The Israelis are “in a very difficult position,” Dan Shapiro, President Barack Obama’s ambassador to Israel, told the publication. “They count very much on Saudi Arabia,” which is “central to their strategic concept of the region.”
After the Attacks of Sept 11, 2001, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia took a feather out Israel’s cap by investing hundreds of millions of dollars into legalized bribing of U.S. politician – a practice known colloquially in Washington as lobbying. What the mafia and organized crime syndicates do under the table, rogue states like Israel and Saudi Arabia are able to do out in the open.
With their pockets full, U.S. lawmakers gleefully hobnob with Saudi princes, hoping to secure more lucrative arms deals for U.S. defense contractors, who then put more money in the campaign coffers of corrupt U.S. Senators and Congressman. To help build the myth that these are civilized countries, various highly paid court scribes in the media, like New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, are then drafted in to tart-up the image by writing fluff pieces before dutifully repeating the same propaganda on mainstream television in the U.S. This is how the system of patronage and pay-offs works in Washington. It’s how Washington really works.
All bets were off however, following the apparent killing of exiled Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi embassy in Istanbul. The incident has led to a rare outrage against the kingdom as lawmakers ponder the unthinkable – suspending arms sales, expelling the kingdom’s diplomats, and reconsidering the ‘special relationship’ between Washington and Riyadh.
Of course, Saudi has found a friend in another brutal regional neighbor, Israel, who is all-too familiar in fending off international outrage deriving from its own illegal and otherwise savage behavior, and more importantly, it knows exactly how to obfuscate and buy-off (and scare off, intimidate, and blackmail) any pesky U.S. politicians or prying mainstream journalists.
Indeed, the last Israel wants to see are sustained western demands for moral reciprocity and accountability in Middle East. The Kingdom could not have a better trainer in its corner.
The following account is extremely revealing…
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This is a huge problem for Israel and its lobby who see the Saudi de facto ruler – commonly referred to in English-language media by his initials MBS – as their key regional ally.
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As BuzzFeed noted on 18 October, Israel, Saudi Arabia’s “unofficial ally,” has remained “noticeably quiet” about Khashoggi’s killing.
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The Israelis are “in a very difficult position,” Dan Shapiro, President Barack Obama’s ambassador to Israel, told the publication. “They count very much on Saudi Arabia,” which is “central to their strategic concept of the region.”
Indeed, Israel and Saudi Arabia are staunch allies, sharing an enmity towards Iran.
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The Saudi crown prince’s pro-Israel leanings and attacks on the Palestinians last spring greatly boosted his stock with Israel and its lobby…
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Continue this story at Electronic Intifada
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