Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Jared Kushner in Jerusalem on June 21, 2017.
Photo: Provided by Amos Ben Gershom/GPO/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Thanks to Mueller’s ongoing investigation, we now know that prior to President Donald Trump’s inauguration, members of his inner circle went to bat on behalf of Israel, and specifically on behalf of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, behind the scenes and in opposition to official U.S. foreign policy. That’s the kind of collusion with a foreign state that has gotten a lot of attention with respect to the Kremlin – but colluding with Israel seems to be of far less interest, strangely.
It’s the kind of collusion with a foreign state that has gotten a lot of attention with respect to the Kremlin — but colluding with Israel seems to be of far less interest, strangely.
Here’s what we learned last week when Mueller’s team unveiled its plea deal with Trump’s former national security adviser, retired Gen. Michael Flynn. In December 2016, the United Nations Security Council was debating a draft resolution that condemned Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied territories as a “flagrant violation under international law” that was “dangerously imperiling the viability” of an independent Palestinian state.
The Obama administration had made it clear that the U.S. was planning to abstain on the resolution, while noting that “the settlements have no legal validity” and observing how “the settlement problem has gotten so much worse that it is now putting at risk the … two-state solution.” (Rhetorically, at least, U.S. opposition to Israeli settlements has been a long-standing and bipartisan position for decades: Ronald Reagan called for “a real settlement freeze” in 1982 while George H.W. Bush tried to curb Israeli settlement-building plans by briefly cutting off U.S. loan guarantees to the Jewish state in 1991.)
So what did members of the Trump team do, as they listened to loud objections to the U.N. resolution from the Netanyahu government while counting down the days till Trump’s inauguration in January 2017?
“On or about December 22, 2016, a very senior member of the Presidential Transition Team directed Flynn to contact officials from foreign governments, including Russia, to learn where each government stood on the resolution and to influence those governments to delay the vote or defeat the resolution,” reads the statement of offense against Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. “On or about December 22, 2016, Flynn contacted the Russian Ambassador about the pending vote. Flynn informed the Russian Ambassador about the incoming administration’s opposition to the resolution, and requested that Russia vote against or delay the resolution.”
Who was the “very senior member” of the transition team who “directed” Flynn to do all this? Multiple news outlets have confirmed that it was Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and main point man on the Middle East peace process. “Jared called Flynn and told him you need to get on the phone to every member of the Security Council and tell them to delay the vote,” a Trump transition official revealed to BuzzFeed News on Friday, adding that Kushner told Flynn “this was a top priority for the president.”
According to BuzzFeed, “After hanging up, Flynn told the entire room [at the Trump transition team HQ] that they’d have to start pushing to lobby against the U.N. vote, saying ‘the president wants this done ASAP.’” Flynn’s guilty plea, BuzzFeed continued, revealed “for the first time how Trump transition officials solicited Russia’s help to head off the UN vote and undermine the Obama administration’s policy on Middle East peace before ever setting foot in the White House.”
Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
None of this has been contested. In fact, on Sunday, Kushner made a rare public appearance at the Saban Forum in Washington, D.C., to discuss the Trump administration’s plans for the Middle East and was welcomed by the forum’s sponsor, the Israeli-American billionaire Haim Saban, who said he “personally wanted to thank” Kushner for “taking steps to try and get the United Nations Security Council to not go along with what ended up being an abstention by the U.S.” Kushner’s response? The first son-in-law smiled, nodded, and mouthed “thank you” to Saban.
Meanwhile, the Israelis have been pretty forthcoming about their own role in all of this, too. On Monday, Ron Dermer, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. and a close friend and ally of Netanyahu, told Politico’s Susan Glasser that, in December 2016, “obviously we reached out to [the Trump transition team] in the hope that they would help us,” and “we were hopeful that they would speak” to other governments “in order to prevent this vote from happening.”
The Trump transition team reached out to the Russian government in order to undermine the U.S. government because the Israeli government asked them to.
Got that? The Trump transition team — in the form of key Trump advisers Kushner and Flynn — reached out to the Russian government in order to undermine the U.S. government because the Israeli government asked them to.
Where’s the outrage? How is the sheer “scope and audacity” of the Trump-Netanyahu backchannels — to quote one U.S. official who spoke to me on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly on this issue — not a bigger story? For a start, as University of Chicago law professors Daniel Hemel and Eric Posner argued in a New York Times op-ed on Monday, the much-mocked Logan Act of 1799 remains “a serious criminal statute that bars citizens from undermining the foreign policy actions of the sitting president.” These two legal scholars point out that “if Mr. Flynn violated the Logan Act, then so did the ‘very senior’ official who directed his actions. If that official is Mr. Kushner, then Mr. Kushner could go to jail.”
Then there is the issue of Middle East policy itself. It wasn’t outsourced to the Israelis by Trump and Co. only during the transition or only over settlements. The outsourcing has continued in office. Tomorrow, Trump is expected to announce that the United States will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel — another key Israeli demand that every single previous president, Republican and Democrat, has resisted. The decision on Jerusalem is so contentious that it both undermines any chance of reviving the peace process and threatens to cost lives — not just those of Israelis and Palestinians, but of Americans too.
What was it that James Mattis, secretary of defense and former head of U.S. Central Command, said back in 2013 at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado? He pointed out that the chances of a two-state solution were “starting to ebb because of the settlements,” before adding: “I paid a military security price every day as a commander of CENTCOM because the Americans were seen as biased in support of Israel.”
Until Mueller issues his final report, we can all agree to disagree on whether there was collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. For now, however, what we do know for sure and what seems beyond doubt is that Flynn and Kushner colluded with Netanyahu and Dermer, on behalf of Trump, to make America not great again, but much less secure.
Don’t take my word for it. Take the word of Trump’s own defense secretary.
Mehdi: You pinpoint and highlight gross hypocrisy regarding US policy towards Israel. Keep the spotlight on it. Many millions of American citizens, including Jews, agree with you. More media scrutiny will emerge over time. Be patient, and persist with your message. Honesty will find partners, and their commitment will overcome.
One should note that not only are the collusion illegal under US law they are considered a war crime under the Geneva Conventions. All the people in the trump transition team that have supported the movement of occupiers into occupied territory should be arrested and tried for war crimes. But this has become a rogue nation so don’t hold your breath.
Because they’re on our side, stupid. Now shut up and go make American great again. We got a lot of work after 8 years of that muslim wanna be moron.
If for one second you think Israel is on “our” side then you are either sadly mistaken or incorrigibly stupid. Israel is only on their side. Time after time they have subverted the US’s interest. A little research on your part should be done before proving to everyone on the interest that you are just plain dumb
Arab of which the “Palestinians” originating from the violent sect’s Jebusites and Canannites ARE the definition of colude in Websters Dictionary: to act together secretly to acheive a deceitful or fradulent purpose not unlike our former potus Barry Soetero…lets not mince words here Bill Clinton championed that one…….
#1 the Jebusites and Cannites were violent sect’s not unlike Islam. #2 a total reversal of the word “colluded” which by definition: is to act together secretly to acheive a deceitful or fradulent purpose…of which fits the Arab to a T, not to mention our former potus Barry Soetero……
promoting zionism must be made a capital crime
For the record regarding Jerusalem:
Today’s Palestinians and their ancestors have lived continuously between the River and the Sea for at least 15,000 years.** The Jebusite/Canaanites were ancestors of today’s Palestinians and it was they who founded Jerusalem around 3000 BCE.
It is estimated that the biblical Hebrews did not invade until circa 1800 BCE and their resulting United Kingdom of Israel, which never controlled the coast from Jaffa to Gaza, lasted a mere 75 years, less than a blip in the history of Canaan and Palestine.
Originally known as Jebus, the first recorded reference to it as “Rushalimum” (or “Urussalim”) appears in Egyptian Execration Texts of the nineteenth century BCE, nearly 800 years before it is alleged King David was born.
BTW, thus far, no archaeological evidence, or more importantly, writings of contemporaneous civilizations, have been found that prove Solomon or David actually existed. (Nor has any evidence been discovered to confirm that the Jewish exodus from Egypt ever occurred. )
To quote renowned Jewish Israeli writer/columnist, Uri Avnery: “[David and Solomon’s] existence is disproved, inter alia, by their total absence from the voluminous correspondence of Egyptian rulers and spies in the Land of Canaan.” (“A Curious National Home,” by Uri Avnery, May 13/17 –
http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/channels/avnery/1494589093/)
**
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fgene.2017.00087/full
Front. Genet., 21 June 2017 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2017.00087
“The Origins of Ashkenaz, Ashkenazic Jews, and Yiddish.”
EXCERPT:
“Recent genetic samples from bones found in Palestine dating to the Epipaleolithic (20000-10500 BCE) showed remarkable resemblance to modern day Palestinians.”
For the record regarding Jerusalem:
Today’s Palestinians and their ancestors have lived continuously between the River and the Sea for at least 15,000 years.** The Jebusite/Canaanites were ancestors of today’s Palestinians and it was they who founded Jerusalem around 3000 BCE.
It is estimated that the biblical Hebrews did not invade until circa 1800 BCE and their resulting United Kingdom of Israel, which never controlled the coast from Jaffa to Gaza, lasted a mere 75 years, less than a blip in the history of Canaan and Palestine.
