Wednesday, January 16, 2008

The Israel Factor I

Of all the reasons offered for going to war against Saddam in the aftermath of the fiasco, the considerable influence of Israel and Israel's supporters in the United States is underestimated. That Israel political leaders welcomed an attack against a Arab leader they viewed as unstable and dangerous is undeniable. Their view of the security threat posed by Saddam Hussein was demonstrated when the Israeli Air Force bombed the Osirak nuclear reactor prior to it becoming operational in 1981. They mounted a public relations campaign in the spring of 2002 that was second only to the Regime's Herculean efforts to push American into an attack. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres made numerous public statements in the United States to officials and the media depicting Saddam as a dangerous dictator who posed not only an imminent threat to Israel, but also to the United States. The Israeli chorus was joined by former Prime Ministers Ehud Barak and Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel's efforts to provoke an attack went beyond mere press statements. The Senate Intelligence Committee released a report after the revelation of no WMD in Iraq, stating that much of Israeli intelligence about Saddam given to the Regime was false. In the game of nations, getting another to do the heavy lifting for you is not a new tactic.

The authors of The Israel Lobby make a firm distinction between Israel's efforts to start a war against Iraq and those of the neoconservatives operating within the Regime. They properly place the blame for the successful propaganda campaign advocating a 'preemptive' invasion of Iraq at the feet of the neocons in government and media. However, prominent neoconservatives in the US also have extensive interconnections with pro-Israel policy groups. The authors refuse to call the policy network a "right wing cabal"[1] but a listing of the network may cause the reader to conclude the cabal term is appropriate [2]. Elliot Abrams (CSP, HI, PNAC); William Bennett (AEI, CSP, PNAC); John Bolton (AEI, JINSA, PNAC); Douglas Feith (CSP, JINSA, ZOA); Charles Krauthammer (FDD, Weekly Standard editor); William Kristol (PNAC cofounder, Weekly Standard editor); Michael Ledeen (AEI, JINSA); Richard Perle (AEI, CSP, HI, JINSA, PNAC, MEF); Daniel Pipes (PNAC, MEF, WINEP); Norman Podhoretz (HI, PNAC, Commentary); Michael Rubin (AEI, CSP, MEF); Paul Wolfowitz (AEI, PNAC, WINEP); David Wurmser (AEI, MEF, FDD); James Woolsey, and others since the list is not exhaustive.

Neocon agitation for an attack on Iraq can be traced to the early nineties when Douglas Feith wrote foreign policy articles supporting Occupied Territory settlements and their annexation. In June of 1996 he co-authored with David Wurmser and Richard Perle the "Clean Break" report for incoming Prime Minister, Bejamin Netanyahu under the auspices of an Israeli right-wing think tank. Among other positions, the report advocated removing Saddam Hussein from power to insure Israel's future national security. Netanyahu did not implement their advice, but the three neocons were soon urging the same action upon the American government.

In January 1998 neoconservatives wrote an open letter to President Clinton under the auspices of PNAC that caused a sensation among Washington policy wonks. It was signed by Bolton, Pearl, Rumsfeld, and Wolfowitz among others. A second letter followed in February. This one was also signed by Ann Lewis, former political director of the Democratic National Committee, and former Congressman Stephen J. Solarz (D-NY) and the usual suspects. Neocons lobbied extensively for the passage of the Iraq Liberation Act which mandated US support for efforts to remove Saddam Hussein from power. The Act authorized $97 million to fund groups committed to overthrowing Saddam, such as Ahmed Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress. Perle, Wolfowitz, Woolsey and JINSA all lobbied hard for the bill's passage. It passed by unanimous consent in the Senate and by a lopsided margin in the House. President Clinton signed the bill into law in October, 1998, but did little to implement it during his final scandal plagued years in office. However, his wife Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) was consistent with his policy of regime change when she finally voted for the invasion on October 11, 2002. [continued]

[1] cabal: to unite in a small party to promote private views by intrique. Websters Dictionary Unabridged
[2] AEI-American Enterprise Institute; CSP-Center for Security Policy; HI-Hudson Institute; FDD-Foundation for Defense of Democracies; JINSA-Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs; MEF-Middle East Forum; PNAC-Project for a New American Century; WINEP-Washington Institute for Near East Policy; ZOA-Zionist Organization of America.