US diplomat resigns from intelligence post over Israel criticism

US diplomat resigns from intelligence post over Israel criticism

www.guardian.co.uk

A veteran American diplomat has resigned as one of Barack Obama's top intelligence officials over his strident criticisms of Israeli government policy.

Chas Freeman, a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, withdrew before starting work as chairman of the national intelligence council, accusing his critics of libel, character assassination and "utter disregard for the truth".

The "Israel Lobby", he argued, was stifling any discussion of US policy options in the Middle East except those endorsed by "the ruling faction in Israeli politics" - a situation that could "ultimately threaten the existence of the state of Israel".

(visit the link for the full news article)

The guy speaks about the white elephant in the room and looses his job for the pleasure. There is a certain irony to complaining about Israel's chokehold on US foreign policy and losing your job over it.

Pushing all that to one side for the moment, I believe the real issue at stake here is thus: what kind of atmosphere do we cultivate when people are punished for making legitimate criticisms against foreign/domestic leaders/nations?

www.guardian.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

Snarkiness on: Good, now that we have someone out of the way who actually thinks critically, we can get back to business. Let's celebrate by nuking Iran!

reply to post by john_bmth


I am proud of myself. I predicted this eventuality a while back. Anyone who 'sees' what AIPAC and Israeli operatives actually 'do' in this country knows that their's is one power to which you are NOT allowed to speak truth.

They have no respect for America. In their judgment we are their tool.

(Of course I am speaking of the Israeli government, not their subjects.)

[edit on 11-3-2009 by Maxmars]

Silencing the truth as usual, will the Zionists ever be held accountable?

Maybe only the Israeli people can do that now, but I don't see that happening any time soon due to the sickening propaganda they are subjected to.

We seriously live in the most hypocritical nation on the planet. We are at war with the "terrorists", yet our politics are controlled by a terrorist government. Israel was probably western civilization's biggest mistake since the dark ages.

Now they own us, and we're no longer a sovereign nation.

The guy has a list of conflicts of interest the length of my arm. Why he was ever considered for the post in the first place is beyond me.

This article goes into more detail about the concerns that many lawmakers have about him. There is far more to it than just issues with Israel.

www.foxnews.com...

[edit on 11-3-2009 by jibeho]

The ironic thing is we can criticize the UK or France on policies of theirs but yet you talk about Israel oh no no no. I wonder at what point in our history were we taken over by Israel? Is it the links to the financial industry? At what point did we give up our sovereignty for Israel can someone please answer me this?

"Every time we do something you tell me America will do this and will do that . . . I want to tell you something very clear: Don't worry about American pressure on Israel. We, the Jewish people, control America, and the Americans know it." - Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, October 3, 2001

It must have been quite a while before 2001...

Originally posted by Angeldust1199
"Every time we do something you tell me America will do this and will do that . . . I want to tell you something very clear: Don't worry about American pressure on Israel. We, the Jewish people, control America, and the Americans know it." - Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, October 3, 2001

It must have been quite a while before 2001...

Where is your citation? Link please!!

I googled your quote and found an article that cites to IAP News.

I googled IAP News and found nothing. It is not even a actual news organization, nor is it even a propaganda front like Press TV. It is simply non-exsitant.

This is complete BS. Stop spreading the hatred, we have enough economic problems my friend to have to listen to this non-sense.

Here's one:
Sharon never said it.

reply to post by Moonage

The hoax originated with an October 3, 2001 press release from the pro-Hamas group, the Islamic Association for Palestine. It said:

An acrimonious argument erupted during the Israeli cabinet weekly session last week between Ariel Sharon and his foreign Minister Shimon Peres during which Sharon reportedly yelled at Peres, saying “don’t worry about American pressure, we control America.”

Notably, in the same press release, the direct quotation “we control America” changed to “we the Jewish people control America.”

Great find Moonage!!!

He was not vetted very well: He hates the military and the ROTC, wanted them banned from schools and colleges. He loves China and has no problems with their torture and killing. There are many more reasons.

Originally posted by genomega
He was not vetted very well: He hates the military and the ROTC, wanted them banned from schools and colleges. He loves China and has no problems with their torture and killing. There are many more reasons.

Does he also think Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance?

Well the pro ZIONIST posters where quick to answer to this one. Oh yes isrehell is free from all wrong doing. They are a country of peace loving people just trying to be free. If it wasn't for those evil people in the Gaza strip always attacking empty lots with their missiles we would have no problems. When will they let isreals empty lots be in peace???? Oh when will the crazy missile attacks that never hit anyone stop..... I can only pray that the peaceful israelis build houses on all those empty lots so this insanity will stop.

Originally posted by Moonage
Here's one:
Sharon never said it.

Here's one better:

en.wikipedia.org...

In 1986, Florida International University political science professor Cheryl A. Rubenberg noted CAMERA was “Another pro-Israeli organization that was formed after 1982 to monitor the media...” She further stated that CAMERA was one of several ‘new groups’ which constituted the “Israeli lobby” at the time. Writing in The Nation in 1987, journalist Robert I. Friedman similarly described CAMERA as having been formed in the wake of Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon "to keep the U.S. press in line," noting that the organization's activities at the time included publishing a newsletter and placing advertisements in The Christian Science Monitor and The New Republic in support of Israel's West Bank settlement policies.