Originally known as Jebus, the first recorded reference to it as “Rushalimum” (or “Urussalim”) appears in Egyptian Execration Texts of the nineteenth century BCE, nearly 800 years before it is alleged King David was born.
BTW, thus far, no archaeological evidence, or more importantly, writings of contemporaneous civilizations, have been found that prove Solomon or David actually existed. (Nor has any evidence been discovered to confirm that the Jewish exodus from Egypt ever occurred. )
To quote renowned Jewish Israeli writer/columnist, Uri Avnery: “[David and Solomon’s] existence is disproved, inter alia, by their total absence from the voluminous correspondence of Egyptian rulers and spies in the Land of Canaan.” (“A Curious National Home,” by Uri Avnery, May 13/17 –
http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/channels/avnery/1494589093/)
Regarding West and East Jerusalem in 1947:
The total population of West Jerusalem (the New City) and East Jerusalem (the Old City) and their environs was about 200,000 with a slight Arab majority. (Professor Walid Khalidi, Harvard, “Plan Dalet,” Journal of Palestine Studies, Autumn, 1988, p. 17)
The total land area of West Jerusalem (the New City) in 1947 was 19,331 dunams (about 4,833 acres) of which 40 per cent was owned by Palestinian Muslims and Christians, 26.12 per cent by Jews and 13.86 per cent by others, including Christian communities. Government and municipal land made up 2.90 per cent and roads and railways 17.12 per cent.
East Jerusalem (the Old City) consisted of 800 dunams (about 240 acres) of which five dunams (just over one acre) were Jewish owned and the remaining 795 dunams were owned by Palestinian Muslims and Christians. (“Assessing Palestinian Property in the City,” by Dalia Habash and Terry Rempel, Jerusalem 1948: The Arab Neighbourhoods and their Fate in the War, edited by Salim Tamari, The Institute of Jerusalem Studies, 1999, map, pp. 184-85)
**
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fgene.2017.00087/full
Front. Genet., 21 June 2017 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2017.00087
The Origins of Ashkenaz, Ashkenazic Jews, and Yiddish.
Recent genetic samples from bones found in Palestine dating to the Epipaleolithic (20000-10500 BCE) showed remarkable resemblance to modern day Palestinians.
EXCERPTS:
“The non-Levantine origin of AJs [Ashkenazi Jews] is further supported by an ancient DNA analysis of six Natufians and a Levantine Neolithic (Lazaridis et al., 2016), some of the most likely Judaean progenitors (Finkelstein and Silberman, 2002; Frendo, 2004). In a principle component analysis (PCA), the ancient Levantines clustered predominantly with modern-day Palestinians and Bedouins and marginally overlapped with Arabian Jews, whereas AJs clustered away from Levantine individuals and adjacent to Neolithic Anatolians and Late Neolithic and Bronze Age Europeans.”
“Overall, the combined results are in a strong agreement with the predictions of the Irano-Turko-Slavic hypothesis (Table 1) and rule out an ancient Levantine origin for AJs, which is predominant among modern-day Levantine populations (e.g., Bedouins and Palestinians). This is not surprising since Jews differed in cultural practices and norms (Sand, 2011) and tended to adopt local customs (Falk, 2006). Very little Palestinian Jewish culture survived outside of Palestine (Sand, 2009). For example, the folklore and folkways of the Jews in northern Europe is distinctly pre-Christian German (Patai, 1983) and Slavic in origin, which disappeared among the latter (Wexler, 1993, 2012).”
People are outraged, including American Jews who reject Netanyahu’s far-right gov’t. Only hope all the dirty transition doings with Israel, Saudi, UAE & Russia (not a complete list obv) come to light and show the anti-American self-enrichers for what they are.
because of the power and influence that Israel uses to hold are politicians enthrall. and let’s not forget the Millions in influence that they buy
Great peice
As always Israel gets a free pass
Mr. Majid Bashir
Salaam alaykum!
Not this time. Israel is now joined at the hip with Donald Trump, who without doubt, is the most incompetent, utterly unsuited, corrupt president America has ever had.
As for Netanyahu, he is a well documented, power mad, corrupt thug
Give it time. Apparently, both Trump and Netanyahu are not familiar with the old adage “lie down with dogs and you get up with fleas.”
Bellingcat working with The Insider identifies a key figure in the downing of MH17 (Russian Colonel General Identified as Key MH17 Figure via @bellingcat https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2017/12/08/russian-colonel-general-delfin/)
‘Putinchev’s Cobra – the Stung Clean Break Drive on Iran’
WHEN: Wed Nov 29, 2017, 5:00 ~ 6 pm
WHERE: Otay Branch San Diego Public Library,
3003 Coronado Ave, San Diego, Ca 92154
WHO: Dr Lance Dale
Overview, zeitgeist, context and potential sweeping clarification of US and Israeli strategic intent and current play in the light of the Iran Deal, UN 2334, the ICC, and other recognized existential events*
The Stung Clean Break Drive on Iran
Putin’s Triple Crown – Hillary, Trump and Kahanist-dominant Political Judaism
Matrix/Intersectionality Checkmate, Modeling PM Barak/8200’s Great Tsunami on Israel
Zeitgeist Snap and Shattered Pro-Israeli/Kahanist Glass Ceiling
The Struggle of Judaism to free itself from Kahanism and it’s Messianic Settlers, ‘The Missed Pivot: Hillary’s Misfired Next Level’, ‘the CIS and the Israeli Generals Revolts’
Mueller’s Windfall Checkmate, ‘Connected Trump/Netanyahu/Kushner Cases’, ‘Mueller’s 2nd Bite at Big Zion’
Netanyahu-Kushner encryption/conspiracy over UN 2334 central to Mueller’s Charges/Trump Impeachment
The La Brea Tarpit of Kahanism and Jared Stuck to It
The Social Revolution against Trump merging with Sociocultural American Revolution against Kahanist-dominant Israel Lobby/Israeli Apartheid
The Great Wave of Kahangawa – heads up guys in the boats!
Schisms, Fusions, Transitional States, and America’s Schism from Israel anticipated by Diaspora Jewry’s Schism from Israel, Israeli Judaism’s Schism from Diaspora Judaism, and other existential internal Israeli divisions
Fusion of Messianic Settlers fused to Adelson fused to Bannon fused to Trump fused to Netanyahu…whoops
‘Getting Seen pushing America into Clean Break Wars – Netanyahu’s Royal Discomfiting of the Pooch’ – Bibi’s catastrophic surfacing/exposure of 30 yrs of prime Israeli/AIPAC Clean Break Strategy as ‘Mr Iran’ melts down
The Successful 2nd American Revolution, the Obama Revolution over Kahanism, a ‘Club of 2’
Please visit/view daily headlines at TimesofIsrael.com and Haaretz.com leading up to talk- if possible
==
next in series;
‘Netanyahu’s Putsch over the Iran Deal and UN 2334 at the heart of Trump’s Impeachment’, and ‘Obama’s Successful 2nd American Revolution over Kahanism’
Amongst many other things, on this day I’m thankful that I saw the Kahanist Avocado on Morning Joe (Richard Haas) say he now has ‘No Strategy’ after facing the double catastrophic news that
1- Trump and Putin decided not to have Trump help the Clean Break Drive launch into Syria, and ALSO
2- that Mueller is now focusing on the Jared-Netanyahu conspiracy to subvert UN 2334.
Voila, CHECKMATE ISRAEL AND THE ISRAEL LOBBY
I see what your saying about President Trump. You know with all that proof that keeps coming up. (sarcasm)
Pretty simple, in their own words:
Ariel Sharon: “We, the Jewish People, Control America, and The Americans Know it.”
——————-
Once we squeeze all we can out of the United States, it can dry up and blow away.’
– Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
The Sharon quote comes from a credible source. The Netanyahu quote is garbage. The source for it? Someone who was told by a “CIA agent” who overheard Netanyahu say this as he left Jonathan Pollock’s jail cell.
Source WIKI: “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.” – Alleged quote by Ariel Sharon to Shimon Peres (October 3, 2001); as reported by Haaretz.
Source: City-Data.com blog post
Netanyahu: “Once we squeeze all we can out of the United States, it can dry up and blow away.”
It is in many places on the web but this appears to be the earliest reference:
The demise of global communications security / http://www.onlinejournal.org/Special_Reports/092105Madsen/092105madsen.html
U.S. intelligence sources report that the one Israeli who is considered an extreme threat to U.S. national security is former prime minister and current prime minister hopeful Binyamin Netanyahu. Not only has Netanyahu visited convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard in his North Carolina prison cell and advocated strenuously for his release, but he was once overheard by an ex-CIA agent as saying to a group of his supporters, “Once we squeeze all we can out of the United States, it can dry up and blow away.”
© 2005 WayneMadsenReport.com
Short video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6KLFrye9Xk
Netanyahu: America is Easy to Push Around (English Subtitles)
the real meddler in american politics. the israeli right.
Is the author a comedian or a clueless leftist drone?
Desperation is an unattractive attribute. Collusion is not a crime, and obviously there hasn’t been any.
Your tactics are becoming a real bore these days.
Is history repeating itself? Once upon a time, another US president (Wilson) was blackmailed and it helped Zionists get their first big wish: Israel. Now they’re about to get their second biggest wish: Jerusalem. I’m not being anti-semitic…..”Zionism is to Judaism like ISIS is to Islam.” Research it.
