The Bus 300 Affair (1984), the Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin (1995), and the death of the Supreme Court’s Chief Clerk Shmaryahu Cohen (2002), show the hallmarks of unannounced regime change in the State of Israel. Was the United States, or United States interests involved? At least in the third event.
Former top IDF Commander Yitzhaq Mordechai; late Prime Minitster Yitzhaq Rabin; late Chief Clerk of the Supreme Court Shmaryahu Cohen (שמריהו כהן)
In the ongoing love affair, there were benefits and damages to both sides. Which side suffered the greater damage, is yet to be determined. The claim underlying the list of landmarks events below, is that the State of Israel went through an unannounced regime change between 1984 and 2002, similar to the one experienced earlier in the United States. The effects in both nations are similar – widespread corruption of the courts and the legal profession, impoverishment of the many, enrichment of the few, and undermining of Human Rights and the Rule of Law.
1. The Bus 300 Affair (1984)
The case came in the aftermath of Israeli Supreme Court decisions, which prohibited torture and unlawful killing of prisoners.
Wikipedia:
The Bus 300 affair, also known as Kav 300 affair, was a 1984 incident in which Shin Bet members executed two Arab bus hijackers, immediately after the hostage crises incident ended and the two terrorists were captured.
After the incident the Shin Bet members gave a false testimony on their involvement in the affair. The Israeli military censor blacked out coverage of the hijacking originally, nevertheless, the publication of information regarding the affair in foreign press, and eventually in the Israeli media, led a public uproar which led many in the Israeli public to demand that the circumstances surrounding the deaths of terrorists would be investigated. In 1985 a senior Israeli army general Yitzhak Mordechai was acquitted of charges related to the deaths of the captured terrorists. Later, it emerged that members of the Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service, had implicated the general, while concealing who gave the direct order that the prisoners be killed. In 1986 the Attorney General of Israel, Yitzhak Zamir, was forced to resign after he refused to call off an investigation into the Shin Bet's role in the affair. Shortly afterwards Avraham Shalom, head of the Shin Bet resigned and was given a full Presidential pardon for unspecified crimes, while pardons were granted to many involved before charges were laid. Following the scandal, the Landau Commission was set up to investigate Shin Bet procedures.
Some conspiracy theorists claim that the case established the superiority of the Secret Service over the rule of law.
There is no evidence of US involvement in the case.
2. The Assassination of Yitzhaq Rabin
Wikipedia:
The assassination of Yitzhaq Rabin took place on November 4, 1995 at 21:30, at the end of a rally in support of the Oslo Accords at the Kings of Israel Square in Tel Aviv. The assassin, a religious Zionist named Yigal Amir, strenuously opposed Rabin's peace initiative and particularly the signing of the Oslo Accords.
Prior to the assassination, current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu engaged in a campaign of denigration of then Prime Minister Rabin. Conduct of the former was denounced even then as incitement.
The Israeli Secret Service is responsible for the security of the Prime Minister, and also reports directly to him. Israeli media and court proceedings show that the Security Service implanted in a fringe group a provocateur, named Avishai Raviv, who radicalized the group. However, when the group got ready to assassinate Rabin, the implant failed to inform his superiors. Raviv was prosecuted for Misprision of Felonies, but was found by the Israeli court “not guilty”.
In the face of ongoing conspiracy theories, an extreme right wing senior politician was quoted to have said that if there was a conspiracy by the Security Service, Rabin himself was to blame for his own assassination, since the Security Service was under his direct authority.
There is no evidence of US involvement in the case, although the US has been involved in similar operations in other client states. There is no doubt that the US trained, current prime minister, Netanyahu, is closer to at least some part of the US leadership more than Rabin ever was.
3. The death of the Supreme Court’s Chief Clerk Shmaryahu Cohen (2002)
Even the Hebrew Wikipedia does not have an entry for Shmaryahu Cohen.
From the Methods section of a paper by this author in Data Analytics 2012:
Subsequently, a cursory survey was conducted of the pattern of judges’ signatures and clerk’s certification of records over the past two decades. The significance of events around 2001-2003 was identified.
Accordingly, a more detailed survey was conducted of records of that period, including data mining relative to changes in distribution of specific word combinations, related to certification over time (e.g., “Chief Clerk”, “Registrar”, “Shmaryahu Cohen” (the late Chief Clerk of the Supreme Court), “Boaz Okon” (former Registrar of the Supreme Court), True Copy).
Subsequently, court records that were identified as outliers in such distributions (e.g. Decision records bearing the name of the late Chief Clerk Shmaryahu Cohen, issued later than the date of his death) were individually examined. Such data mining procedures enabled the discovery of hundreds of fraudulent decision records.
Once the death of the late Chief Clerk of the Supreme Court on March 7, 2002, was identified as a key event in this context, Google searches were conducted to further elucidate the event. It turned out that he reportedly died of “sudden cardiac arrest”, after toasting a retiring staff member in an office party. Additionally, Google searches discovered a complaint, filed with the Israel Police by a family member/friend two weeks after the event, alleging murder. However, the complaint failed to present any reasonable motive for such murder. Regardless, web pages were discovered with various conspiracy theories in this regard.
Based on the findings from such data mining efforts, requests were filed on the Ministry of Justice and the Administration of Courts, pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, for records that would provide the legal foundation for the profound changes in certification patterns between 2001-3, the appointment records of the current chief clerks of the courts, the appointment records of the Registrars of Certifying Authorities, pursuant to the Electronic Signature Act (2001), secondary legislation that might have authorized the changes, etc.
