ZGram - 1/24/2003 - "Going Too Far: Israel Plans Killings on US Soil"

[irimland@zundelsite.org]

ZGram - Where Truth is Destiny

1/24/2003

Good Morning from the Zundelsite:

More on the theme of assassination squads on American soil:

[START]

Going Too Far:
Israel Plans Killings on US Soil

by Charles Sheehan-Miles
January 24, 2003

In a development that probably shouldn't shock me, but does, Israel 
has publicly announced plans to murder people on U.S. soil. The story 
initially surfaced in a January 15 report by United Press 
International correspondent Richard Sale. Sale reports not only the 
aggressive plan of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency to conduct 
targeted assassinations in other countries, but also the nonplussed 
reaction of U.S. officials. I can't decide if Israel's new policy, or 
the American lack of outrage, is what disturbs me the most.

For decades Israel has maintained a policy of assassinations, one 
which has accelerated in recent years as Israel hunted and killed 
possibly hundreds of suspected or accused terrorists or accomplices 
of terrorists. Most of these killings took place in Gaza and the West 
Bank, usually regardless of innocent bystanders. Some spectacularly 
stupid and tragic incidents have occurred in recent months, including 
the firing of an American made Hellfire missile into a crowded 
apartment block, killing more than a dozen bystanders.

Ostensibly, it is U.S. policy to oppose such assassinations. For 
example, in November 2002 the BBC quoted State Department Spokesman 
Richard Boucher reiterating our opposition to such tactics in the 
Occupied Territories. In almost the same breath, he announced the 
CIA-led killing of suspected terrorists - also with a Hellfire 
missile - was different. "A lot of different things come to play 
here," he said.

How right he was. Israel is now citing the U.S. assassination in 
Yemen as justification for ramping up its own underground antiterror 
campaign, and they intend to conduct operations within the United 
States. Richard Sale quotes a former Israeli government official as 
saying diplomatic constraints have prevented the Mossad from carrying 
out 'preventive operations' (targeted killings) on the soil of 
friendly countries until now."

"Until now," is an intriguing comment. What exactly is different? Are 
diplomatic constraints no longer a concern, and if not, why not? Has 
the U.S. given some signal that it's acceptable to murder people 
within our borders? If a carload of people are killed by a missile on 
an American highway, will we shrug and say "Oh, well, it is the war 
on terrorism."

Just as disturbing, UPI was unable to get a single American official 
to condemn the policy change. The FBI told Mr. Sale that "This is a 
policy matter; we only enforce federal laws." So what exactly does 
that mean? Is the FBI not interested in foreign powers committing 
acts of murder in the United States? Isn't that what the new FBI is 
all about?

Of course, some pure speculation is in order, because perhaps Israel 
was, in fact, given the diplomatic wink-and-a-nudge. After all, we 
are exporting prisoners to such bastions of human rights as Syria to 
get down to the serious questioning. Americans don't torture, but 
plainly the administration sees no reason not to hand over people to 
other countries for that purpose.

Americans also don't shoot and assassinate suspects, because of that 
silly doctrine of "innocent until proven guilty." Indeed, despite the 
sincere efforts of Mr. Ashcroft, we still have all those inconvenient 
speed bumps like the Miranda warning, attorney-client privilege, the 
right to see the evidence brought against you, and the right to 
counsel.

Well, those of us who haven't been labeled as "Enemy Combatants" do.

Instead of going to all that trouble to collect evidence, hold 
trials, and house convicted offenders, what if we just quietly passed 
some intelligence on to our "friends" in the Mossad and let them take 
care of it? It's not like we'd be committing assassinations on 
American soil, it would be those pesky Israelis doing it.

Just remember: what Israel calls a "targeted elimination," our laws 
call murder. Let's hope our government sees it the same way.

Already Israeli and Palestinian internet hackers have exported their 
war to America, hacking servers, mail bombing innocent bystanders and 
besmirching the reputations of people on both sides of the 
ideological divide in their conflict. Let us pray they don't export 
their physical war and its attendant assassinations, car bombs and 
worse.

It's time for the Bush administration to come down hard on Sharon and 
his pals. Ariel Sharon, extremist extraordinaire and perpetrator of 
several documented massacres, is a terrorist in the guise of a 
head-of-state, no less than his partner-in-hate Yasir Arafat. Unless 
the administration puts its foot down and holds Israel's feet to the 
fire, they'll be stupid enough to export their assassination policy 
to America, and then we'd better all watch out.


=====

Charles Sheehan-Miles, a co-founder of Veterans for Common Sense and 
former President of the National Gulf War Resource Center, is the 
author of Prayer at Rumayla (XLibris, 2001).


( http://www.antiwar.com/orig/miles1.html