FUCK YOU DONALD DUCK by making Jerusalem the capital of illegal israel you are failing as a fair broken! You bloody hypocrite American Zionist!
THIS VIDEO SAID THAT TRUMP IS A FAKE PRESIDENT CLOSE TO THE END OF THE VIDEO SO WHAT HE JUST SAY IS RUBBISH!
Network of Global Corporate Control12 5 17
https://youtu.be/F2KS1-_qiBQ
http://www.sunflowerchongsunwah.com/videos/
… and whilst the rhetoric is (kind of) new, this is not really significantly difference from US positions of the past … that is, if we are to form our conclusion based on what actually happens, as opposed to politi-talk.
Whats the problem? They asked Russia to vote against it. Obama was spitting on Israel and the American people. Appeasing hatred around the world. The American public has had enough of Democrat hatred and anti-semitism from leftists. Its the leftists lobby that has prevented peace by cowtowing to the Arabs. Who keeps their own people in camps? The Arabs. The leftist press has double standards against Israel. Its about time someone has the balls to call out the fake news. The new York Times, all the lies worth printing. The lefts news is more opinions than facts now. They slant stories almost to the point of lying. The average american is sick of it. I am sick of these double standards against Israel. People who look in the mirror and see how much they lie about Israel.
Ha! Wow…dual loyalties..eh?
It’s I-s-r-a-h-e-l-l, dude.
Nonsense!!
Americans and peoples around the world, including ever increasing numbers of enlightened Jews, especially youth, are “sick” of Israel’s flouting of hard won international law and its belligerent, illegal brutal dispossession, expulsion, occupation and oppression of the Palestinians who are the indigenous inhabitants of Palestine, the lands between the River and the Sea.
Why don’t you just say what you really mean and change collude to collaborate? Because that is what this is about, someone collaborating with the Zionists right? You won’t be happy until they are pushed into the sea. At least be like your less civilized brothers and have the courage to admit it.
Palestinians protest. Israelis shower them with tear gas.
Palestinians throw rocks. Israelis use live ammunition.
Israelis kill Palestinians.
Israelis bulldoze/destroy homes of protesters.
Israelis build settlements in their stead.
Why would anyone want to push the Israelis into the sea?
Yeah, right, other than being less civilized how else one will deal with the savage land thieves.
what we now know every jews in america support and loyalt to Israil, not patriot in his citizen USA
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
This article is blatant anti-semitism.
Really…how is it “blatant anti- semitism”???
That’s hilarious !!
anti-shitmetism? what’s that? wait till this bs get repealed too, you will see what blatant really means.
Incoming transition teams talk to foreign governments all the time. It’s not illegal it is simply practical. And if they don’t agree with the incumbent administration all the better to get it out there and start working the new agenda. Do you live under a rock?
I see you’re not a constitutional and/or legal scholar: The Logan Act of 1799 remains “a serious criminal statute that bars citizens from undermining the foreign policy actions of the sitting president.”
You are joking, right? The reason no one has been tried under this silly POS is that it is widely recognized as being unconstitutional. Applying it to an incoming administration would have it laughed out of court. You must be some kind of expert indeed.
Hey imbecile fag, read it again. “Got that? The Trump transition team — in the form of key Trump advisers Kushner and Flynn — reached out to the Russian government in order to undermine the U.S. government because the Israeli government asked them to.”
I know this seems confusing, Mehdi, but one big difference is that Israel is our ally, while Russia is our enemy. Another is that we have laws prohibiting commerce with Russia and no such laws prohibiting commerce with Israel. I know its hard to understand, but we treat our allies and our enemies differently.
The reason Israel is “our” “ally” is because of pressure from the Israel Lobby.
Time and again, our “ally” has used and betrayed us, but due to protection from the Zionists in our government, we do nothing about it. Israel ATTACKED our ship, the U.S.S. Liberty, yet we shovel billions every year at the Zionist state. Dual citizens in the government and even in Congress insure that Israel’s illegal behaviors, such as the settlements in the oPt go unpunished. This creates anger and hate at the US in the Arab World.
Why should we Americans have to suffer for the behavior of “America’s spoiled baby,” as Yasser Arafat used to call it? Unhooking our foreign policy from Israel is long overdue, and if we did, people like you would see that Israel is no more our ally and no more and no less worth defending than Russia.
Iran never invaded a foreign country the way Israel has.
true of false, your comments have nothing to do with why there is a difference between colluding with one country or another…which did seem to be this gentleman’s point.
your point, which involves name calling and nonsense is not worth responding to
Israel is not and has never been an ally of America. It is our major geopolitical liability, a millstone around our neck. It serves no useful purpose for America. Indeed, all it does is create critics and enemies of America.
Israel is a client state and Russia is an independent country with some power that is therefore viewed as an adversary.
“Another is that we have laws prohibiting COMMERCE with Russia and no such laws prohibiting COMMERCE with Israel.” Trump said, we are not gonna globalize anymore, so all so called COMMERCE will be cut off.
@andrew schwarz
Nonsense!! Israel is not “our ally.” It is a millstone around our neck, our number one geopolitical liability.
To wit:
In its 2004 report, the U.S. Senate 9/11 Commission declared that “mastermind of the 9/11 attacks,” Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s “animus toward the United States stemmed not from his experiences there as a student, but rather from his violent disagreement with U.S. foreign policy favoring Israel.”
In its analysis of terrorism, the Pentagon’s Defense Science Board of the U.S. Defense Department concluded that “Muslims do not hate our freedom,…they hate our policies. The overwhelming majority object to what they see as one-sided support in favour of Israel and against Palestinian rights….”
“[The U.S.] no longer seems to see Israel as a ‘special’ or ‘extraordinary’ state in the Middle East, with which the U.S. must maintain a different dialogue than with other states. ‘The feeling is that the dialogue and coordination with the Arab states and with Europe is today no less important to the U.S. and perhaps more so than with Israel,’…” (Ha’aretz, 8 May 2009)
I remind you of the shocking briefing given to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen by senior military officers in 2010. The team was dispatched by Commander General David Petraeus to brief the Pentagon on intelligence that Israeli intransigence in the peace process was jeopardizing American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and that America was perceived as weak, ineffectual, and unable to stand up to Israel.
Ha’aretz, January 13, 2012:
“‘Israel is supposed to be working with us, not against us,’ ” Foreign Policy quoted an [American] intelligence officer as saying. ‘If they want to shed blood, it would help a lot if it was their blood and not ours. You know, they’re supposed to be a strategic asset. Well, guess what? There are a lot of people now, important people, who just don’t think that’s true.’”
Ha’aretz, July 28, 2012
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/former-u-s-officials-say-cia-considers-israel-to-be-mideast-s-biggest-spy-threat-1.454189
“Former U.S. officials say CIA considers Israel to be Mideast’s biggest spy threat”
EXCERPT:
“…despite statements from U.S. politicians trumpeting the friendship, U.S. national security officials consider Israel to be, at times, a frustrating ally and a genuine counterintelligence threat.
“In addition to what the former U.S. officials described to AP as intrusions in homes in the past decade, Israel has been implicated in U.S. criminal espionage cases and disciplinary proceedings against CIA officers and blamed in the presumed death of an important spy in Syria for the CIA during the administration of President George W. Bush.
“The CIA considers Israel its No. 1 counterintelligence threat in the agency’s Near East Division, the group that oversees spying across the Middle East, according to current and former officials.”
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.763443
“Opinion: Increasingly, Supporting Israel No Longer Serves America’s Interests”
“Obama’s UN abstention was only the most recent manifestation of ongoing strategic changes that Trump too won’t want or be able to reverse.”
Professor Brent Sasley, Jan 07, 2017, Haaretz.
In short, when it comes to Israel, America’s leaders will inevitably heed the sage advice of their country’s founding father. In his Farewell Address, George Washington admonished his fellow citizens to steer clear of a “passionate attachment” to another nation, as it could create “the illusion of a common interest…where no common interest exists.”
As went France and Algeria, Britain and Rhodesia, Belgium and the Congo, so will America and Israel.
Commies: bad.
Zionists: good.
Republicans: Nazis.
War: All the time.
Because so did every other administration. Idiots …
This kind of intervention before even assuming office reminds me a lot of Reagan’s collusion activities with Iran while Jimmy Carter was still in office.
Good call. Also the Nixon-Kissinger intervention with North Vietnam during the 1968 election.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/notes-indicate-nixon-interfered-1968-peace-talks-180961627/
“This kind of intervention,” if the worst allegations are true, was nothing like Reagan’s actions: Our embassy was captured and we had 50 hostages held. Negotiations were underway and Reagan’s team told the Iranian Ayatollahs that the US would sell them a massive quantity of military arms after Reagan was sworn in if only they’d hold the hostages until after the election. To do the deal one better, the Iranians held the hostages until Reagan was sworn in.
There is simply no comparison between the events.
There is a comparison. Candidates (their surrogates) talking to foreign governments about policy matters in ways that undermine the posture of the sitting president.
Agree that what’s alleged against Trump is orders of magnitude less serious than the other situations. Iran was holding American hostages and we were at war with North Vietnam. Russia is merely a geopolitical adversary.