Additionally, outside sources were reviewed for information regarding the history of the development and implementation of the electronic records systems of the courts: media reports, and in particular the 2010 State Ombudsman’s Report 60b.
From the Results section of the same paper:
The 2010 State Ombudsman’s Report 60b reviewed the development and implementation of Net Ha-Mishpat. The report describes a system that was developed with no written specification and with no core supervision by State employees, the issuance of contracts to outside corporations with no bidding, and acceptance of the system with no independent testing of its performance by State employees. Most alarming, the Ombudsman’s Report indicated that unknown number of individuals had been issued double Smart ID cards. The Ombudsman pointed out that the development and implementation of the system was conducted in violation of State law. However, the report failed to evaluate the validity of the system as a whole.
From the Discussion section of the same paper:
It appears that updates in the electronic records systems and the passage of the Electronic Signature Act made it necessary to decide between the development of systems, based on valid, lawful specifications and lawful digital signatures, or systems based on no specifications and no digital signatures at all.
The results show that effectively, decision was made around 2002 in favor of the latter option. The most obvious trait of the systems now in place, is that among thousands of electronic public legal records, which were examined as part of the current study, not a single digitally signed record was discovered.
Furthermore, the findings suggest that such decision required the neutralization of the main watchdogs, relative to integrity of legal records: the chief clerks of the Supreme Court and the district courts, and the Registrar of Certifying Authorities.
Additionally, data mining results show that following the passage of the Electronic Signature Act (2001), a small private corporation, ComSign, LTD, controlled by veterans of the IDF Intelligence Unit 8200 (cyberwar), were unlawfully established as the sole certifying authority for the legal records of the State of Israel.
The Recommendations of the 2012 Human Rights Alert (NGO) submission to the United Nations Human Rights Council included:
2. A Truth and Reconciliation Commission should be established to examine the conduct of members of the judiciary and the legal profession, who were involved in undermining the integrity of the electronic record systems;
It is doubted that such examination could avoid the death of Shmaryahu Cohen, and the conduct of his successor, Sarah Lifschitz, who is completing now her 10th year in office with no lawful appointment record for the office of Chief Clerk of the Supreme Court.
Two US-based corporations, IBM and EDS, are the ones referred to in the Ombudsman’s report relative to the unlawful development and implementation of the electronic record systems of the courts. The Ombudsman’s Report also notes that the servers of the courts of the State of Israel (effectively – the entire body of the records of the courts) was removed from the custody of the State, and the servers are now under the custody of an unnamed corporation.
Conduct surrounding the implementation of the electronic records of the Israeli courts and the unlawful holding of offices by the clerks of the Israeli courts over the past decade closely resemble events that took place in the United State 10-20 years earlier.
In conclusion:
There is no doubt that in parallel to the increasingly tight relationship with the United States, events took place in the State of Israel, which redefined the political power map, irrespective of written law of the land. What the direct or indirect role of US interests was in this process remains largely unknown.
Friday, September 7, 2012
12-09-07 NextTech2012 Debate: Large-scale Fraud in the Electronic Records of the Courts – A call for action by computing experts
LINKS:
[1]12-09-07 NextTech2012 Debate: Large-scale Fraud in the Electronic Records of the Courts – A call for action by computing experts By Joseph Zernik, PhD - short opening presentation
http://www.scribd.com/doc/105211070/
________________
1. Large-scale Fraud in the Electronic Records of the Courts – A call for action by computing experts
Joseph Zernik, PhD
Human Rights Alert(NGO)
• The recent implementation of fraudulent electronic records systems in the courts converted them into rackets and undermined Human Rights and banking regulation.
Caution: Expect harsh retaliation.
________________
2. Supreme Court – United States
Richard Fine v Sheriff Lee Baca
The 70-year old, former US prosecutor Richard Fine exposed, publicized, and rebuked the
large-scale bribing of the judges of the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles -the largest county court in the United States:
• Fine’s actions led to the signing of “retroactive immunities” (simulated pardons) for all judges of the California courts by the California Governor –in fact an admission of widespread criminality of the judiciary.
• Two weeks later, Richard Fine was arrested. He was falsely imprisoned for 18 months in
solitary confinement (considered by the United Nations torture). His electronic booking record listed him arrested and booked on location and by authority of the “Municipal Court of San Pedro”, which did not and does not exist.
• Richard Fine’s Habeas Corpus petitions were subjected to simulated review in the US District Court, Central District of California, the US Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit, and the US Supreme Court.
________________
3. District Court, SDNY –United States
Securities and Exchange Commission v Bank of America in the US District Court, SDNY,
was touted as enforcement of banking regulation by a tough US judge, after the unlawful taking of USD 5.8 billion by banking executives was discovered:
• SEC, BAC, and the US District Court colluded in fraud on the People through conduct of simulated litigation, in the outcome of which no individual was held accountable,
and the funds were never returned to the shareholders.
• Due to the unprecedented corruption of the US courts, today there is no way to institute effective banking regulation in the United States.
________________
4. Supreme Court -State of Israel
Undermining of the Supreme Court's certification of records in 2002
Former Chief Justice Aharon Barak was touted as the leader of a “Constitutional Revolution”:
• Data-mining shows that he presided over unprecedented corruption of the Supreme Court - hundreds of falsified decision records were discovered.
