U.S. Officially Boycotts, Divests and Sanctions Israel

Multiple stories are breaking as the Democrat National Convention begins. The most prominent are those dealing with the state of Israel. There is growing evidence that Iran will obtain a nuclear weapon, that sanctions are not having their intended effect and diplomacy has not led to compromise.

Shimon Shiffer of Ynet News reports, “The United States has indirectly informed Iran, via two European nations, that it would not back an Israeli strike against the country’s nuclear facilities, as long as Tehran refrains from attacking American interests in the Persian Gulf, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Monday.”

Shiffer notes, “In return, Washington reportedly expects Iran to steer clear of strategic American assets in the Persian Gulf, such as military bases and aircraft carriers.”

“Israeli officials reported an unprecedented low in the two nations’ defense ties, which stems from the Obama administration’s desire to warn Israel against mounting an uncoordinated attack on Iran … According to the New York Times, Washington has also sent Iran a back-channel deal suggesting they curb their nuclear ambitions, but Tehran rejected the deal, saying no agreement is possible sans lifting all West-imposed sanctions,” reports Shiffer.

JTA in a separate article states, “Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of U.S. armed forces, said he does not wish to be “complicit” in a unilateral Israeli strike on Iran.” Dictionary.com defines complicit as, “Involved with others in reprehensible or illegal activity.” Dempsey implies that Israel by striking Iran is doing so illegally and the action is reprehensible.

Dempsey said Thursday that such an attack would “clearly delay but probably not destroy Iran’s nuclear program,” the London Guardian reported. He added, “I don’t want to be complicit if they choose to do it.” Dempsey has also directed that DOD material “offensive to Islam” would be purged from all military training resources.

The United States continues its efforts to shore up the new Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt.

Steven Lee Myers of the New York Times reports, “Nearly 16 months after first pledging to help Egypt’s failing economy, the Obama administration is nearing an agreement with the country’s new government to relieve $1 billion of its debt as part of an American and international assistance package intended to bolster its transition to democracy, administration officials said.”

The loan forgiveness comes while there are increased ground and rocket attacks by HAMAS, an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, from Gaza and by Egyptians from the Sinai.

The Associated Press reports, “Explosions rocked the southern Israeli city of Eilat late Wednesday [August 15, 2012], and the military said it suspected that rockets were fired from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. No casualties or damage were reported.”

“Eilat is a Red Sea resort next to Sinai, scene of many militant attacks in recent months. On Aug. 5, Sinai militants killed 16 Egyptian soldiers where the borders of Egypt, Israel and Gaza converge. Then they stole Egyptian army vehicles and crashed into Israel, where Israeli forces stopped them with gunfire,” notes the AP article.

Eilat has been the target of previous rocket attacks, apparently from Sinai. Israel has expressed concern about extremist Islamists and Palestinian militants from Gaza operating there.

Clare M. Lopez, a former CIA Operations Officer and Middle East expert, notes, “Israel can be in no doubt that it is being abandoned in its hour of supreme need by its sometime champion, the former defender of the free world—a United States of America now willingly implementing policies that embolden and empower the forces of Islamic jihad and shariah, whether Sunni or Shi’a, which are dedicated to the destruction of us all.”

The United States policy in the Middle East is to boycott, divest and sanction Israel.

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