Trumps team did collude with Egypt and Israel to subvert official US policy over UNSC Resolution 2334, that has not been denied. [collusion..agreement between people to act together secretly or illegally in order to deceive or cheat someone. Cambridge dictionary.] As far as we know Russia did not collude with anyone since they rejected US requests on that resolution. Professors Daniel Hemel and Eric Posner writing in the NYT say “Why the Trump team should fear the Logan Act”] here… https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/04/opinion/trump-team-flynn-logan-act.html
Kushner and others should also have registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act [FARA].
You’re right… Good luck getting traction with that story ;)
“Monday, The New York Times published the Palestinian response to an alleged Saudi peace plan. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly presented it to PLO chief and Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas last month.
According to the Times’ report, Mohammed told Abbas he has two months to either accept the Saudi proposal or leave office to make way for a new Palestinian leader who will accept it.
The Palestinians and their European supporters are up in arms about the content of Mohammed’s plan. It reportedly proposes the establishment of limited Palestinian sovereignty over small portions of Judea and Samaria. The Gaza Strip, over which the Palestinians have had full sovereignty since Israel pulled its military forces and civilians out in 2005, would be expanded into the northern Sinai, thus providing economic and territorial viability to the envisioned Palestinian state. While the Palestinians would not receive sovereignty over Jerusalem, they would be able to establish their capital in the Jerusalem suburb of Abu Dis.”
Looks as though this President has a lot more up his sleeve than one suspected … somehow brokered real politik with the new House of Saud, the Israelis and a new administration less than a year old.
Now this has very real and rather large implications for how the Middle East will look with the House of Saud having centrality of economic and military power. Has the Palestinian government the will to reject the underlying financing and support ?
Real prospect of peace … or continued enmity ? Which one do you support ?
Given what Israel has stolen and the atrocities committed against Palestine, this proposal represents a pale shadow of justice.
There’s a reason why the Palestinians are negotiating from a weaker position. There are many countries that have and their citizens that have faced worse and made the commitment to peace.
Do you support a negotiated peace ?
I support negotiated piss.
@Alain
If you check out the historical record, you will soon discover that negotiations with fascists go nowhere. And Israel is a classic fascistic entity.
It’s always interesting to see simplistic diatribe proffered without an understanding of how such argument may lead to well … un/expected consequences. For example …
“… University of Chicago law professors Daniel Hemel and Eric Posner argued in a New York Times op-ed on Monday, the much-mocked Logan Act of 1799 remains “a serious criminal statute that bars citizens from undermining the foreign policy actions of the sitting president.”
I’d imagine even the most partisan might be able to conjure a situation past, present or future where that could have rather serious ramifications for the functioning of a democracy.
As to this argument “The decision on Jerusalem is so contentious that it both undermines any chance of reviving the peace process and threatens to cost lives — not just those of Israelis and Palestinians, but of Americans too.”
Everyone has a choice to embrace peace, non violence and respect.
Why? First off, you’ve got the definition of “collusion” wrong. Then there’s the matter that most of us in the US aren’t anxious to eliminate Israel. The result is that the article doesn’t make sense.
” most of us in the US aren’t anxious to eliminate Israel”……
when specifically did the Children of Israel “turn into” the
Synagogue of Satan {{{PROSELYTES}}} {converts to Talmudic Judaism}
calling themselves “Jews”…..and talking in YIDDISH…
the “Jewish” so-called State A Cult Compound for BOLSHEVIK/Zionist
Jesus hating Terrorists who are in fact NOT “ISRAELITES”…
not knowing the truth about psychopathic TRUTH hating terrorists
with NUKES doesn’t make the truth relocate to another universe
Truth Justice = Peace
time to read Matthew 13:39-43 !
………..Then there’s the matter that most of us in the US are anxious to eliminate Israhell. Birth of Satanic Talmud followers doesn’t make any sense.
Collusion? Collusion of what? The election was over. Flynn’s conversations with Kysliak were normal for an incoming National Security Adnisor.
Idiotic reporting like this and from the mainstream media only makes Trump stronger because the media has practically zero credibility for all of its
propaganda.
Mr. Hasan, I wish you would clarify this for us: There’s a story in Newsweek that Kushner failed to disclose that he was a director of an organization that funded Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. Why hasn’t any other news source, seemingly even the Intercept unless I have missed something, mentioned this? It seems like a profound conflict of interest.
If true, it means Kushner is anything but “a fair and honest broker.”
Whenever was any American ‘a fair and honest broker ‘ in this Dispute?
Easy – you don’t even have to read the article to know: Alleged collusion with Russia is an accusation designed to foster our perception of Russia as a Bogeyman – and therefore provide a reason for a second (hopefully) cold war with Russia (and therefore feed the military industrial legislative complex – the MILC), while any similar assertion about Israel goes directly against the MILC’s interests since they see our involvement as a “partner” with Israel as beneficial to their perpetual war policy.
It’s just that simple.
Let us not forget that the Ultra-Rich are behind the MILC and that they also own over 90% of all non-internet media in the USA. So, of course, they determine “what is news,” thereby providing the framing for the question that is the heading title of this article.
“……….you don’t even have to read the article to know: Alleged collusion with Russia is an accusation designed to foster our perception of Russia as a Bogeyman – and therefore provide a reason for a second (hopefully) cold war with Russia (and therefore feed the military industrial legislative complex – the MILC)……..”
It’s not like Russia hasn’t helped our perception of Russia as a bogeyman by invading Ukraine and illegally annexing part of the country – and propping up one of the biggest terrorists on the planet, Assad. This was followed by the Russian interference in the US election. The (so called) MILC really didn’t have to do a whole lot – just tell the truth………
Repeating the State Department’s propaganda narrative on Ukraine ad infintum is just cheap Goebbels propaganda messaging – aka “simplify and repeat.” It’s suspiciously like the “Iraq has WMDs” strategy from 2003. If we say it over and over again, people will believe it?
In reality, the coup in Ukraine in 2014 was a very messy affair encouraged heavily by the US State Department and USAID, in cooperation with some seriously unpleasant far-right elements (who many believe were behind the Maiden sniper attacks). Crimea and Donbass, with largely Russian-speaking populations, were not thrilled about a far-right regime that threatened to ban their language from beind used in government. Everyone saw the neo-Nazi gangs wandering through Kiev after the coup, and later those elements were rewarded with government positions.
As far as “Russia interfering in the election”, that rests entirely on claims that the DNC and Podesta email releases were a Russian state action. There’s no actual evidence of that, is there, outside of claims made by a DNC-affiliated private security company – the DNC refused to turn over its servers to the FBI for forensic analysis, suspiciously enough. Podesta fell prey to a spearphishing attack of unknown provenance (he also apparently used ‘password’ as his password, so any teenager could likely have done it).
So, what’s left? A lot of hot air backed up by nothing. Other than that Trump and Flynn may have tried to run a deal with Russia to veto the UN resolution on Israeli settlements in exchange for lifting sanctions – a deal Russia refused, right? Very well, bring on the Logan Act indictments. That’ll be a nice circus – while Trump continues to bring global opinion of the American Empire to even new lows? Is it end times, do you think?
As far as what’s going on now at State, I notice Tillerson came out in support of the fraudulent Honduras election – because Exxon and Chevron don’t want Zelaya’s policies reinstated. Fraud, corruption, insider dealing – rotten to the core.
Other than the disagreement over Logan Act violations, spot on analysis of the issues in Crimea and Ukraine.
Hard to say. Much of this revolves around this issue of who gets to sell gas to Europe, and various efforts to build pipelines to Europe from Central Asia that bypass Iran and Russia. That involves the 2008 Russia Georgia war, as well as the 2014 coup. Perhaps this. . .
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/138300.The_New_Great_Game
As far as the events of the coup, what a mess. You have to dig through miles of propaganda to get a picture of it. Get a list of the local oligarchs, run it through news servers, that reveals a lot. Best wishes!
Photo, can you recommend any reading on Ukraine? Craigsummers has made it quite clear to me that I need to learn a tremendous amount about this.
Good response to propagandist Craig – thanks for it.
A good statement of your political point of view. How can what Photo writes be anything but propaganda when he doesn’t even mention the primary reason for the protests? The tug of war between the EU and Russia over signing an economic package with Ukraine (which Russia won).
Photo
The coup was very messy, but you are repeating Consortium-RT history in a nutshell. You are ignoring 100 years of history including the domination by Russia of ethnic Ukrainians over that time period.
The primary underlying cause of the protest was the decision by Yanukovych to reject the offer to build closer economic relations with the EU in favor of a deal with Russia. The EU and the Yanukovych government began negotiating in 2012 and were set to sign a historic deal in late 2013. Ukraine’s economy was in poor condition (contracting) and a majority of (but by no means, all) Ukrainians supported closer economic ties to the EU.
Russia sanctioned some Ukrainian goods in an attempt to bully Ukraine.
Then in September, 2013, the economic adviser to Putin (Sergei Glazyev) threatened Ukraine (according to the Guardian, “Ukraine’s EU trade deal will be catastrophic, says Russia”, September 22, 2013):
In addition, Russia threatened to destroy the Ukraine economy (despite the already contracting economy). Under pressure from Russia, Yanukovych signed an economic package with Russia.
Small protests began on November 21st and on November 30th, the Berkut police attacked and cracked down on the protesters injuring 80 people and driving them from the square. By December 1st, the protests had swelled to an estimated 300,000-800,000 people. The far right Svoboda and newly organized far right Right Sector formed the Defense forces against the state police. These far right Ukrainians were definitely a factor in the violence between the police and the protesters, but it was ethnic Ukrainian protesters which drove Yanukovych from power on February 21st.