• Since 2003, none of the electronic decision records are certified, and none shows any reference to the Office of the Clerk. The Chief Clerk refuses to certify the Court’s records.
• The Administration of Courts refuses to disclose the legal foundation for such profound change in the records of the Supreme Court in 2001-2003, or to produce the appointment records of the Chief Clerks of the courts (including the Supreme Court).
________________
5. Tel Aviv District Court –State of Israel
Initial review of the case of the July 2012, self-immolated social protest activist Moshe Silman shows:
• The complaint and initial decision were filed under a case number that never existed -index fraud.
• None of the records were signed, instead ¨Post-it Decisions” were issued -simulated, fraudulent judicial records.
• Judge Hagai Brenner denied an appeal from his own decision - judicial misconduct.
________________
6. Detainees Courts –State of Israel
The records of the Detainees Courts should raise concern that “black hole” prisons and makeshift “field courts” have been established in the State of Israel
• Only a selection of the Detainees Courts records is published online, as insecure Word files, most of which were created a long time after the fact (at times – years).
• The Ministry of Justice refuses to disclose, how many Detainees Courts are operating in the State of Israel today, their names and locations, and the names of the Chief Clerks, if any exist.
12-09-07 The ongoing US-Israeli love affair a) historic perspective
In parallel to the tightening of the US-Israeli relationship, the Israeli government is showing unprecedented corruption.
Barcelona, September 7 – In response to writing by others, regarding conduct of the US congress (one example is copied below), the following is offered as a partial response.
Note: I had to catch up on a good part of Israeli history after escaping from the US to Jerusalem in April 2010. I post the comments below on some blogs as well, hoping to get meaningful responses from those more familiar than me with Israeli history of recent decades.
Affiliations:
From the 1920s to the early 1950s, the Jewish community in then Palestine, and later the young State of Israel was most closely affiliated with the Soviet Union:
• In the United Nations vote on the partition of Palestine and the establishment of the State of Israel, the votes of the Soviet block were secure. It was the US vote in favor of the resolution that was uncertain until the last minues.
• It was the Czech communist republic that supplied the Jewish population with weapons in the 1948 war.
After Stalin’s death, Israeli became a close ally of France in the 1950’s and 1960’s:
• France became the major weapons provider.
• France provided Israeli the know-how for the establishment of its nuclear program.
After the 1967 war, Israel became an ever closer ally of the United States:
• In the months preceding the 1967 war, during a period of existential fear in Israel, France declared an embargo on Israel, and switched its support to the Arab world.
• Since after the 1967 war, the US became the major weapons provider to Israel, and during the 1973 war, again a period of real existential threat, provided an air lift of weapons, ammunitions, and other military supplies.
In parallel to these shifting alliances, an unprecedented corruption of the Israeli government has been seen. Following are anecdotal pieces of evidence:
The office of President of the State of Israel:
• The first president, Weizmann, was a centrist and a scientist by profession. As president, he continues to reside in the science institute that today bears his name, where he served as professor.
• The second president, Ben Tzvi (die in office in 1963), was a socialist/communist. As president, he refused to move out of his shack in Jerusalem, and insisted on conducting the business of the president from that shack.
• The immediate past president, Katzav, was a right-winger. He took office in the new presidential palace, but today he resides in prison, after conviction of multiple sex crimes against female subordinates in office.
Personal wealth of top politicians:
• The politicians of the first two generations, regardless of their political leanings, left, center, or right, retired with no substantial wealth, some ended up in poverty: Ben Gurion, Golda, Begin, Shamir. To the degree that high-level corruption of government was seen, it was primarily of the nature of fraud and deceit in the context of political back-stabbing.
• Today, even top political figures, who spent their lives in public service, are multi-millionaires, including Weitzman (the second generation), Netanyahu, Barak, and others. It is proposed (don’t have the direct evidence), that their wealth is related to “consulting” in megadeals with US arms suppliers.
• Beyond the immediate former president Katzav, assortment of public officials (including top military and police brass) of the past decade or two have been imprisoned, or removed from office over various corruption, bribing, sex in office, and similar matters
In Sum:
1) It is proposed that while the US-Israeli love affair may be a disservice to the United States in the way it is pushed now by some in Washington, DC, the same romance was inherent to the massive corruption of government in the State of Israel, as has been documented in many other client states.
2) In general: The question of how normative societies becomes a corrupt ones over relatively short time periods, has intrigued me for a while. If anybody knows of any good reviews on how you get from A to B, please let me know.
_________
Joseph Zernik, PhD
Human Rights Alert (NGO)
From Lawsters.com
HR 4133 - Commitment to support a "Jewish" State?
I have appended below the text of the bill and my message to Eric Cantor.
I write this morning about Representative Eric Cantor's bill HR 4133, now apparently stuck in Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Its purpose: "To express the sense of Congress regarding the United States-Israel strategic relationship, to direct the President to submit to Congress reports on United States actions to enhance this relationship and to assist in the defense of Israel, and for other purposes."
We need have no Rocket Science pedigree to understand the above sense. Israel, a tiny little enclave of polyglots on the Eastern Mediterranean coast somewhat sentimentally attached to the USA, needs US financial and military support. Hostile Islamic hordes surround their land. The sentimental attachment exists because the US saved the survivors of numerous German concentration camps and Russian pogroms, and many of Israel's residents hail from America.
