Why US Hides Truth about Israel, Palestine Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit ------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the May 23, 2002 issue of Workers World newspaper ------------------------- 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. - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not allowed. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011 e-mail: ww@wwpublish.com - web: http://www.workers.org Subscribe: wwnews-on@wwpublish.com ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytact-05.19.02-19:50:54-22959