The US meddled in Ukrainian affairs, but the US was a relatively small factor in the tug a war between the EU and Russia.
In 2008, the Medvedev Doctrine was signed and placed into operation. Basically, the document claims a sphere of influence for Russian interests. Ukraine was the biggest prize. The EU misunderstood (ignored) the importance of Ukraine to Russia – and that Russia was willing to go to war to protect her interests. Russia completely misread the intent of Yanukovych to sign the deal with Europe until only threats would work.
This probably all could have been avoided if the EU, Russia and Ukraine got together early on.
The perception of the U.S. government as the principle bogeyman in the Ukraine affair has a much stronger foundation.
Necessary digression: I read Kagan’s “Dangerous Nation”, published in 2006 well before the 2014 coup. The man is absolutely obsessed with Ukraine. Many pages devoted to Ukraine’s centrality to U.S. foreign policy, in fact since Lincoln’s time, when it was “the Ukraine”, a province of the Russian empire. Even then, according to this guy, America had a compelling interest in the fate of the Ukraine. (Kagan’s forbearers emigrated from the Ukraine. What sounder basis for orienting a nation’s foreign policy?) But fair enough, he’s a public intellectual and entitled to his thesis.
I won’t go into the CIA’s long association with the former SS officer Gehlen and with Gehlen’s Ukrainian associates. WIKI covers that pretty thoroughly.
Fast forward to 2011. His wife — the ridiculous Victoria Nuland — is hired by H. Clinton’s DoS as a spokesperson, a junior position. By 2013 she’s fleeted up to a senior position, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, giving her the Ukraine portfolio. On the 28 January 2014 she’s on the phone with Pyatt — the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine (no, he doesn’t actually have “CIA” stenciled across his forehead) — discussing the composition of the next Ukrainian government. This is three weeks BEFORE the coup. By the end of February her people have indeed assumed power in Ukraine.
The fruits of regime change. Poroshenko’s government today enjoys an approval rating of around 17%. Yanukovych’s approval rating at the time of his ouster was about 40%. Ukraine today is marginally more corrupt than Russia. Four years ago it was marginally less corrupt.
The realpolitik aspect of this. No Russian government — not Yeltsin’s government, not any conceivable Russian government — would have resigned itself to seeing the Russian Navy deprived of the use of Sevastopol, much less would any Russian government have tolerated a NATO presence in Sevastopol. To believe otherwise is a bit like believing that the UK (or the US for that matter) would tolerate a sovereign Scotland leasing out Holy Loch to the Russians or the Chinese for use as a submarine base.
U.S. foreign policy for the past 20+ years has been run by morons and amateurs. That much might not be news to you.
Thanks for the input. It’s a complicated geopolitical and economic situation.
I absolutely see no way that anyone was going to dislodge Russia from Crimea. They had signed a lease good until 2042 (+/-) with a five year extension possible. The US has struggled in Afghanistan, and you believe that the US was going to push Russia out militarily on Russia’s doorstep? Not a chance in hell. There was no threat to Russia’s military facility on Crimea.
The goal of Russia in Eastern Ukraine is not to win a war (which might take them about a week), but to undermine/destabilize the new Ukraine government and weaken Ukraine economically.
The quid pro quo of the 2042 lease extension was discount pricing on Russian natural gas exported to Ukraine. One of the ways of establishing the legal basis for turfing the Russians out of Sevastopol would have been for Ukraine to abrogate the agreement by claiming that Russia wasn’t living up to its part of the bargain.
It’s a shared harbor, and it wouldn’t be difficult — without going to war — for a hostile Ukrainian government to make the port unusable for Russian vessels. Opening up the harbor to frequent NATO port calls would be good start. And why not invite the Americans to establish a shore facility with an intelligence gathering capability? After all, it is (or was) Ukrainian territory. What a clever way that would be of circumventing Montreaux Convention restrictions.
As for the undermining of the Kiev government, no one does that more effectively than the Kiev government. Apart from this, the Ukrainian and Russian economies were highly integrated before the coup. Dis-integrating them comes at a cost. Three sources of instability in Ukraine: The maladministration and corruption of Poroshenko government/regime; public dissatisfaction with poor economic performance; Russian interference. Assign relative weights to these causes as you like. The Ukrainian street is. And it’s not assigning the most weight to Russian interference.
I’d like to thank Russia for saving Crimea from that bunch of neo Nazis. Ditto eastern Ukraine.
The truth is that Russia is a lot like the USA, both good and bad, however, they need not be our military enemy.
I don’t view Russia as our military enemy. They are more like a competitor for geopolitical influence.
Then why and attempt to rebut my point about the ultra-rich who control the USA trying to make Russia out as a Bogeyman so they can convince the public to keep supporting high military budgets?
Want more stupid? The ‘Israel Anti-Boycott Act’ and now this one ‘Anti-Semitism Awareness Act”, are the most egregious because they strike down the First Amendment, the very foundation of American democracy, by using America’s own lawmakers to carry out the terrible deed.
We are supposed to be protected by our First Amendment right to free speech and freedom of expression. We cannot allow Zionists, be they Democrats or Republicans, to abrogate our constitutional rights and further shield Israel from accountability.
Furthermore, every Congress member who signs onto this bill is sacrificing the rights of their own constituents and all Americans to the interests of a foreign government. This is the height of disloyalty – and a measure of just how much power AIPAC has. Every one of them should be removed from office.
Everyone is in a tizzy about Russia interference when Israel has interfered more in US politics than any other country?
Now, this? As a US citizen I’m going to be arrested for telling the truth about Israel? Oh hell no.
I agree with every word – thanks for your post.
Politicians are certainly capable of acting against the people. It is their job after all. To fully clarify the complete corruption of the government wait for any such passed anti BDS legislation to be upheld by our supposedly independent Supreme Court. That will be the real kicker.
It’s great being part of the Israeli empire and knowing that America is their bitch (sarcasm).
The first amendment has never had force.
Remember when Nutty was all in an uproar, accusing the U.S. of colluding with Palestine to pass the resolution 2334 at the UN? Oh, that the U.S. would collude with Palestine to accomplish anything positive for that beleaguered nation!
Yet he himself pressured Egypt, which was originally scheduled to introduce the legislation, successfully preventing it from doing so. Apparently, collusion is fine if Israel does it.
During MSNBC’s Hardball on Monday Chris Matthews referred to the West Bank as “disputed territory” and just could not bring himself to call the settlements illegal.
Tonight(Tuesday) Matthews had Zogby on and made sure after Zogby repeated facts about illegal settlements being expanded and that they are illegal under international law that Chris did not “agree” with everything he said. Tip toeing through the facts
Q. Trump’s Transition Team Colluded With Israel. Why Isn’t That News?
A.
1] the US govelite is run by israeli zionist whores.
2] wallstreet is run by israeli citizen zionist thieves who rob Americans for a living to pay for the US govelite is run by israeli zionist whores.
3] the US pimped out whore media is owned by israeli citizen zionist liars who cover for the israeli citizen zionist thieves who provide the money to elect the US govelite is run by israeli zionist whores.
(clinton chronicles and the whole US backed military coup in the Honduras and the murder of the woman protester. Any question who murdered Seth Rich?)
Hey Barabas you forgot to mention that they killed Jesus.
Hey, israel-worshipping ziopath, you forgot to mention that according to the Talmud and the stone-worshipping sages, “the Jews” did in fact kill Jesus “for idolatry, inciting other Jews to idolatry, and contempt of rabbinical authority”:
As always LOL, thanks for proving my point.
ROFL…You’re very welcome, you pointless little israel-worshipping ziopath, and as always, thank you for proving once again that you are in fact a pointless little israel-worshipping ziopath.
Collude? Maybe time for a law dictionary.
If only Trump listened to what the mullah’s in Iran wanted. It would make Mehdi so happy.
Such a storm we are about to have. You should get ready!
It would be pretty amazing if the Democratic Party followed this trail and gave Israel its share of the blame for undermining American democracy.
And, of course, thoroughly hypothetical.
If possible, the Repubs are even more submissive to Bibi and the billionaire Zionists than the treacherous, near treasonous DC DEMs.
Good stuff, will distribute.
One of The Intercept’s founders is a lawyer. You’d think Mr. Hasan or SOMEONE would take a moment to learn what it means to “collude” and whether or not the word has any significance in this context.
What a rag The Intercept has become.
Fire everyone, Glenn, and start again.
Hey Vivarto. You graduate from Broolyn college?
Aipac, Aipac, Aipac, Aipac
Mehdi we do not agree on much but you hit the Bullseye
Goy Boy
Typically vacuous, fact free, logic free remark from yet another alt-fact Trumpite skinhead. The only virtue of such beings is their Trumpite simpleton’s brevity.
Why is it beyond your feeble minded capacity to enlighten us all as to what “collusion” actually consists of and how this differs significantly from Mehdi Hasan’s article? Or is the act of pure, nihilistic negation regarded as definitive, convincing and conclusive in the NRA bunker of Trumpism?
I am mocking of course. Whatever you have to say on the matter can only hope to touch upon ethical behaviour, the laws of the USA, the matter of good governance and empirical reality in general purely by dint of pure accident.