However, radical fundamentalist Jews seem just as terrifyingly foam-at-the-mouth horrible as their Christian, Muslim, and Hindu counterparts. No one should have to suffer them at the helm of any government. I consider them idiots because they miss the bigger picture of their own religion's ideals.
Well, it turns out that many Americans consider Israel their national bosom buddy. I see several reasons for this. I have already mentioned the family connection. Many millions of Jews live in the USA. So, there religious connection exists. And becomes even bigger considering that the world contains 2 billion Christians. Many, if not most consider themselves Jews because they follow and love Jesus of Nazareth as their father/brother, and they think Jesus was a Jew. That makes all Christians Jews too, in Christians' minds.
But not in Jews' minds, of course. When it boils down to religion itself, Jews could not care less whether Christians or any others embrace Judaism in their personal beliefs. In fact, most Jews seem to prefer that Christians and Muslims stay out of their religion because they lack the "blood" connection - they don't have Jewish mothers. In other words, in their minds one becomes a Jew not only through cultural and religious heritage, but also through blood lines - birth. It seems like a confusing mess to most non-Jews.
But Israelis feel delighted over that strange connection foreigners feel to their country. Why? It means the foreigners will support them politically and endorse their efforts to maintain hegemony over Muslims and Christians in the area of Palestine. And it means that at least some leaders in the USA will encourage US Government to help Israel defeat whatever enemies become a threat to Jewish hegemony in Israel.
By "leaders" I mean leaders like House Majority Whip and conservative Jew Eric Cantor. Cantor stands first in line to become House Speaker when Boehner retires. He has enormous power, so much that he introduced House Resolution 4133 and gleaned 304 co-sponsors.
Pesky Questions about HR 4133
I could ask pesky questions like these about the bill:
1. How could the US guarantee loans to Israel when the US already spends a trillion dollars more than it takes in every year?
2. Why should the people of America support ANY openly religious government anywhere?
3. Which governments in the Mideast actually threaten the USA militarily?
4. Why does the US need Israel to further US defense efforts?
5. How does 'common defense' in the PREAMBLE to the US Constitution constitute an enumerated power? (I see no such enumerated power INSIDE THE BODY of the Constitution)
6. Why should the US give Israel a 'blank check' for maintaining a qualitative edge in its military power?
7. Why should the US people presume that just because so many consider themselves Jews, the Jews of Israel have a corresponding sentiment toward the US?
8. If Israel wants American support so much, why doesn't it petition the US Government for US statehood?
9. Why does America owe the Christians, Muslims, and Jews of Israel the guarantee of a "Jewish" state there?
10. What part of "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion" don't Cantor and the cosponsors of HR 4133 understand?
Regardless of the common defense ideal, I have expressed serious misgivings about the bill in pesky questions 9 and 10 above. I expressed the core point in my letter to Rep. Eric Cantor this morning. You might have your own questions to express, here: http://cantor.house.gov/contact.
Message to Eric Cantor
Dear Representative Eric Cantor:
I found one point in HR 4133 seriously objectionable: calling Israel a "Jewish" State. Some members of the Knesset are not Jewish. State government does not operate under any Jewish law. To my knowledge, the last Jewish government before 1948 was a monarchy. THAT would constitute "Jewish" government. By highlighting "Jewish" State, rather than "sovereign" or "independent" the law makes a mockery of the US Constitution Amendment One separation of church and state doctrine. I don't see that Jews have any more right to a national government than do Muslims, and the world has replete examples of the onerous nature of Islamic government.
You might recall from history that the diaspora of 70 AD came as a consequence of Zealots (Jewish Nationalists) raiding their own countrymen's homesteads. Vespasian's legions gave every city/town's leaders an opportunity to capitulate to Roman rule or die. The cream of the Jewish race expired during that campaign, and the streets of Jerusalem ran red with the blood of Jews as Zealots and their countrymen murdered one another before the Roman army crushed or crucified their remnants and made slaves of those who didn't scatter quickly enough. This is what happens to "religion" states. A similar destruction happened to Christian interlopers at the end of the Crusades. And we can see these days the bloody encounters between disparate fundamentalist Islamic groups - the Sunni and Shia, exemplified in all their glory by the Taliban and Al Quaeda and tribal leaders like Saddam Hussein.
Our lessons from history reveal that NO state's people should suffer rule by a religious sect. I would loathe rule by fundamentalist Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus... you name it. And I do not endorse military support to any government run by a religious sect. Nor should you.
If you get a chance, I encourage you to correct that one glaring fault in HR 4133.
HR 4133 Text
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:h.r.04133:
H.R.4133 --
United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012
(Engrossed in House [Passed House] - EH)
[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 35 (Monday, March 5, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H1153] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
By Mr. CANTOR: H.R. 4133.
Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Congress has the authority to enact this legislation pursuant to Article I, Section 8, clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution, the power to ``regulate Commerce with foreign Nations'' and pursuant to Article I, Section 8, clause 1, the power to ``provide for the common Defence.''
HR 4133 EH
112th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4133
________________________________________
AN ACT
To express the sense of Congress regarding the United States-Israel strategic relationship, to direct the President to submit to Congress reports on United States actions to enhance this relationship and to assist in the defense of Israel, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Since 1948, United States Presidents and both houses of Congress, on a bipartisan basis and supported by the American people, have repeatedly reaffirmed the special bond between the United States and Israel, based on shared values and shared interests.
