Israeli Military Emboldened by Trump’s Blanket Support: Int’l Lawyer

“Netanyahu and Israel’s military are becoming emboldened because of the blanket support they have obtained from US President Donald Trump and US Neocons like national security adviser John Bolton and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley,” Edward Corrigan from Ontario said in an interview with the Tasnim News Agency.

“Israel’s many attacks on Syria, and Lebanon and the shooting down of the Russian plane is evidence that Israel thinks it is untouchable no matter what they do,” he added. � �

The following is the full text of Interview:

Tasnim: In a speech to the UN General Assembly on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again accused Iran of developing a nuclear weapons program. He claimed he was revealing the existence of a “secret atomic warehouse” in Tehran but offered no proof of the claim or details. In response, Iranian officials dismissed the claim as a despicable lie and said such lies are aimed at covering up the Tel Aviv regime’s heinous crimes against the defenseless people of Palestine. This is while Israel is the only possessor of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, but its policy is to neither confirm nor deny that it has atomic bombs. The Tel Aviv regime is estimated to have 200 to 400 nuclear warheads in its arsenal. What do you think about Netanyahu’s comments?

Corrigan: Israel and Netanyahu has a long history of lying to the International Community and the International media in support of its claims and political objectives. The Israelis even have a term for it, “hasbara.” This translates into propaganda. Many claims by the Israelis have been proven false. Yet the North American media and to a lesser extent the European media frequently fall for these lies and misrepresentations. It is all part of a media and political campaign to demonize enemies like the Palestinians, the Iranians and now even Russia and China. This campaign is deliberate and sponsored by the Mossad, CIA and MI6, the intelligence agencies of Western Powers. The Mossad, Israel’s Intelligence Service, has as its motto, “By Way of Deception.” There are false stories planted and even “false flag” attacks designed to manipulate public opinion and to support military expenditures and foreign interventions. The “fake news” is on the front page and the retractions are buried with little or no media coverage. Netanyahu’s theatrical performance gets massive media coverage. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) rejection of the Israeli claim is largely ignored in the Western Media.

Tasnim: As you know, Israeli troops last Friday killed seven other Palestinians, two of them children, and wounded dozens more in the deadliest day in recent weeks as Gazans stepped up protests along the border fence. Since March 30, Israeli forces have killed at least 191 Palestinians during the demonstrations dubbed the “Great March of Return” along the Gaza border. Most of the dead and the thousands wounded were unarmed civilians against whom Israel was using excessive force. What is your opinion about the developments and the Israeli regime’s crimes?

Corrigan: Israel’s attacks against unarmed peaceful Palestinian protesters in Gaza are definitely “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity.” Netanyahu and Israel’s military are becoming emboldened because of the blanket support they have obtained from US President Donald Trump and US Neocons like national security adviser John Bolton and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley. Israel’s many attacks on Syria, and Lebanon and the shooting down of the Russian plane is evidence that Israel thinks it is untouchable no matter what they do. The Israelis even had the gall to demand that Russia not supply S-300’s to Syria after Israel’s attack on Syria resulted in the downing of the Russian plane.� � � �

Tasnim: Israel has rejected international calls for probes into recent deaths and insisted that its open-fire rules for Gaza will not change. Some Western states, particularly the US and Britain, who call themselves champions of human rights, have supported the Tel Aviv regime’s crimes against Palestinians. The UN has also failed to restore the rights of the people. What is your assessment?

Corrigan: My assessment is bleak with some room for optimism. Israel constantly ignores calls for probes and criticism of Israel’s policies, especially those employed against the Palestinians. As long as the United States and the United Kingdom use their veto power at the UN Security Council to protect Israel there is little that the UN can do. Israel sees itself as being above international law and can do virtually anything it wants. Things are, however, changing. The support Israel receives from the World Jewish community is in decline. Jewish organizations like Jewish Voice for Peace in the United States and Independent Jewish Voices in Britain and Canada have voiced severe criticism of Israel’s policies.

Perhaps the most important development is the British Labor Party criticism of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians. Leader Jeremy Corbyn, if elected to head the British Government, has pledged to recognize Palestine as a State. At the just concluded Labor Party Convention the delegates adopted a Motion “laying the blame for violence at the Gaza border in recent months squarely at the door of Israel, pledging a halt to arms sales to the Jewish state if Labor comes to power, and calling for the “immediate unconditional end to the illegal blockade and closure of Gaza.”

In the United States, 35 Senators led by US Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), and Chris Coons (D-Del.) presented a letter to President Trump to express strong opposition to his decision to cut more than $500 million in aid to the Palestinian people – funding that was passed into law to provide clean water, food, education, and critical medical services to families in the West Bank and Gaza. The Senators wrote, “We are deeply concerned that your strategy of attempting to force the Palestinian Authority to the negotiating table by withholding humanitarian assistance from women and children is misguided and destined to backfire. Your proposed cuts would undermine those who seek a peaceful resolution and strengthen the hands of Hamas and other extremists in the Gaza Strip, as the humanitarian crisis there worsens.” So there are signs that things are improving for the Palestinians.