For all non-Trumpites, Lawfare has provided a series of useful articles.
https://www.lawfareblog.com/course-theres-evidence-trump-colluded-russian-intelligence
This is text of the Logan Act of 1799.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/953
Commentary on the Logan Act:
https://theintercept.com/2017/12/05/michael-flynn-jared-kushner-israel-settlements-trump/?comments=1#comments
Well what would you expect from a Mehdi Hassan???
Typical musloid Jew-hatred.
Typical white trashoid Muslim-hatred.
LOL…Jean, that was the best come back ever! 5 stars from me.
Cheers!
Now now. There are plenty of us who voted for Trump for various reasons. Many on the alt-right recognize what “God’s Chosen” have done to America and despise them as any Muslim would. And deservedly so. We’re a colonized people at this point. Same as the Palestinians.
Typical “playing the victim” right!! How about that?
“Musloid”, huh? Trumpite skinheads really excel at their self-appointed task of “defending “western civilization”” with their mandarin creativity, don’t they? Radical-right wankers that they are.
And yet it remains a great mystery why the AIPAC/Israeli inspired “peace process” never even reaches the stage of being an eviscerate abortion.
Yeah!!!
Only facts and analysis that can’t actually be refuted by Trumpite morons. But the real world is a foul Soros invented liberal myth and we can all just scream “Musloid” instead!! That’ll keep Reason and Reality at bay until we reach the welcoming arms of a correctional facility.
Mr. Hasan
There is nothing surprising about this revelation. Reaching out to Russia for Trump was a natural as the Russian occupation of Crimea and Eastern Ukraine.
Trump had campaigned on building better relations with Russia. His campaign had made numerous overtures to Russia in 2016. In meeting with Russian government representatives, Russian operatives indicated they had dirt on Hillery Clinton contained in a cache of emails (presumably the same ones which Russia eventually gave to WikiLeaks). Manaforte supported Pro-Russian candidates in Ukraine long before joining the Trump campaign (becoming campaign chairman). Trump’s campaign weakened the language in the Republican Platform which called for giving weapons to the Ukraine military. Of course, Trump also called NATO obsolete. As shown in this article, he clearly supported undermining more sanctions on Russia because of Russia’s interference in the US election. All of this is slowly coming to light through the special prosecutor, Mueller. Without a doubt Putin welcomed Trump as President (over HRC):
Reaching out to Russi on the UN vote was just one more attempt to pander to Putin. It is also clear that Trump was more than willing to throw Ukraine under the bus for building closer ties to Russia.
And all this has what to do again with Hillary losing the election , the main reason for the Mueller investigation?
“Mueller is exploring any links or coordination between Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Russian government as part of the election interference that Russia conducted against the U.S. in 2016.”
“. . . as part of the election interference that Russia is alleged to have conducted against the U.S. in 2016.”
Dislike Trump or not, it is hard to see any real evidence of that claim so far. We also know that Podesta and Clinton settled on this strategy after the election (blame Russia) as a means to deflect blame from themselves for massive electoral losses and so retain control of the DNC and the Democratic Party funding channels.
We also have the geopolitical agenda in Washington & Wall Street of gaining economic control over all eastern European and central Asian ex-Soviet satellite states, which requires demonization of all things Russian and the revival of McCarthyism, so that about explains the full court propaganda push, to anyone paying attention at least.
Trump does seem to have made strong efforts to undermine official U.S. policy before his inauguration. . . but I wonder if Clinton would not have done exactly the same thing to benefit Israel?
Possibly Photo. I wouldn’t put it past her.
Circle jerking are we now?..so Israel is not considered a link because why again? What other UN sanctions were discussed again?
If you would decide to do more than a one sentence response, and explain what you are talking about, I will be happy to respond.
Goddamned that’s tangled web of conjecture with precious few established facts. Robert Parry addresses, and frankly destroys, most of the specific points you raise above.
https://consortiumnews.com/2017/12/05/the-tangled-threads-of-russia-gate/
NavyVet
I encourage to keep using Robert Parry as a source. Consortium has become my favorite site when I want to read about how one covers for the crimes of Russia whether in Syria or Ukraine. For example, as you (might even) know, Russia has denied having regular military in Eastern Ukraine (Donbas) and even denied for a year that they invaded Crimea – and held the referendum at the point of a gun (without the host country present).
Robert Parry writes in Consortium News (“America’s Righteous Russia-gate Censorship; Nov. 14, 2017):
Notice how Robert refers to Syria as a proxy war and Ukraine as a civil war. This is the kind of propaganda propagated by Robert Parry at Consortium News to cover for the crimes of Russia in Ukraine i.e. denying the occupation of Eastern Ukraine and Crimea by Russia. Russia is entirely in charge of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine (for example, see “Putin. War” written by Boris Nemtsov – murdered for his opposing views in Russia)
The International Criminal Court is not buying the “civil conflict” argument either. The ICC determined that Russia is illegally occupying Crimea. In addition, the ICC determined that the war in Donbas is an international conflict between Russia and Ukraine putting a lie to Parry’s and Putin’s propaganda (Forbes, “International Criminal Court: Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine Is A ‘Crime,’ Not A Civil War”; 11-20-2016 ).
This has been known for quite awhile (see Bellingcat, for example), but now it has become official overriding propagandists like Putin and Parry. There is much more which shows Robert Parry is an advocate (for Russian interests). He has won a couple of journalism awards, but somewhere along the line, he lost a desire to seek the truth.
Thanks
The DNC and their democrats cling to Russia as the cause of all their woes. They are still placing all their bets and the lesser of two evils not on what the citizenry needs. Am surprised Russia is not reacting much more vociferously since NATO has pushed up against it’s borders as per the US. NATO should have been abolished when the Warsaw Pact was. The US broke it’s word related to no NATO expansion eastward. Push them further and they may become the assholes you think they are.
I agree that HRC was the second worst candidate in American history, but whether Russia effected the outcome or not, they did attempt to influence the elections. That is the main point. NATO and the EU did advance eastward against what they reportedly agreed to, but no one forced any eastern European countries to join NATO or the EU. They took the opportunity while Russia was down. They probably feel pretty good about that decision today.
Ukraine falls within the Russian “area of interest” so breaking away from Russia has been difficult (to say the least). Right now, however, Russia needs to respect the sovereignty of Ukraine. Putin is running the war in Eastern Ukraine and he is happy with the standoff until a political solution can be attained that he supports. In the meantime, Russia is undercutting the economy of Ukraine to destabilize the current government in Kyiv. I support additional sanctions against Russia.
“Russia is undercutting the economy of Ukraine to destabilize the current government in Kyiv”
Sounds like a strategy similar to that which the US frequently applies around the world. The lesser/greater evil?
Believe it well known that the US has little regard for the lives of it foes or allies. They antagonize Russia in Eastern Europe, China in the South Seas, Iran in the Middle East, North Korea, etc knowing full well who will of suffer the consequences of potential conflict, that being the citizenry of the region. The US does not care who dies as long as they profit from it.
1. Syria – Proxy War?
Yes. It is a proxy war. You don’t need Robert Parry’s reporting to confirm this. One can simply read the Pentagon’s own internal analyses through now declassified documents from the Defense Intelligence Agency.
http://www.judicialwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Pg.-291-Pgs.-287-293-JW-v-DOD-and-State-14-812-DOD-Release-2015-04-10-final-version11.pdf?V=1
NavyVet
I realize Syria is a proxy war – and the point you ignored was the one I was making i.e., officially, despite what the far left wing propagandists Robert Parry wants to call the conflict in Ukraine, the ICC determined that this is a war between Russia and Ukraine.
2. Crimea – Fuck What Crimeans Think (apparently) and craigsummer’s disdain for democracy
(Forbes, “One Year After Russia Annexed Crimea, Locals Prefer Moscow To Kiev”; Mar 20, 2015)
Additional reading:
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2014/03/18/was-the-crimean-secession-vote-legitimate/
Interesting that you link to antiwar.com to support an invasion by Russia into the Crimea Peninsula. Speak about irony! Even then, it’s illegal to annex part of a sovereign country. Even a creationist can understand that.
Of course, this had far more to do with their navy facility than protecting ethnic Russians.
Legality and morality are not synonymous. If annexation is the will of the Crimean people and we have respect for democratic rule, then it is the right thing. Does the ICC have greater claim to rightful governance of Crimea than tbe Crimean people?
Exactly, NV, craig is off his rocker!
Agreed. Zero objectivity from that one. Like debating a creationist.
You seem to just forget about minor details – like international law. It’s somewhat illegal to invade a country and annex part of it. Oh I know …..details, right Art?
Is it legal to respect the and protect the human rights of Russian ethnic minority in the Donbass – from such organizations – supported by Obama administration financing as this – Svoboda
“Today, Svoboda holds a larger chunk of its nation’s ministries (nearly a quarter, including the prized defense portfolio) than any other far-right party on the continent. Ukraine’s deputy prime minister represents Svoboda (the smaller, even more extreme “Right Sector” coalition fills the deputy National Security Council chair), as does the prosecutor general and the deputy chair of parliament — where the party is the fourth-largest. And Svoboda’s fresh faces are scarcely different from the old: one of its freshmen members of parliament is the founder of the “Joseph Goebbels Political Research Centre” and has hailed the Holocaust as a “bright period” in human history. ”
I wouldn’t be jumping in and supporting either side without at least a deeper understanding of the morass of corruption that is endemic in this region.
As always in global power struggles – its the little people that get killed.