(2) The Middle East is undergoing rapid change, bringing with it hope for an expansion of democracy but also great challenges to the national security of the United States and our allies in the region, particularly our most important ally in the region, Israel. Over the past year, the Middle East has witnessed the fall of some regimes long considered to be stabilizing forces and a rise in the influence of radical Islamists.
(3) Iran, which has long sought to foment instability and promote extremism in the Middle East, is now seeking to exploit the dramatic political transition underway in the region to undermine governments traditionally aligned with the United States and support extremist political movements in these countries.
(4) At the same time, Iran may soon attain a nuclear weapons capability, a development that would fundamentally threaten vital American interests, destabilize the region, encourage regional nuclear proliferation, further empower and embolden Iran, the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, and provide it the tools to threaten its neighbors, including Israel.
(5) Over the past several years, with the assistance of Iran and Syria, Hizballah and Hamas have increased their stockpiles of rockets, with more than 60,000 rockets now ready to be fired at Israel. Iran continues to add to its arsenal of ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, which threaten Iran's neighbors, Israel, and United States military forces in the region.
(6) As a result, the strategic environment that has kept Israel secure and safeguarded United States national interests for the past 35 years has eroded.
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States:
(1) To reaffirm the enduring commitment of the United States to the security of the State of Israel as a Jewish state. As President Obama stated on December 16, 2011, `America's commitment and my commitment to Israel and Israel's security is unshakeable.'. And as President Bush stated before the Knesset on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel on May 15, 2008, `The alliance between our governments is unbreakable, yet the source of our friendship runs deeper than any treaty.'.
(2) To provide Israel the military capabilities necessary to deter and defend itself by itself against any threats.
(3) To veto any one-sided anti-Israel resolutions at the United Nations Security Council.
(4) To support Israel's inherent right to self-defense.
(5) To pursue avenues to expand cooperation with Israel in both defense and across the spectrum of civilian sectors, including high technology, agriculture, medicine, health, pharmaceuticals, and energy.
(6) To assist Israel with its on-going efforts to forge a peaceful, negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that results in two states living side by side in peace and security, and to encourage Israel's neighbors to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state.
SEC. 4. UNITED STATES ACTIONS TO ASSIST IN THE DEFENSE OF ISRAEL AND PROTECT AMERICAN INTERESTS.
(a) Sense of Congress- It is the sense of Congress that the United States should take the following actions to assist in the defense of Israel:
(1) Provide Israel such support as may be necessary to increase development and production of joint missile defense systems, particularly such systems that defend the urgent threat posed to Israel and United States forces in the region.
(2) Provide Israel assistance specifically for the production and procurement of the Iron Dome defense system for purposes of intercepting short-range missiles, rockets, and projectiles launched against Israel.
(3) Provide Israel defense articles and defense services through such mechanisms as appropriate, to include air refueling tankers, missile defense capabilities, and specialized munitions.
(4) Allocate additional weaponry and munitions for the forward-deployed United States stockpile in Israel.
(5) Provide Israel additional surplus defense articles and defense services, as appropriate, in the wake of the withdrawal of United States forces from Iraq.
(6) Strengthen efforts to prevent weapons smuggling into Gaza pursuant to the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access following the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and to protect against weapons smuggling and terrorist threats from the Sinai Peninsula.
(7) Offer the Israeli Air Force additional training and exercise opportunities in the United States to compensate for Israel's limited air space.
(8) Expand Israel's authority to make purchases under the Foreign Military Financing program on a commercial basis.
(9) Seek to enhance the capabilities of the United States and Israel to address emerging common threats, increase security cooperation, and expand joint military exercises.
(10) Encourage an expanded role for Israel within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), including an enhanced presence at NATO headquarters and exercises.
(11) Support extension of the long-standing loan guarantee program for Israel, recognizing Israel's unbroken record of repaying its loans on time and in full.
(12) Expand already-close intelligence cooperation, including satellite intelligence, with Israel.
(b) Report on Israel's Qualitative Military Edge-
(1) STATEMENT OF POLICY- It is the policy of the United States--
(A) to help Israel preserve its qualitative military edge amid rapid and uncertain regional political transformation; and
(B) to encourage further development of advanced technology programs between the United States and Israel given current trends and instability in the region.
(2) REPORT- Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report on the status of Israel's qualitative military edge in light of current trends and instability in the region.
(c) Reports on Other Matters- Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on each of the following:
(1) Taking into account Israel's urgent requirement for F-35 aircraft, actions to improve the process relating to Israel's purchase of F-35 aircraft to improve cost efficiency and timely delivery.
(2) Efforts to expand cooperation between the United States and Israel in homeland security, counter-terrorism, maritime security, energy, cybersecurity, and other appropriate areas.
(3) Actions to integrate Israel into the defense of the Eastern Mediterranean.
(d) Definitions- In this section:
(1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES- The term `appropriate congressional committees' means--
(A) the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.
(2) QUALITATIVE MILITARY EDGE- The term `qualitative military edge' has the meaning given the term in section 36(h)(2) of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2776(h)(2)).
SEC. 5. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE LOAN GUARANTEES TO ISRAEL.
