Hardly surprisingly Obama has been falling over himself to ingratiate himself with the attendees at the all-powerful AIPAC (aka as part of The Israel Lobby) meeting presently underway in Washington DC. Needless to say the subject of Iran has been uppermost in the discussion and speeches at the conference - and no less so from Obama.
Ann Wright is a 29 year US Army/Army Reserves veteran who retired as a Colonel and a former US diplomat who resigned in March, 2003 in opposition to the war on Iraq. She served in Nicaragua, Grenada, Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Sierra Leone, Micronesia and Mongolia. In December, 2001 she was on the small team that reopened the US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. She writes:
"Much of the focus for others writing about the President’s pandering speech to AIPAC will be about the Iran nuclear program and, if weaponized, the threat to Israeli and U.S. security, in that order. I will leave the Iran nuclear program to them while I will write about a part of his speech that pertains to a part of the world that I know personally.
But one last comment about Iran-- Obama said the Iranian government denies the Holocaust.
I would say that Iranian government is not the only “denier.”
President Obama and his advisors are the “deniers” of incredible Israeli violence and horrific violations of international law.
In his speech, Obama said, "When the Goldstone report unfairly singled out Israel for criticism (after Israel attacked Gaza), we challenged it.”
Having been to Gaza within days after the 22-day Israeli attack on Gaza that killed 1440, wounded 5,000 and left 50,000 homeless (13 Israelis were killed-5 by Israeli fire), I know the Goldstone Report is accurate in its recording of endless Israeli attacks on Gaza by air, land and sea. President Obama must not know that the Goldstone report comments on the actions of all parties, not just the Israelis. How would Obama know whether the report is accurate or not, when not one Obama administration officer has visited Gaza to observe the destruction first hand, nor have they asked any of the American citizens who have travelled to Gaza for their observations.
In another event concerning Gaza, Obama recounted, “When Israel was isolated in the aftermath of the flotilla incident, we supported them.” I was a passenger on one of the six ships in the 2010 Gaza Freedom Flotilla. I know personally that Israeli commandos brutally attacked all six ships in the flotilla. On the Mavi Marmara commandos executed 9 passengers and wounded 50 more. There were only civilians on the ships and there were no weapons on the ships. Israeli commandos murdered an American citizen shooting him 5 times. Despite the repeated requests of the family of the U.S. citizen, 19 year old Furkan Dogan, the Obama administration decided it did not need to conduct its own investigation but would rely on the Israeli government investigating itself. Israel was isolated by the world after their criminal behavior against the Gaza flotilla--and for good reason! I will add that the Obama administration did not contact any of the American citizens on the flotilla to ask for their comments on the Israeli attack other than a brief consular visit in the Israeli prison where we were held."
Ann Wright is a 29 year US Army/Army Reserves veteran who retired as a Colonel and a former US diplomat who resigned in March, 2003 in opposition to the war on Iraq. She served in Nicaragua, Grenada, Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Sierra Leone, Micronesia and Mongolia. In December, 2001 she was on the small team that reopened the US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. She writes:
"Much of the focus for others writing about the President’s pandering speech to AIPAC will be about the Iran nuclear program and, if weaponized, the threat to Israeli and U.S. security, in that order. I will leave the Iran nuclear program to them while I will write about a part of his speech that pertains to a part of the world that I know personally.
But one last comment about Iran-- Obama said the Iranian government denies the Holocaust.
I would say that Iranian government is not the only “denier.”
President Obama and his advisors are the “deniers” of incredible Israeli violence and horrific violations of international law.
In his speech, Obama said, "When the Goldstone report unfairly singled out Israel for criticism (after Israel attacked Gaza), we challenged it.”
Having been to Gaza within days after the 22-day Israeli attack on Gaza that killed 1440, wounded 5,000 and left 50,000 homeless (13 Israelis were killed-5 by Israeli fire), I know the Goldstone Report is accurate in its recording of endless Israeli attacks on Gaza by air, land and sea. President Obama must not know that the Goldstone report comments on the actions of all parties, not just the Israelis. How would Obama know whether the report is accurate or not, when not one Obama administration officer has visited Gaza to observe the destruction first hand, nor have they asked any of the American citizens who have travelled to Gaza for their observations.
In another event concerning Gaza, Obama recounted, “When Israel was isolated in the aftermath of the flotilla incident, we supported them.” I was a passenger on one of the six ships in the 2010 Gaza Freedom Flotilla. I know personally that Israeli commandos brutally attacked all six ships in the flotilla. On the Mavi Marmara commandos executed 9 passengers and wounded 50 more. There were only civilians on the ships and there were no weapons on the ships. Israeli commandos murdered an American citizen shooting him 5 times. Despite the repeated requests of the family of the U.S. citizen, 19 year old Furkan Dogan, the Obama administration decided it did not need to conduct its own investigation but would rely on the Israeli government investigating itself. Israel was isolated by the world after their criminal behavior against the Gaza flotilla--and for good reason! I will add that the Obama administration did not contact any of the American citizens on the flotilla to ask for their comments on the Israeli attack other than a brief consular visit in the Israeli prison where we were held."
Comments