* Read – Amid US-Russia tussle over Ukraine, a leaked tape of Victoria Nuland Christian Science Monitor US interference before “popular” uprising ” Euromaidan
alain
The far right Ukrainian political party Svoboda only garnered 6% of the vote in Ukraine’s parliamentary elections in 2014 (after the coup). This was fewer than they received in the 2012 elections. This was also far less than far right parties throughout Europe received in the most recent elections. The far right anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) garnered around 13 percent of the vote. The anti-immigrant, far right Freedom Party received 27% of the vote in Austria. “Jobbik, a far-right, anti-immigration, populist and economic protectionist party,?won 20 percent of the vote in parliamentary elections in 2014, making it Hungary’s third-largest party” (Wikipedia).
The whole neo-Nazi thing is overplayed and used for propaganda by Russia. When “Neo-Nazis” support the goals of Russia, then they conveniently become allies for Russia. Marine Le Pen met with Putin in Russia on March 24th (2017):
So Putin hates anti-Russian fascists in Ukraine while supporting pro Russian fascists throughout Europe.
What the fuck are you going on about? I never addressed annexation of the Crimea or eastern Ukraine. You’ve gone off your rocker.
wow, did you follow the thread Art? You replied to NavyVet’s comment about Crimea by saying Criag was “off his rocker” and then you get indignant when Craig replies to you about Crimea. talk about being full of sh*t. sheesh.
Not true; you lost track of which comment my reply was regarding, perhaps due to the way the formatting of this comment system works. If you haven’t noticed, your reply can be separated from the comment you’re replying to due to intervening comments. Sometimes that separation is huge.
More unsubstantiated bullshit propaganda that you got from… WHERE again? Oh, right, the same media owned by and operated for the benefit of the ultra-rich – they same people who want us all to have a Bogeyman to fear so we keep pouring OUR money, in huge volumes, to an already over-bloated military.
God that’s dumb.
You’ve got a nothingburger there. Sorry pal. Get a new bitch to ride, that one’s dead already.
So no refute then, as usual just name calling rant. I love when guys defending Putin’s policies talk about others following media that benefits the ultra rich.
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2017-02-17/vladimir-putin-could-be-worlds-richest-man-with-200-billion-net-worth-report-says
too funny.
There’s nothing there to refute; it’s all unsubstantiated allegation – and any reasonable person can easily see it’s self-serving allegation to boot. It does two things: It helps create support for yet more military spending and it helps butt-hurt Clintonians excuse away her loss to one of the two worst POTUS candidates in history.
You can try and refute that if you want, but there’s no data to support a refutation.
ROFL…Yea, ziopath, and I love when frum little israel-worshipping kapos masquerading as “American” are reduced to “defending” the only genocidal Talmudic theocracy in the Middle East with asinine whataboutery.
In answer to the question posed: Israel is ostensibly not a hostile power. However, given Israel’s general attitude that gratitude is for dogs, one wonders why, with no obvious national interests at stake, this country provides so much support for a people’s claim to a land that that last controlled, for only a brief period, three thousand years ago and did not occupy in any material fashion for the fifteen hundred years prior to the 1920’s.
service members on the USS Liberty would disagree.
We don’t have to go back 50 years to find that out either. I love this one, it’s from the incendiary leftist publication known as “Newsweek” :
http://www.newsweek.com/2014/05/16/israel-wont-stop-spying-us-249757.html
The word “ostensibly” was not accidental. Israel consistently and exclusively does what’s in its own interest wherever that takes them.
“Got that? The Trump transition team — in the form of key Trump advisers Kushner and Flynn — reached out to the Russian government in order to undermine the U.S. government because the Israeli government asked them to.”
I just had to laugh at this moronic statement. The transition team of the President elect wanted to change the outgoing to administrations policies. Presidents set foreign policy which may differ than the lame ducks previous policy. You use words like collude which have no meaning to a president elect. It is called policy.
Technically, if they’d waited until inaugruation to do this, it would have been perfectly legal. (The law against this is called the Logan Act; nobody has ever been convicted under it and it dates to 1798, so. . .) Background here:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/12/set-vote-israeli-settlements-161223163243355.html
The NYTimes reported:
This means Russia was not convinced (assuming that was the quid pro) to vote against the resolution by Team Trump. Interestingly, Al Jazeera said:
So here we have Trump colluding with Egypt as well to block official US policy! Fascinating, why isn’t that on the criminal rap sheet too? The fascist apartheid state of Israel was outraged, outraged! by the international condemnation of their lebensraum policy. . .
Truth is imperialism isn’t possible without Logan Act violations, which is why it has never been enforced. Let the farce continue! What’s coming up in the next act? (Never mind those plutocrats robbing the till, this is more interesting).
@photosymbiosis. You are incorrect as a matter of law on the Logan Act since the article is clear that the President Elect was negotiating policy. But you are correct that the Logan Act has been used sparingly in the past. Again this official US Policy angle, POTUS sets foreign policy which can change from president to president. It is not colluding if he is the president elect. And still a little surprised at all the anti-Semitic (oops sorry…it’s called Zionism now) rhetoric.
@Hugh I’m not entirely convinced the Logan Act would survive 1A scrutiny in light of Citizens United et. al.
To suggest that an incoming administration would have to wait until Jan. 20th at the exact moment that the president is sworn in before they can talk with a foreign power is more than disingenuous at best and a lie at worst.
Would you be okay if a president initiated bombing attacks against a country that the president elect specifically said he wouldn’t? And that the only recourse for the incoming president/administration would be to suck it up regardless of damage until Jan 20th? Then they shouldn’t get intelligence briefings correct based on the same logic that they may undermine US Policy.
Given all the Anti-Trump vitriol, not sure you would want the next president elect to wait until Jan. 20th to start their new policy agendas.
No one has suggested that Trump couldn’t talk with a foreign power. However, Trump was directly undermining the policy of President Obama. That is a little different.
You state he was undermining a previous presidents agenda, so when can a president elect alter the policies of a lame duck president?
Before, after or not at all?
The Logan Act is one of the few remaining bits of trouble and tyranny left by the John Adams administration. I hope it is rendered unconstitutional (or repealed) soon.
That said, given how John Adams has apparently been a major inspiration for Trump (waging quasi-wars against an ally in the fight against an old foe, massive restrictions on immigration, targeting media outlets for persecution and prosecution, using government support for religious groups to engage in political activity, corrupt officials in the administration, using private forces to work alongside government forces to harass people, and last, but not least, relying on the Electoral College as opposed to the popular vote), it would be ironic if he got taken down using an Adams-era law.
(Of course, it also may mean we’d get a Trump miniseries praising him a few hundred years from now, while Mnuchin’s musical would be hitting Broadway about a decade later.)
The fact that the Egypt move was public, too: Spicey announced it because it was a success (actually a failure because in the end NZ, Venezuela, Senegal, and Malaysia pushed the resolution through). They didn’t think it was worth hiding the way they attempted to hide all the Russia interactions. It’s disgusting, but I don’t think there’s any real-world legal case against it.
I am sure the ancient Logan act was NOT meant to hinder an incoming administration from signaling to foreign governments how they new administration planned to change US foreign policy. That would a be a ridiculous interpretation of the Logan act, and I am sure this Supreme Court would back up President Trump 100% on this. The Logan act was in fact ABUSED by Obama to justify spying on Flynn and Trump and unmasking any recordings of surveillance of Trump’s transition team’s discussion with foreign leaders, which an anti-Trump FBI agent then used to entrap Flynn. The same FBI agent that did NOT charge Huma Aberdeen and other Hillary people when THEY provided inaccurate statements to the FBI and who watered down the language of the FBI report on Hillary’s careless use of her private service to avoid indicting her.
Well…I’m convinced. Got any more FAUX/Brainfart crap you want to feed me? I’m ready & got a six-pack of Thumbs to prove it.
Tell us — aptly-named joker — how many Logan Act prosecutions have there been since 1799? Here’s a hint: the last prosecution was in 1852. What does that tell you? It tells you that the application of that law is very, very narrow.
I believe Huma and all were all given immunity early on where as Flynn had pissed off the wrong people and then lied.
They are just as hand-strung by Fake News responses as was Obama. It’s a matter of priorities.
It is a good point of the journalist, why it is not news all over the midia? While at the subject , It would bem interesting to know why The Intercept does not publish anything about that the Spanish-Brazilian lawyer Tacla Duran is denouncing falsification of evidences and threats to the families to coerce would be “delatores” / defendants to taken guilt pleas?
Absolutely mind boggling how much the zionist scum rule America.
From the government, the banks, the propaganda machine called Hollywood and even the porn industry.
They are a toxic cancer on any society. Leeches who’s host is the blood and money of the, brainwashed by the mainstream media, American people.
Tens of billions of dollars handed to the zionist pigs whilst common Americans can’t even get healthcare.
Mehdi,
The headline “American Government is Israel’s bitch” is not breaking news.
Agreed. People everywhere know this but Americans seem to lack a firm grasp of the obvious. This isn’t Israel’s fault: They saw a people incapable of governing themselves and utilized AIPAC to make our political monkeys dance to its tune.
Even before conforming to state-sponsored individualism made America really stupid, there was scant evidence that America was governable. If Trump can sustain 35% he will win again because of the class-based divide
among Ds. No more voting for trickle-down victimhood, flag justice, crotch politics gun gestures, and no-beef platitudes.
