The CIA has operatives in every country in the middle east for the purpose of terrorism control. The CIA in Israel is mostly about spying on the Israeli nuclear weapons program and the Mossad. I just pointed out the flip side of that coin. 32 countries went to war with us in 1991. 59 countries went to war with us in Afghanistan in 2003 or provided significant logistical support. 22 countries allow major US bases in their territory. Another 42 have minor US military facilities, like radar installations. 90 countries offered aid after Hurricane Katrina, most of which we politely declined.
They have given "safe haven" of sorts for target removal and then willingly taken the credit. That's what I am referring to. None of those countries did so out of the goodness of their heart. No such thing as a free lunch, they all got something out of it. Israel offered and gave support after Katrina. "An Israeli airlift arrived in Little Rock, Arkansas with an eighty-ton shipment of humanitarian aid, including baby food, diapers, water, ready-to-eat meals, clothes, tents, blankets, mattresses, stretchers, first aid kits, wheelchairs, and other medical supplies. The Magen David Adom began "United Brotherhood Operation," which sent a plane-load of supplies and financial assistance. IsraAid sent a delegation of medical personnel, psychologists, and experienced search-and-rescue divers. The 18-member team — which included physicians, mental health professionals, trauma specialists, logistics experts and a special unit of Israeli police divers — arrived in St. Bernard Parish and Plaquemines Parish on Sept. 10 and spent a week and a half assisting fire department search-and-rescue squads and sitting in on daily planning meetings that included local leadership and a complement of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), police, military and fire representativesmedical team. Five universities in Israel welcomed displaced American students from the affected areas and invited both undergraduate and graduate students to continue their studies in Israel. In particular, medical students unable to attend the Tulane University in New Orleans can attend Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine." Israeli advisors have also helped train US special forces in aggressive counter-insurgency operations in Iraq. "The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) has sent urban warfare specialists to Fort Bragg in North Carolina, the home of US special forces, and according to two sources, Israeli military "consultants" have also visited Iraq....US forces in Iraq's Sunni triangle have already begun to use tactics that echo Israeli operations in the occupied territories, sealing off centres of resistance with razor wire and razing buildings from where attacks have been launched against US troops" "US special forces teams are already behind the lines inside Syria attempting to kill foreign jihadists before they cross the border, and a group focused on the "neutralisation" of guerrilla leaders is being set up, according to sources familiar with the operations. "This is basically an assassination programme. That is what is being conceptualised here. This is a hunter-killer team," said a former senior US intelligence official, who added that he feared the new tactics and enhanced cooperation with Israel would only inflame a volatile situation in the Middle East. "It is bonkers, insane. Here we are – we're already being compared to Sharon in the Arab world, and we've just confirmed it by bringing in the Israelis and setting up assassination teams." "They are being trained by Israelis in Fort Bragg," a well-informed intelligence source in Washington said. "Some Israelis went to Iraq as well, not to do training, but for providing consultations." The consultants' visit to Iraq was confirmed by another US source who was in contact with American officials there. The Pentagon did not return calls seeking comment, but a military planner, Brigadier General Michael Vane, mentioned the cooperation with Israel in a letter to Army magazine in July about the Iraq counter-insurgency campaign. "We recently travelled to Israel to glean lessons learned from their counterterrorist operations in urban areas," wrote General Vane, deputy chief of staff at the army's training and doctrine command." Of course this is all nonsense, right? lol
I should have said Israel's contribution to the United States is equal to my contribution to this thread.
Don't know much, but I do know this. This is mid-1980's stuff, a lot has gone under the bridge since then. We used to provide the Israelis a navy intel product on a daily basis. 90% of it was Soviet Mediterranean Navy stuff. Routinely, and I mean routinely, we saw the same info, word for word, in intel that the Israelis SOLD to the US. Plus it was weeks after the fact. That really pissed me off. Still does.
Right, only Israel is sincere. Get real, Israel is our friend for ONE reason only . . . cold hard cash. No. Neither is it particularly relevant. I repeat Israel's best interests and ours are NOT the same. Backing Israel unconditionally is foolish.
My apologies for a poorly stated post. I did not mean to imply that only Israel was sincere. Everyone of those countries is sucking up to get what they want, including Israel. You used Katrina as a benchmark of sorts and I only meant to demonstrate that Israel gave support as well. Not relevant? Lol. You asked what they ever did for the US. I gave you evidence. I don't know about conditions. I do know that they oppose the same terrorists that we do. I do know they provide support as they can for the US to achieve some of our goals in the region. Ideologically, we are far closer to Israel than we are to Palestine or Hamas. Interesting factoid....one way that CIA operatives can tell Hamas from Mossad? Smell.
I understand. All I suggest is that Israel is open to a lot of justified criticism and the conflict over there is not a black and white issue, lots of gray areas. Do they? The Israelis fight Hamas and Hezbollah. The US fights al Qaeda and the Taliban. The Iraqis and Syrians fight ISIS. The Russians fight the Chechans. The Turks fight the Kurds. We each have our own demon ragheads. Rarely does anybody change turf. Reagan got burned trying to do so in Lebanon. So did Dub in Iraq. Do we collaborate with Israel with arms and intelligence? Sure. But also with about a dozen other countries in the region who also get aid, weapons, and who house US military units. The interlocking networks of contracts, treaties, agreements, arms trading, base access, intelligence, economics, logistics and the like makes for a very complex situation. We have so much more than The Big Stick to influence matters in our favor. We control the international currency. We control the arms. We control much of the intelligence. We own the ocean. The main reason there hasn't been a war in 40 years between Israel and Egypt, the biggest, most powerful Arab country despite totally incompatible politics and disputed land is because we own both of them militarily. Syria is owned by Russia and Hezbollah is owned by Iran. Times are not good for Russia or Iran and shit flows downhill. Hamas is owned by the rich Arab gulf states. The Arab spring scared the hell out of them and they are seriously re-thinking their support of radical islamists, even if they are anti-Israel. It riles up their domestic Islamists. Not a peep of condemnation from Saudi Arabia or the Gulf states about the Israeli invasion of Gaza. Interesting eh? Meanwhile Hezbollah is fighting ISIS and we aren't paying for either side! How sweet does it get! Next year we will let the Afghans get back to their centuries-old avocation of killing each other. Alliances are shifting, fealties will be lost. The times they are a changing'.
Then again, how many people here would be upset if Israel dropped a nuke on Tehran? I can think f many more worthy causes to spend that $3 Billion on, starting with South LA coastline and hurricane protection.
A lot fewer than there were before. As with so many things its not an either or choice and making a false equivalency such as that isn't an argument.
I wouldn't care if they vaporized Tehran, Damascus and Pyongyang but the use of atomic weapons wouldn't be a good thing for the environment of the rest of the world. I used to think that $3 Billion was a lot of money and if it was mine I still would but now when we talk about $$$Trillions it seems like a drop in the bucket. More than $3 Billion is really needed to fully restore the Louisiana coastline. I don't think anybody outside of this state realizes that or cares.
