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<a href="http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?fromval=1&cid=41&frid=41&eid=49409" eudora="autourl">
http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?fromval=1&cid=41&frid=41&eid=49409<br>
</a></font><font size=4><b><i>Israel is the Most Egregious Violator of
Every US Arms Export Provision….<br>
</i></font><font size=3>How Many Violations of US Arms Laws are Too
Many?<br><br>
<i>It depends whether the miscreant enjoys “We will always have your back
regardless”…. status<br><br>
</i></b>Franklin Lamb, <i>Beirut<br><br>
</i>On March 6, 2012, the US Congressional Research Service released a
report to the US Congress concerning Restrictions on the use of American
weapons by recipient countries. For those who have followed the subject
there was not a whole lot new in the CRS study, yet it is instructive in
identifying Israel once again as far and away the most egregious violator
of virtually every provision of every US law which purports to regulate
how American weapons are used.<br><br>
According to one CRS researcher, requesting anonymity during a
Skype conversation and subsequent memo: <br><br>
“An intern and I decided, almost for amusement, to count violations
of US Arms Export Control laws by Israel between the date of ACEA
enactment, 1976, through last month and we estimated more than 2.5
million violations if we applied the law given the legislative history
and intent of Congress at the time of its passage. We based that
figure on our estimation of each individual violation of the act as well
as of the 1961 Foreign Assistance Act. It could be firing a US 155
mm artillery shell, various missiles, bombs, rockets and of course
cluster munitions. For example, were Israel brought before a Court, the
prosecutors would surely argue that each cluster booklet dropped on
Lebanon in 2006 was a separate violation plus the two million estimated
dropped during the 1982 invasion of Lebanon and during the 1978, 1993 and
1996 invasions. Add to this figure Israel’s records of violating US
Arms export laws in Gaza, the West Bank and Syria and the true number is
surely several million violations. Essentially all committed with
impunity.”<br><br>
In accordance with U.S. law, the U.S. Government is mandated to enforce
strict conditions on the use against civilians, of weapons it transfers
to foreign recipients. Violations of these conditions can lead to the
suspension of deliveries or termination of contracts for such defense
items, and even the cutting off of all aid to the violating
country.<br><br>
Section 3(a) of the 1976 US Arms Export Control Act (AECA) sets the
standards for countries to be eligible to receive American arms and it
also sets express conditions on the uses to which these arms may be put.
Section 4 of the AECA states that U.S. weapons shall be sold to friendly
countries “solely” for use in “legitimate self-defense, for use in
“internal security,” and to enable the recipient country to
participate in “collective measures requested by the United Nations
for the purpose of maintaining or restoring international peace and
security.”<br><br>
Should the President or Congress determine pursuant to section 3(c)(3)(A)
of the Arms Export Control Act that a “substantial violation” by a
foreign country of an applicable agreement governing an arms sale or
grant has occurred, then that country is automatically ineligible for
further U.S. military hardware. This action would also terminate
provision of credits, loan guarantees, cash sales, and deliveries
pursuant to previous sales or grants. Other options include suspension of
deliveries of defense items already ordered and refusal to allow new arms
orders.<br><br>
The United States has only once used such an option against
Israel.<br><br>
Questions raised by researchers in Beirut during the summer of 1982 and
by Washington Post journalist Jonathan Randal regarding the use of
U.S.-supplied military equipment by Israel in Lebanon in June and July
1982, led the Reagan Administration to determine on July 15, 1982, that
Israel “may” have violated its July 23, 1952, Mutual Defense Assistance
Agreement with the United States (TIAS 2675) and the AECA.<br><br>
The pertinent language of the 1952 agreement between Israel and the
United States states: “The Government of Israel assures the United States
Government that such equipment, materials, or services as may be acquired
from the United States … are required for and will be used solely to
maintain its internal security, its legitimate self-defense, or to permit
it to participate in the defense of the area of which it is a part, or in
United Nations collective security arrangements and measures, and that it
will not undertake any act of aggression against any other
state.”<br><br>
Alarm centered on whether or not Israel had used U.S.-supplied