Trump is merely rinsing the denial of the neoliberal duopoly. It took America over four decades to realize transnational capital was waging class warfare against the people of the world. A time during which the ether of charm must
have led sheeple to believe America was an honest broker between Israel and Palestine.
Sam, you are on the right side but why exactly are choosing this particular time and place to be a dick about it? This is a good article. It’s great that you already knew about this before hand. All hail you.
In the world of relativism and social truth collusion must be judged not in absolute terms,
rather in relative ones. The question then becomes one of whether the Trump team
colluded excessively. Given the behavior of the democrats, the bar for that must be
set high indeed.
The US relationship with Israel under both branches of the Party should give sufficient
grounds for any fair-minded person to reject them both in favor of the alternative parties.
That those parties garnered only about 5% of the vote – and less than 3% of the eligible
vote, informs us that the vast majority of Americuns approve of Tel Aviv calling the shots
on US foreign policy.
But the Obama administration abstained on the vote to condemn Israeli settlements:
The vote passed – which is why Netanyahu was frantically lobbying Trump.
I’ll give you this, Craig. You certainly never miss an opportunity to comment when the subject is Israel. Hmmm….I wonder why.
I have always found the IP conflict to be an interesting topic. I certainly have weighed in on the IP conflict more than any other with the Iraq or Syrian wars probably second.
The entire USG has colluded with Isreal since 1948. They have also sold out the American people and given away blood and treasure to and on behalf of that turd surrounded by Arab sands. That should be the news not the fact that Trump falling in line with AIPAC’s agenda.
This sort of story is usually Glenn Greenwald’s beat. Not that Mr. Hasan hasn’t done it journalistic justice, because I think he has. But it begs the question, where’s Greenwald?
It raises the question.
Yes, raises not begs.
I know it is irresponsible to beg for speculation but rrheard — how about some speculation? Why has GG mostly quit showing up around these here parts?
I do not know, but I’d speculate it is his new family obligations. I certainly would expect that with kids at home now, life is changing dramatically for Glenn and David.
Of course what new parent wouldn’t want to be home as much as possible, and not working, and focusing on their kids.
So I’m not being critical of Glenn’s absence, I just miss his work appearing regularly. And although he’s under no obligation to explain his absence, particularly if it has to do with changes in his personal/family life, it would have been reassuring if he’d told his readers that he was simply planning on taking a significant amount of parental leave time off once the kids were home with he and David.
So his readers wouldn’t worry that it was something else. He is still on Twitter, but not as much as usual there either.
That’s my best guess.
Colluding with Israel is more American than mom and apple pie. If you’re waiting for Schumer or Pelosi to rap him over the knuckles for this you’ll be waiting a long time.
Y’all are missing the gist here,
The obfuscation of events and facts vis a vis the MSM narrative..the meetings with the Russians were at the behest of BoyKushner (Kboy) doing his “kvater”, Netanyahu ..a favor by trying to convince the Russians from affirmative action on the sanctions against Israel in the UN. Got that?..Netanyahu..not Putin..
This has nothing to do with anything related to why Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 election …which is what the whole Mueller Investigation was supposed to be about!..
This is another blatant example of MSM /government propaganda-censorship ..
This, “oh, everyone knows Israel colludes with USA all the time “ attitude is very juvenile..
This is all about poking a bear with a stick, taunting, bullying, because you’re ashamed and embarrassed and pissed off at yourself , so you’re gonna take it out on the most familiar , easy to understand boogeyman..
I hope that the question in the headline is rhetorical, otherwise it’s ridiculously naive. The Trump/Russia story is being pushed by the Democratic Party establishment, which is very close allies with Israel. On the other hand, this establishment sees Russia at an adversary at best or enemy at worst. Any 10-year-old can figure out the rest.
Trump the candidate promised to be neutral and evenhanded in his approach to Israel/Palestine. This promise may have helped put him in office by drawing votes away from swooning Netanyahu enabler, Hillary Clinton. So much for that promise.
Also, doesn’t the letter of super hawk and possible next CIA director, Sen. Tom Cotton and his Republican cohorts to leaders of Iran warning that any deal made with Obama at that time regarding sanctions for nuclear development would be scuttled by the next president equal collusion and thus also be a crime?
And yet Trump supporters are quick to defend him no matter if they were lied to or not. Just like candidate Trump denounced the Saudis and now he’s helping them starve Yemen. MAGA.
I am a supporter of Trump.I am appalled by this collision.All supporters,I am sure,do.
Trump is sure the zionists might deny their realist msm hits on potus.
Obama was already bombing Yemen.and abstaining from un vote is not helping the Palestinians.
Just like he promised to drain the swamp, revitalize the middle and working classes, be less prone to use military force and on and on. He’s truly America’s flip-flopper-in-chief. Trump’s hard core supporters don’t care what he actually ends up doing. Because the true believers comprise a cult of personality, he can do literally anything he wants and not lose their support. It’s not about right and wrong, good or bad, it’s about Trump being Trump: Speak loudly and carry a big schtick.
Ah, well collusion with the Israeli client state, like collusion with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, is just different. They’re our tools, I mean allies, and perform necessary functions within the imperial system. Especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE (oil money), but Israel is very useful in supplying weapons and training to regimes so dirty and undemocratic that even Washington doesn’t want to be seen publicly colluding with them. (These are typically regimes where the likes of Exxon and Chevron do lots of business).
Now, what Trump would probably like to say (with his lawyers wringing their hands) is “I just did exactly what Hillary Clinton would have done! Everyone knows Haim Saban would have leaned on her right after the election, he gave her enough money, to intervene to block the UN vote. But she wasn’t going to be in office, so I stepped up in her place!”
What’s interesting, and could be fairly fatal for Trumpsters, is if Team Trump tried to arrange a quid pro with Russia in which they were promised an ease on sanctions in exchange for their cooperation on vetoing the UN condemnation of illegal Israeli settlements.
Notably isn’t this similar to what members of the Reagan Administration did c.1980, arranging a quid pro with Iran to release the hostages on the day Reagan was inaugurated in exchange for some kind of future favors, perhaps the Iran-Contra deal?
Also, this is news, if you get outside the US corporate media bubble. Here’s Max Blumental on RT America, discussing it in some depth:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24yIEsC8I8A
Also, let’s not forget that Isreal comes very handy for murdering Iranian scientists and bombing other countries in plain sight when the US is either unavailable due to a back long on their busy bombing schedule or because going into Iran to attach stick bombs to motorcycles would be too brazen or beneath themselves (blanket bombing is the US specialty & can’t be bothered with one bomb at a time). At times like that, Mossad comes in very handy.
Yes, their thuggish criminality is really kind of astonishing – almost as if they took lessons from the Gestapo or the SS. You really have to wonder if there isn’t some kind of psychological factor at play there, secret admiration of fascist tactics, or perhaps the “Aryan mentality” is just identical to the “Zionist mentality”.
I believe a successful could be made that the victim has turned into the abuser. There’s plenty of evidence for making that case.
Don’t look now, but you’re failing to blindly support the officially sanctioned narrative. There might be hope yet that this paper lives up to its slogan: fearless, adversarial journalism that holds the powerful accountable.
For those interested in a detailed exploration of the bewildering phenomena that is Russia-gate, including additional commentary on the double-standard Mr. Hasan outlines above, please see this excellent Russia-gate synopsis on Consortium News by Joe Lauria.
https://consortiumnews.com/2017/12/04/how-russia-gate-rationalizes-censorship/
Mehdi does not deal with all the facts, and is simply an anti-American.
I deal with facts!
I seem to remember Joe McCarthy accusing people of being anti-American as well. Please explain exactly what you mean by that and how it is applicable to Mr. Hasan. Seems to me you are just trying to shutdown debate instead of actually forwarding any semblance of an argument.
Swiss,
You off your meds again?
I think “swiss.cheese” is just riffing on “swisscheese”.
What could possibly be more “anti-American” than allowing a third-rate shitty country like so-called Isreal dictate the foreign and domestic policy of the USA? You’re just a broken record with your anti-this and anti-that bullshit. Someone ought to wash your mouth with soap and water, lots of water, preferably while keeping your head submerged for at least one hour.
This article is irrelevant. The writer seems to not remember that Netanyahu was INVITED to speak before Congress in blatant disregard of the President at that time and prior to the election. So, what’s the biggie about Tump/Israel?
Everyone is in bed with Israel…. And I just don’t get why.
“Everyone” is not in bed with Israel; the Democratic & Republican establishments, along with U.S. Christians, are in bed with Israel. The reason that the establishment is in bed with Israel was originally to have a client state in that part of the world for oil, though I don’t see why that’s needed any longer. Now I think it’s just having a client state for whatever reasons.
What do the israelis with oil?What?
mammon.
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2017/12/03/russia-gate-israel-gate/
http://www.unz.com/pgiraldi/russiagate-becomes-israelgate/
Trump team ‘colluded’ after he was elected !
Hillary colluded with Israel and Wall street all her life !
VFE; ! Exclamation Point..actually this is all about before, prior to, preceding his election..
You mean the Israel collusion ….has been the case since 1896 ‘Der judenstaat’.
“Transition Team” excuse me..
Trump didn’t have a transition team since he never expected to win.
Hillary had not only a fully manned transition team but also a fully staffed government apparatus.
ob·fus·cate