(a) In General- Chapter 5 of title I of the Emergency Wartime Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2003 (Public Law 108-11), as amended, is further amended in the item relating to `Loan Guarantees to Israel'--
(1) in the matter preceding the first proviso, by striking `September 30, 2011' and inserting `September 30, 2015'; and
(2) in the second proviso, by striking `September 30, 2011' and inserting `September 30, 2015'.
(b) Effective Date- The amendments made by this section take effect on the date of enactment of this Act.
Passed the House of Representatives May 9, 2012.
Attest:
Clerk.
112th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4133
AN ACT
To express the sense of Congress regarding the United States-Israel strategic relationship, to direct the President to submit to Congress reports on United States actions to enhance this relationship and to assist in the defense of Israel, and for other purposes.
--
Bob Hurt
P.O. Box 14712
Clearwater, FL 33766-4712
(727) 669-5511
Barcelona, September 7 – In response to writing by others, regarding conduct of the US congress (one example is copied below), the following is offered as a partial response.
Note: I had to catch up on a good part of Israeli history after escaping from the US to Jerusalem in April 2010. I post the comments below on some blogs as well, hoping to get meaningful responses from those more familiar than me with Israeli history of recent decades.
Affiliations:
From the 1920s to the early 1950s, the Jewish community in then Palestine, and later the young State of Israel was most closely affiliated with the Soviet Union:
• In the United Nations vote on the partition of Palestine and the establishment of the State of Israel, the votes of the Soviet block were secure. It was the US vote in favor of the resolution that was uncertain until the last minues.
• It was the Czech communist republic that supplied the Jewish population with weapons in the 1948 war.
After Stalin’s death, Israeli became a close ally of France in the 1950’s and 1960’s:
• France became the major weapons provider.
• France provided Israeli the know-how for the establishment of its nuclear program.
After the 1967 war, Israel became an ever closer ally of the United States:
• In the months preceding the 1967 war, during a period of existential fear in Israel, France declared an embargo on Israel, and switched its support to the Arab world.
• Since after the 1967 war, the US became the major weapons provider to Israel, and during the 1973 war, again a period of real existential threat, provided an air lift of weapons, ammunitions, and other military supplies.
In parallel to these shifting alliances, an unprecedented corruption of the Israeli government has been seen. Following are anecdotal pieces of evidence:
The office of President of the State of Israel:
• The first president, Weizmann, was a centrist and a scientist by profession. As president, he continues to reside in the science institute that today bears his name, where he served as professor.
• The second president, Ben Tzvi (die in office in 1963), was a socialist/communist. As president, he refused to move out of his shack in Jerusalem, and insisted on conducting the business of the president from that shack.
• The immediate past president, Katzav, was a right-winger. He took office in the new presidential palace, but today he resides in prison, after conviction of multiple sex crimes against female subordinates in office.
Personal wealth of top politicians:
• The politicians of the first two generations, regardless of their political leanings, left, center, or right, retired with no substantial wealth, some ended up in poverty: Ben Gurion, Golda, Begin, Shamir. To the degree that high-level corruption of government was seen, it was primarily of the nature of fraud and deceit in the context of political back-stabbing.
• Today, even top political figures, who spent their lives in public service, are multi-millionaires, including Weitzman (the second generation), Netanyahu, Barak, and others. It is proposed (don’t have the direct evidence), that their wealth is related to “consulting” in megadeals with US arms suppliers.
• Beyond the immediate former president Katzav, assortment of public officials (including top military and police brass) of the past decade or two have been imprisoned, or removed from office over various corruption, bribing, sex in office, and similar matters
In Sum:
1) It is proposed that while the US-Israeli love affair may be a disservice to the United States in the way it is pushed now by some in Washington, DC, the same romance was inherent to the massive corruption of government in the State of Israel, as has been documented in many other client states.
2) In general: The question of how normative societies becomes a corrupt ones over relatively short time periods, has intrigued me for a while. If anybody knows of any good reviews on how you get from A to B, please let me know.
_________
Joseph Zernik, PhD
Human Rights Alert (NGO)
From Lawsters.com
HR 4133 - Commitment to support a "Jewish" State?
I have appended below the text of the bill and my message to Eric Cantor.
I write this morning about Representative Eric Cantor's bill HR 4133, now apparently stuck in Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Its purpose: "To express the sense of Congress regarding the United States-Israel strategic relationship, to direct the President to submit to Congress reports on United States actions to enhance this relationship and to assist in the defense of Israel, and for other purposes."
We need have no Rocket Science pedigree to understand the above sense. Israel, a tiny little enclave of polyglots on the Eastern Mediterranean coast somewhat sentimentally attached to the USA, needs US financial and military support. Hostile Islamic hordes surround their land. The sentimental attachment exists because the US saved the survivors of numerous German concentration camps and Russian pogroms, and many of Israel's residents hail from America.
However, radical fundamentalist Jews seem just as terrifyingly foam-at-the-mouth horrible as their Christian, Muslim, and Hindu counterparts. No one should have to suffer them at the helm of any government. I consider them idiots because they miss the bigger picture of their own religion's ideals.
Well, it turns out that many Americans consider Israel their national bosom buddy. I see several reasons for this. I have already mentioned the family connection. Many millions of Jews live in the USA. So, there religious connection exists. And becomes even bigger considering that the world contains 2 billion Christians. Many, if not most consider themselves Jews because they follow and love Jesus of Nazareth as their father/brother, and they think Jesus was a Jew. That makes all Christians Jews too, in Christians' minds.
