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Skip the speech. Lose the lies. Counter corruption. Peace,
not politics.
By mickielynn on 2015-02-27 12:48:23
[caption id="attachment_6655" align="aligncenter" width="600"]
Prime Minister, Bibi
Netanyahu, in front of window with a a view of Jerusalem. Opposition leader Isaac Herzog is among many in Jerusalem
urging him to cancel his speech to US Congress. Photo Credit: Sebastian Scheiner /AP[/caption] There have been many
media stories about the "breach of protocol" connected with House Speaker Boehner's invitation to Benjamin Netanyahu to
address a joint session of Congress on March 3rd. But that's not what this article is about. [caption id="attachment_ 6649"
Name: Speaker John Boe
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WILL CONGRESS SIDE WITH OUR
PRESIDENT OR A FOREIGN LEADER?
CALL CONGRESS T0 SUPPORT DIPLOMACY, NOT WAR: 1-844-ACT-NIAG
align="alignleft" won ~w he Wh Full page ad in NY Times, February 19, 2015 by
NIAC[/caption] Instead it covers many of the reasons why Netanyahu should not get the respect of the US Congress. It
covers the facts that he does not speak for all Israelis. Certainly does not represent the majority of US Jews. The fact that
he is fighting for his political life in Israel and using this visit to bolster his campaign, with the election less than 3 weeks
away. The fact that his speech in 2012 was contradicted by Mossad's own intelligence. The fact that he is presiding over a
faltering economy and is facing corruption charges and needs a distraction. But most of all it covers the intent of his call for
more sanctions that could end the two year multiparty negotiations and what that would mean for the Middle East and for
the world. Let’s take these one at a time. In an excellent article by Rabbi Michael Lerner, he calls on American Jews and
their allies to resist letting Mr. Netanyahu drag the US into a war with Iran. He asks for signatures on another full page
media ad and he makes the following points about who does not agree with Bibi:
..A few weeks ago, after having arranged with House Speaker Boehner to address a joint session of the newly
minted Republican-dominated Congress while intentionally snubbing the normal protocol of first approaching
the U.S. President, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed to speak for all of the world Jews. Yet all the polls
of American Jews resoundingly reject the politics that Netanyahu has followed. Netanyahu doesn't speak for us.
He did everything possible to undermine US sponsored peace negotiations with the Palestinians--yet the
American Jewish majority supports the creation of an economically and politically viable Palestinian state.
While he rejects policies that would alleviate the extreme disparity between rich and poor in Israel, among the
worst in the advanced industrial countries, most American Jews believe that governments should be doing more
to bridge this gap. While he believes that Jews can never be safe anywhere but Israel, meanwhile pursuing
policies toward Palestinians that have made most Israelis feel less safe than ever in this past year, most
American Jews believe that we can count on the goodness and fairness of the American people and do not need
to prepare an escape route to Israel. Most importantly, while he is coming to align himself with American
militarists in both parties with the aim of pressuring President Obama to make demands on the Iranians that will
be impossible for them to meet, and then pushing the U.S. into military action against Iran, most American Jews
support President Obama's attempts to negotiate a peaceful path that would allow Iran to develop nuclear power
for peaceful purpose but would prohibit it from developing nuclear weapons.[...]
DIPLOMACY
NOT WAR |
[caption id="attachment_6652" align="aligncenter" width="300"] ~~" Message
from Roots Action about the key reason to skip the speech.[/caption] From a review of the Israeli media it's clear that Prime
Minister Netanyahu's Likud party and his coalition allies are being challenged for a variety of reasons including the
increasingly growing economic disparities and housing shortages based partially on priorities given to their policies of
pouring economic resources into the existing settlements in the Occupied territories and into building new, illegal
settlements in those territories and in Jerusalem. But there's more that has to do with the fact that he's facing charges of
corruption (again). Not exactly a figure deserving of the full attention of the US Congress even if he were known for telling
the truth about Iran's nuclear program. Benjamin Netanyahu Hires Top Defense Attorney For Possible Corruption Case
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hired a well-known lawyer described in the Israeli press as a
"specialist in white-collar crime" to represent him and his wife if they face criminal corruption charges. Jacob
Weinroth is considered to be one of the country’s top defense attorneys. The potential prosecution stems from a
report published Tuesday by Israel’s state comptroller, accusing the Netanyahus of spending public funds in a
way that “strayed from the cornerstone principles of financial management and the principles of proportionality,
reasonableness, saving, and efficiency.” [...]
But let's explore his lack of information or deliberate misrepresentation of the facts concerning Iran's nuclear program. In
2012 he gave a speech to the United Nations in which he stated boldy that Iran was on the very brink of developing a
nuclear weapon. You may remember the dramatic diagram that he used. Actually more of a cartoon. [caption
id="attachment_6663" align="aligncenter" width="600"]
Netanyahu with false bomb
diagram now refuted by secret intelligence papers from Mossad itself, Photo credit / Reuters[/caption] In a large leak of
South African secret service correspondence released through al Jazeera this past week we could read in the words of the
Mossad itself that they refuted this idea that Iran was seeking or close to developing a nuclear weapon.
As Netanyahu Tries to Stop U.S.-Iran Deal, Leaked Cables Show Israeli Spies Reject His Nuke Claims In
what has been described as the biggest intelligence leak since Edward Snowden, Al Jazeera has begun
publishing a series of spy cables from the world’s top intelligence agencies. In one cable, the Israeli spy agency
Mossad contradicts Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s own dire warnings about Iran’s ability to produce a
nuclear bomb within one year. In a report to South African counterparts in October 2012, the Mossad concluded
Iran was "not performing the activity necessary to produce weapons." The explosive disclosure comes just as
the United States and Iran have reported progress toward reaching a nuclear deal, an outcome Netanyahu will
try to undermine when he addresses the U.S. Congress next week. We go to Doha to speak with Clayton
Swisher, the head of Al Jazeera’s investigative unit, which broke the Iran story and several others in a series of
articles called, "The Spy Cables."
And lest you think that this was a one time fluke, the Israeli government has been leaking false information about the current
negotiations to try and undermine them in US and world opinion. So much so that the US is no longer sharing such
information with Israel and thus removing it from the negotiating process and isolating it. Finally to come full circle, there is
a vibrant campaign to convince our Representatives and Senators to Skip the Speech and not allow this very flawed
individual to have a full Congressional audience. Several Jewish peace groups and Palestinian rights groups have been
lobbying Congress to not appear for this destructive and war like speech next Tuesday. We know that as of yesterday 30
Representatives and 6 Senators have agreed to not be present. There is a substantial pool of undecided Congress people as
well and our own Representative Paul Tonko [— call (202) 225-5076] is on that list and could perhaps be persuaded to take
a stand. \ also don't see Senator Gillibrand on the list of those who have committed one way or the other as of the last
update on February 26th. [caption id="attachment_6653" align="aligncenter" width="600"]
Skip the Speech, petition
delivered to Representative Paul Tonko[/caption]
Over 37,000 constituents have sent more than 110,000 letters to Members of Congress, urging them to
#SkipTheSpeech by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on March 3rd. Organized by US Campaign to End the
Israeli Occupation, Jewish Voice for Peace, Roots Action, CodePink, American Muslims for Palestine, and
Friends of Sabeel North America and Sabeel
It's not too late for you to call your Representative or Senator and voice your own opinion on this subject!
Don’t atten
Netanyahu’s \
speech! 4
SkipTheSpeech.org
2 END THE Jewish Voice 4/ =HnntcAr InN.)
QECUPATION for Peace NIP