antipersonnel cluster bombs against civilian targets during its carpet
bombing West Beirut during the nearly three month siege.<br><br>
The House Foreign Affairs Committee held hearings on this issue in July
and August 1982. On July 19, 1982, the Reagan Administration announced
that it would prohibit new exports of cluster bombs to Israel. This
prohibition was lifted by the Reagan Administration in November 1988
under US Israel lobby pressure on the White House designed to assist the
Presidential campaign of George H. W. Bush against Senator Walter
Mondale.<br><br>
The facts of this case which mainly centered on events in Lebanon are
instructive. During the 1973 Ramadan war, Israeli Prime Minister
Golda Meir, watching Arab forces advance on Israel troops following the
October 6 Egyptian and Syrian offensive, and being advised by the Israeli
Defense Ministry of a pending disaster, threatened President Nixon with
Israel using nuclear weapons unless the US rescued Israel. Nixon’s
immediate response was to order a massive air lift to Israel of US arms
stockpiled for use in Vietnam at Clark air force base near Subic Bay,
Philippines. The base commander at Clark immediately resigned because
being on the defensive in Vietnam, he advised Washington US troops needed
those weapons. Included were eight types of US cluster bombs
including the M-42, M-46,CBU-58 A/B, APAM (BLU) 77/B, MK 20 “Rockeye”, MK
118 and he M-43 “Birdie” as the U.S. Marines in Beirut referred to the
M-43 it in late 1982 and 1983.<br><br>
During a late June 1982 meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Begin, Reagan
was handed a note from George Shultz. Based on the information he had in
hand, Reagan directly told Begin that the US had reliable information
than Israel was using American weapons against civilians in Lebanon. At
this point according to Reagan, Begin became very agitated. He
lowered his glasses and while glaring at Reagan and shaking his index
finger said, “Mr. President, Israel has never and would never use
American weapons against civilians and to claim otherwise is a blood
libel against every Jew, everywhere.” Following their meeting
Reagan told Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger, as reported by
Weinberger and by various biographers of Reagan that “I did not know what
the term “blood libel” meant, but I know that the man looked me straight
in the eyes and lied to me<i>.”<br><br>
</i>The original Secretary of State George Schultz suggestion to Reagan
of Israel using two types (the M-42 and the CBU-58) of American cluster
bombs was soon changed to the charge that Israel in fact used all eight
types of American cluster bombs Nixon had sent to Meir during October
1973.<br><br>
Proof of the use of the eight types of US cluster bombs was delivered to
an assembly of US Pentagon and other officials in late July 1982 at the
Indian Head Ordnance facility on the Potomac River in Southern Maryland
on instructions from the late American Journalist Janet Lee Stevens to
this observer. Substantive and still preserved demonstrative and
physical evidence, including photographs and US cluster bombs, some of
which still were filled with the high explosive minol, that were carried
in my suitcase, that had been gathered from around West Beirut by
Janet and her research team that included Palestinian fighters delegated
by Yassir Arafat and Khalil al Wazir (Abu Jihad) some Marabatoun
fighters, as well several Amal milita as well as this observer to
aid with the task.<br><br>
The US / Israel lobby accurately considers American arms control laws as
meaningless. The prohibitions against Israel’s use of American weapons
against civilians have not, are not and in all likelihood will never be
enforced against Israel given the regime’s continuing occupation of much
of the US government. <br>
<br>
The once cherished American value of building a nation based on humane
laws and the American national security interest of achieving a
foreign policy that deals on the basis of equality with other nations
have been sacrificed so as to delay the inevitable collapse
of the apartheid colonial enterprise implanted on Palestine. <br>
<br>
The Obama “we’ve got your back regardless” genuflection endangers America
as surely as it threatens with US weapons, every country in the Middle
East and beyond that may even contemplate challenging Zionism’s regional
hegemony.<br><br>
It’s high time for true American patriots to take back their country and
rejoin the community of nations on the basis of equality and mutual
respect for all, entangling and corrupting alliances with none.<br><br>
</font><font size=3 color="#888888"><b><i>Franklin Lamb</b> is doing
research in Lebanon and is reachable c/o
<a href="mailto:fplamb@gmail.com">fplamb@gmail.com</a><br><br>
<br><br>
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