But not in Jews' minds, of course. When it boils down to religion itself, Jews could not care less whether Christians or any others embrace Judaism in their personal beliefs. In fact, most Jews seem to prefer that Christians and Muslims stay out of their religion because they lack the "blood" connection - they don't have Jewish mothers. In other words, in their minds one becomes a Jew not only through cultural and religious heritage, but also through blood lines - birth. It seems like a confusing mess to most non-Jews.
But Israelis feel delighted over that strange connection foreigners feel to their country. Why? It means the foreigners will support them politically and endorse their efforts to maintain hegemony over Muslims and Christians in the area of Palestine. And it means that at least some leaders in the USA will encourage US Government to help Israel defeat whatever enemies become a threat to Jewish hegemony in Israel.
By "leaders" I mean leaders like House Majority Whip and conservative Jew Eric Cantor. Cantor stands first in line to become House Speaker when Boehner retires. He has enormous power, so much that he introduced House Resolution 4133 and gleaned 304 co-sponsors.
Pesky Questions about HR 4133
I could ask pesky questions like these about the bill:
1. How could the US guarantee loans to Israel when the US already spends a trillion dollars more than it takes in every year?
2. Why should the people of America support ANY openly religious government anywhere?
3. Which governments in the Mideast actually threaten the USA militarily?
4. Why does the US need Israel to further US defense efforts?
5. How does 'common defense' in the PREAMBLE to the US Constitution constitute an enumerated power? (I see no such enumerated power INSIDE THE BODY of the Constitution)
6. Why should the US give Israel a 'blank check' for maintaining a qualitative edge in its military power?
7. Why should the US people presume that just because so many consider themselves Jews, the Jews of Israel have a corresponding sentiment toward the US?
8. If Israel wants American support so much, why doesn't it petition the US Government for US statehood?
9. Why does America owe the Christians, Muslims, and Jews of Israel the guarantee of a "Jewish" state there?
10. What part of "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion" don't Cantor and the cosponsors of HR 4133 understand?
Regardless of the common defense ideal, I have expressed serious misgivings about the bill in pesky questions 9 and 10 above. I expressed the core point in my letter to Rep. Eric Cantor this morning. You might have your own questions to express, here: http://cantor.house.gov/contact.
Message to Eric Cantor
Dear Representative Eric Cantor:
I found one point in HR 4133 seriously objectionable: calling Israel a "Jewish" State. Some members of the Knesset are not Jewish. State government does not operate under any Jewish law. To my knowledge, the last Jewish government before 1948 was a monarchy. THAT would constitute "Jewish" government. By highlighting "Jewish" State, rather than "sovereign" or "independent" the law makes a mockery of the US Constitution Amendment One separation of church and state doctrine. I don't see that Jews have any more right to a national government than do Muslims, and the world has replete examples of the onerous nature of Islamic government.
You might recall from history that the diaspora of 70 AD came as a consequence of Zealots (Jewish Nationalists) raiding their own countrymen's homesteads. Vespasian's legions gave every city/town's leaders an opportunity to capitulate to Roman rule or die. The cream of the Jewish race expired during that campaign, and the streets of Jerusalem ran red with the blood of Jews as Zealots and their countrymen murdered one another before the Roman army crushed or crucified their remnants and made slaves of those who didn't scatter quickly enough. This is what happens to "religion" states. A similar destruction happened to Christian interlopers at the end of the Crusades. And we can see these days the bloody encounters between disparate fundamentalist Islamic groups - the Sunni and Shia, exemplified in all their glory by the Taliban and Al Quaeda and tribal leaders like Saddam Hussein.
Our lessons from history reveal that NO state's people should suffer rule by a religious sect. I would loathe rule by fundamentalist Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus... you name it. And I do not endorse military support to any government run by a religious sect. Nor should you.
If you get a chance, I encourage you to correct that one glaring fault in HR 4133.
HR 4133 Text
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:h.r.04133:
H.R.4133 --
United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012
(Engrossed in House [Passed House] - EH)
[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 35 (Monday, March 5, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H1153] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
By Mr. CANTOR: H.R. 4133.
Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Congress has the authority to enact this legislation pursuant to Article I, Section 8, clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution, the power to ``regulate Commerce with foreign Nations'' and pursuant to Article I, Section 8, clause 1, the power to ``provide for the common Defence.''
HR 4133 EH
112th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4133
________________________________________
AN ACT
To express the sense of Congress regarding the United States-Israel strategic relationship, to direct the President to submit to Congress reports on United States actions to enhance this relationship and to assist in the defense of Israel, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Since 1948, United States Presidents and both houses of Congress, on a bipartisan basis and supported by the American people, have repeatedly reaffirmed the special bond between the United States and Israel, based on shared values and shared interests.
(2) The Middle East is undergoing rapid change, bringing with it hope for an expansion of democracy but also great challenges to the national security of the United States and our allies in the region, particularly our most important ally in the region, Israel. Over the past year, the Middle East has witnessed the fall of some regimes long considered to be stabilizing forces and a rise in the influence of radical Islamists.
(3) Iran, which has long sought to foment instability and promote extremism in the Middle East, is now seeking to exploit the dramatic political transition underway in the region to undermine governments traditionally aligned with the United States and support extremist political movements in these countries.
