construction of settlements has a strategic purpose of dividing Palestinian communities and his claim that conditions in the larger Middle East must be more stable before a Palestinian state can be established."

"We cannot simply pretend that those comments were never made, or that they don’t raise questions about the prime minister’s commitment to achieving peace through direct negotiations."

Obama will "never stop working for a two-state solution…(a) sovereign and sustainable" Palestinian state.

Washington expects Netanyahu's new coalition government "to match words with actions and policies that demonstrate a genuine commitment to a two-state solution."

McDonough called J Street a White House "partner" in pursuing peace and advancing a two-state solution.

Fact: Washington's rhetoric belies its longstanding one-sided pro-Israeli policy.

Fact: It supports Israel's worst crimes.

Fact: It partners in its wars of aggression.

Fact: It's done nothing to stop its illegal settlement construction on stolen Palestinian land.

Fact: It's taken no action against lawless militarized occupation.

Fact: It consistently blocks Security Council resolutions inimical to Israeli interests.

Fact: It's done nothing to support Palestinian self-determination.

Fact: It opposes it within June 1967 borders - 22% of historic Palestine.

Fact: It deplores peace. It consistently supports belligerence and status quo harshness.

Fact: During last summer's Israeli premeditated naked aggression on Gaza, Obama supported its right to "self-defense."

Fact: He called legitimate Hamas self-defense "terrorism."

Fact: McDonough speaks for Obama and US bipartisan policy for overall.

Fact: It one-sidedly supports Israel.

Fact: It doesn't give a damn about Palestinian rights, welfare or futures.

Claiming otherwise continues longstanding hypocrisy.

If Washington cared about Palestinians, its one-sided pro-Israeli policy would have ended decades ago.

It never would have begun in the first place. It wouldn't have put up with AIPAC and other pernicious Zionist groups operating as unregistered foreign agents - serving Israel often at the expense of US interests.

After feigning criticism of Netanyahu's racist comments, White House press secretary Josh Earnest called his post-electoral phony flip flop a step in the right direction.

Expect longstanding US support for Israel to continue unchanged.

Expect both partners in high crimes to remain solid allies.

Expect no end to Palestinian persecution. Expect justice to be consistently denied like always.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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