In 1988, Edward Said, a political activist and University Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, argued that not even the Israeli Government has ventured the arguments of CAMERA, and that "surely, the Israeli lobby can find better propaganda methods than this!"

But wait, there's more:

In October 2007, CAMERA organized a conference entitled "Israel's Jewish Defamers," in which a panel of discussants accused selected Jewish critics of Israel, as well as Israel's leading newspaper, Haaretz, of distortions and falsehoods about Israel.

/SNIP

Among the panelists were writer Cynthia Ozick and Harvard psychiatrist Kenneth Levin, who likened the Jewish critics to chronically abused children.

So they've even run smear campaigns on more respected journalists! Finally let's see if they actually lie outright...

In an April 2008 article, the pro-Palestinian advocacy site[49][50] Electronic Intifada revealed the existence of a Google group set up by CAMERA. The stated purpose of the group was "help[ing] us keep Israel-related entries on Wikipedia from becoming tainted by anti-Israel editors".[13] Electronic Intifada accused CAMERA of "orchestrating a secret, long-term campaign to infiltrate the popular online encyclopedia Wikipedia to rewrite Palestinian history, pass off crude propaganda as fact, and take over Wikipedia administrative structures to ensure these changes go either undetected or unchallenged".

/SNIP (Cutting to the chase)

A group of Wikipedia administrators strongly believed an editor on Wikipedia to be Gilead Ini and blocked that user account indefinitely.

So yes, they do! I'd try harder than quoting a Zionist propaganda machine as fact to use in a debate. Here's some that can be completely verified:

"The Israelis control the policy in the congress and the senate."

Senator Fulbright, Chair of Senate Foreign Relations Committee: 10/07/1973 on CBS' "Face the Nation".

I am aware how almost impossible it is in this country to carry out a foreign policy [in the Middle East] not approved by the Jews..... terrific control the Jews have over the news media and the barrage the Jews have built up on congressmen .... I am very much concerned over the fact that the Jewish influence here is completely dominating the scene and making it almost impossible to get congress to do anything they don't approve of. The Israeli embassy is practically dictating to the congress through influential Jewish people in the country

Sec. of State John Foster Dulles

The more Qassam fire intensifies and the rockets reach a longer range, they will bring upon themselves a bigger ‘Shoah’ because we will use all our might to defend ourselves.

Israeli Deputy Defence Minister, Matan Vilnai on Army Radio (Shoah means holocaust in Hebrew)

the government must instruct the IDF to eliminate the rocket fire from Gaza entirely. These attacks need not be minimized or managed, but stopped completely irrespective of the cost to the Palestinians.

Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter

any other country would have already gone in and leveled the area, which is exactly what I think the IDF should do – decide on a neighborhood in Gaza and level it.

Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit

But there is no justification for demanding we allow residents of Gaza to live normal lives while shells and rockets are fired from their streets and courtyards at Sderot and other communities in the south.

Does anyone seriously think that our children will wet their beds at night in fear and be afraid to go out of the house and they [Gazans] will live in quiet normality?

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert

Finally, what does this statement tell you?
www.google.com...

"In the night between Thursday and Friday, when the secretary of state wanted to lead the vote on a ceasefire at the Security Council, we did not want her to vote in favour," Olmert said.

"I said 'get me President Bush on the phone'. They said he was in the middle of giving a speech in Philadelphia. I said I didn't care. 'I need to talk to him now'. He got off the podium and spoke to me.

"I told him the United States could not vote in favour. It cannot vote in favour of such a resolution. He immediately called the secretary of state and told her not to vote in favour."

So taking into account all the above (there's bound to be more too), even if the Sharon quote cannot be 100% confirmed there's little room for argument.

[edit on 11-3-2009 by Goathief]

America gives israel billions and billions of dollars a year and puts israels views infront of it's own as it is no secret that a forgien country's lobby, the israel lobby, is the most powerful in Washington.

All America sees in return are ever growing red targets on its citizen's backs and losing the respect of the rest of the world.

The sooner Americans see this, the sooner the insanity can stop!

Please read the stats on the front page of...

ifamerciaknew.org

edit to add link, VIEW LINK!!!!!

[edit on 11-3-2009 by breakingdradles]

yeah. star and flag.

but on the other hand, he should not be surprised of being fired. whatever we think about Israel control over US, if you do work for the government you can not make any statements in opposition to its polices.

The closer the US policy is to that of Israel, the better. Especially now that Netanyahu is about to take over as PM. I trust Netanyahu's instincts and policies to a far greater extent than I do Obama's (and I don't have an ounce of Jewish blood).

To those who call Israel terrorists: remember that no one who acts in your interest is a terrorist, no matter what they do. Whereas, anyone who acts against your interest is a terrorist if they so much as blow on a mosquito.

Obviously, Freeman's judgment of reality is too clouded by intellectual honesty in place of elementary understanding of self-interest. Exactly the last sort of person you want within a thousand miles of the intelligence function. Intelligence officials should be hard-nosed realists without concern for principle or sensitivities. If that were the case, we never would have had the NIE published a couple of years ago stating that the Iranians had put their atomic bomb program on hold. To think that the Bush administration allowed such a thing to be published shows just how incompetent they were.