(4) At the same time, Iran may soon attain a nuclear weapons capability, a development that would fundamentally threaten vital American interests, destabilize the region, encourage regional nuclear proliferation, further empower and embolden Iran, the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, and provide it the tools to threaten its neighbors, including Israel.
(5) Over the past several years, with the assistance of Iran and Syria, Hizballah and Hamas have increased their stockpiles of rockets, with more than 60,000 rockets now ready to be fired at Israel. Iran continues to add to its arsenal of ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, which threaten Iran's neighbors, Israel, and United States military forces in the region.
(6) As a result, the strategic environment that has kept Israel secure and safeguarded United States national interests for the past 35 years has eroded.
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States:
(1) To reaffirm the enduring commitment of the United States to the security of the State of Israel as a Jewish state. As President Obama stated on December 16, 2011, `America's commitment and my commitment to Israel and Israel's security is unshakeable.'. And as President Bush stated before the Knesset on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel on May 15, 2008, `The alliance between our governments is unbreakable, yet the source of our friendship runs deeper than any treaty.'.
(2) To provide Israel the military capabilities necessary to deter and defend itself by itself against any threats.
(3) To veto any one-sided anti-Israel resolutions at the United Nations Security Council.
(4) To support Israel's inherent right to self-defense.
(5) To pursue avenues to expand cooperation with Israel in both defense and across the spectrum of civilian sectors, including high technology, agriculture, medicine, health, pharmaceuticals, and energy.
(6) To assist Israel with its on-going efforts to forge a peaceful, negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that results in two states living side by side in peace and security, and to encourage Israel's neighbors to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state.
SEC. 4. UNITED STATES ACTIONS TO ASSIST IN THE DEFENSE OF ISRAEL AND PROTECT AMERICAN INTERESTS.
(a) Sense of Congress- It is the sense of Congress that the United States should take the following actions to assist in the defense of Israel:
(1) Provide Israel such support as may be necessary to increase development and production of joint missile defense systems, particularly such systems that defend the urgent threat posed to Israel and United States forces in the region.
(2) Provide Israel assistance specifically for the production and procurement of the Iron Dome defense system for purposes of intercepting short-range missiles, rockets, and projectiles launched against Israel.
(3) Provide Israel defense articles and defense services through such mechanisms as appropriate, to include air refueling tankers, missile defense capabilities, and specialized munitions.
(4) Allocate additional weaponry and munitions for the forward-deployed United States stockpile in Israel.
(5) Provide Israel additional surplus defense articles and defense services, as appropriate, in the wake of the withdrawal of United States forces from Iraq.
(6) Strengthen efforts to prevent weapons smuggling into Gaza pursuant to the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access following the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and to protect against weapons smuggling and terrorist threats from the Sinai Peninsula.
(7) Offer the Israeli Air Force additional training and exercise opportunities in the United States to compensate for Israel's limited air space.
(8) Expand Israel's authority to make purchases under the Foreign Military Financing program on a commercial basis.
(9) Seek to enhance the capabilities of the United States and Israel to address emerging common threats, increase security cooperation, and expand joint military exercises.
(10) Encourage an expanded role for Israel within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), including an enhanced presence at NATO headquarters and exercises.
(11) Support extension of the long-standing loan guarantee program for Israel, recognizing Israel's unbroken record of repaying its loans on time and in full.
(12) Expand already-close intelligence cooperation, including satellite intelligence, with Israel.
(b) Report on Israel's Qualitative Military Edge-
(1) STATEMENT OF POLICY- It is the policy of the United States--
(A) to help Israel preserve its qualitative military edge amid rapid and uncertain regional political transformation; and
(B) to encourage further development of advanced technology programs between the United States and Israel given current trends and instability in the region.
(2) REPORT- Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report on the status of Israel's qualitative military edge in light of current trends and instability in the region.
(c) Reports on Other Matters- Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on each of the following:
(1) Taking into account Israel's urgent requirement for F-35 aircraft, actions to improve the process relating to Israel's purchase of F-35 aircraft to improve cost efficiency and timely delivery.
(2) Efforts to expand cooperation between the United States and Israel in homeland security, counter-terrorism, maritime security, energy, cybersecurity, and other appropriate areas.
(3) Actions to integrate Israel into the defense of the Eastern Mediterranean.
(d) Definitions- In this section:
(1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES- The term `appropriate congressional committees' means--
(A) the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.
(2) QUALITATIVE MILITARY EDGE- The term `qualitative military edge' has the meaning given the term in section 36(h)(2) of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2776(h)(2)).
SEC. 5. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE LOAN GUARANTEES TO ISRAEL.
(a) In General- Chapter 5 of title I of the Emergency Wartime Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2003 (Public Law 108-11), as amended, is further amended in the item relating to `Loan Guarantees to Israel'--
(1) in the matter preceding the first proviso, by striking `September 30, 2011' and inserting `September 30, 2015'; and
(2) in the second proviso, by striking `September 30, 2011' and inserting `September 30, 2015'.
(b) Effective Date- The amendments made by this section take effect on the date of enactment of this Act.
Passed the House of Representatives May 9, 2012.
Attest:
Clerk.
112th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4133
AN ACT
To express the sense of Congress regarding the United States-Israel strategic relationship, to direct the President to submit to Congress reports on United States actions to enhance this relationship and to assist in the defense of Israel, and for other purposes.
--
Bob Hurt
P.O. Box 14712
Clearwater, FL 33766-4712
(727) 669-5511
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