Los Angeles meeting
Why gov't hides truth about Israel, Palestine
By Adrian Garcia
Los Angeles
What would happen if U.S. workers knew that the government
squanders $400,000 in tax money every hour to support an
apartheid state perpetrating a genocidal military campaign
against oppressed people?
It would be safe to assume that the masses would rise up
with indignation and demand an immediate cessation of such
funding. This begs the question: Why isn't the U.S. public
aware of such vital information?
At a May 11 public meeting in Los Angeles, International
Action Center West Coast Regional Coordinator Richard Becker
explained why the people are kept in the dark about U.S.
support for Israel--and the implications for Palestinians and
working people throughout the world.
Becker spoke to an audience of about 100 people about the
Palestinian people's unceasing struggle and the growing menace
the Bush administration's war drive poses for everyone.
Becker examined the Bush administration's current war
policy. He informed the crowd that President Bush's branding of
Iran, Iraq and North Korea as an "axis of evil" has encountered
opposition.
During Bush's last visit to South Korea, Becker said, the
U.S. president was greeted by huge crowds protesting
Washington's hypocritical condemnation of other countries. The
Korean people have not forgotten the 4 million casualties
caused by the U.S.-led incursion into their country 50 years
ago, Becker explained.
In Korea, Bush visited a museum in the demilitarized zone
between north and south, which ironically "is one of the most
militarized zones in the world," said Becker. The museum was
set up to commemorate a battle between North Korean and South
Korean troops. When he learned that two U.S. soldiers died in
the battle, Bush was stricken with emotion and commented, "No
wonder I think they [North Koreans] are evil."
According to Becker, Bush's ridiculous statement was not
simply another "Bush ism," but a lucid illustration of the
methodology the Bush administration is using to pursue its war
aims. "Establish policy first and seek justification later" is
Bush's modus operandi.
Despite growing opposition to Bush's foreign policy, the
government seeks to expand its war aims against other
countries. In early May U.S. Undersecretary of State John
Bolton accused Cuba of developing biological weapons--an
accusation Cuba vehemently denies and is prepared to contest.
Bolton's accusation places Cuba on a list of six "rogue states"
the Bush administration calls a threat to U.S. security. The
other five countries are Libya, Syria, Iran, Iraq and North
Korea.
Becker compared the U.S. military budget with those of the
six countries. The House of Representatives recently approved
an increase of $48 billion for the Pentagon, he said. This
increase alone is "four times the military spending of those
six countries combined," said Becker.
U.S. funding of Israel is not a gesture of kindness toward
Jewish people, Becker explained, but a policy based on
big-business interests. The U.S. rulers "don't give money away,
they invest it" to protect U.S. oil profits in the region.
Unfortunately, this investment contributes to the brutal
oppression of the Palestinian people. In an effort to protect
its investment, the U.S. capitalist elite promotes a shameless
campaign of misinformation and lies.
Becker ended his speech by beating the drum of resistance.
"The fact that the April 20 rallies in Washington, D.C., and
San Francisco were the biggest protests in support of the
Palestinian cause in the history of the U.S. provides hope and
gives us the impetus to continue struggling, like our
Palestinian brothers and sisters, until justice is achieved,"
he concluded.
Reprinted from the May 23, 2002, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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Email: ww@workers.org
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