Likudnik Laundry – Moon of Alabama

December 20, 2004

Likudnik Laundry

There is said to be a rift between the Israeli Defense Ministry Director General Amos Yaron and the Pentagon’s Doug Feith. Feith calls for the resignation of Yaron because misleading him on (read: lying about) Israeli repair (read: upgrade) of a specific Chinese weapon system with US technology. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper has even canceled a trip to Israel because he would not meet Yaron.

Searching Google News for the story we find reports in Haaretz, Jerusalem Post, Zaman Turkey, Pakistan Daily Times, Asia Times, BBC and many many other non-US media.

In the US only the Moonies Washington Times has a UPI brief on the story.
Nothing in the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Knight Ridder, and any TV news site that I can find.

Is this piece of Likudnik laundry too dirty for the US public?

Posted by b on December 20, 2004 at 14:14 UTC | Permalink

Comments

Too bad they didn’t demand anyone’s resignation when an Israeli tank ran over a young American woman. Life is cheap, but the rules of the arms market are sacrosanct.

Posted by: kat | Dec 20 2004 15:14 utc | 1

@kat, if you mean the kid from Olympia, Rachel Corrie, then it was a bulldozer not a tank… if it’s some other incident, then it has not yet been added to my dismal awareness of IDF crimes.

Posted by: DeAnander | Dec 20 2004 18:36 utc | 2

Kat: What about sinking a US warship and killing scores of US servicement? Would that deserve a resignation?

Posted by: Clueless Joe | Dec 20 2004 19:04 utc | 3

Oh, I think the non-Moonie press will pick this up in short order. The underlying narrative is useful to the Likudnik neocons in DoD, and I’ve no doubt that Feith wants it covered widely.
The Chinese weapons issue provides Feith et al an opportunity to “get tough” with Israel and thus soften concerns about dual loyalty currently being stoked by the evolving Franklin/AIPAC affair. In fact, however, Feith is getting tough with Israel on a matter of no major significance to Israeli or US security, while leaving US policy toward Sharon’s expansionist agenda untouched.

Posted by: ralphbon | Dec 20 2004 21:36 utc | 4

@ralphbon
agreed, but why haven´t they played it yet? Are we missing something?

Posted by: b | Dec 20 2004 22:09 utc | 5

You need an explanation for why the mainstream US media are slow on the uptake? On top of their chronic somnolence, it’s the holidays … they’re short-staffed, and those on hand are hung over from holiday (pax O’Reilly, Christmas) parties. Give ’em a day or two or three.

Posted by: ralphbon | Dec 20 2004 22:26 utc | 6

What I fail to grasp is why Israel is so eager to bite the hand that feeds it. Clearly China is America’s prime geopolitical rival. Are the Israelis so dense as to not grasp that? Any explanations would be welcome.

Posted by: Tom DC/VA | Dec 21 2004 4:15 utc | 7

@ Tom DC/VA I don’t know why, but at least two very good possible reasons come to mind:
1) Money talks, and the Israeli Mossad-mafia does very well selling arms to finance black operations
2) The leaders of Israel are not fools, and are trying to hedge their bets against the decline of U.S. imperial power
I also agree with ralphbon: it’s essentially a charade, put on for the reasons he states. There is
also a possibility of some degree of turf warfare
within the Mossad-mafia. When living in Israel many years ago I was advised by an Israeli friend to remember that the Jerusalem Post had been founded specifically to spread lies to the British occupation forces. I don’t thing things have changed substantially since then.

Posted by: Hannah K. O’Luthon | Dec 21 2004 8:02 utc | 8

Still nothing in the US press. This is not lazyness or lack of manpower. So why not tell a story of trouble between the US and Israel?
The Israeli Haaretz keeps going Selling arms to China, or not

The Pentagon is demanding that Israel in effect break its contract with China and not return the drones, which have already become part of the Chinese operational deployment. Israel’s representatives were shocked by the demand, but American sources say that Israel will give in. Either way, Israel will be damaged by the double crisis.
The assault drone, which is mostly meant against targets like various sorts of radars, is produced by the Israel Aircrafts Industries.
…
Those who present the affair as if it is a conflict between Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith and Defense Ministry Director General Amos Yaron are ignoring the political reality. Even if Yaron leaves his post (he has meanwhile won “immunity” because of the incorrect reports about the demand he be fired), the argument/clash will not be considered without some decisions of principle. Feith, whose support for Israel needs no proving, won complete backing on the matter of the sales to China from his direct superior, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, who is also a friend of Israel. Both are also known for their hawkish approach to China.
The problem is that Israel walked into the problem of a severe clash – and not for the first time – with many members of Congress who maintain an anti-China line.

Also Don’t return drones to China, U.S. tells Israel

The powerful pro-Taiwan lobby is warning that advanced Israeli weapons technologies could be used against U.S. soldiers defending the island state off the coast of China.
The crisis in U.S.-Israeli defense relations arose when the Pentagon’s number three, Undersecretary of State for Policy Douglas Feith, learned that Israel had sold advanced-technology Harpy assault drones to China in the mid-1990s and was upgrading the unmanned airborne vehicles for the Chinese.
Feith, a strong supporter of Israel, was furious and backed by his superior, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, another ardent Israel supporter in the administration. Feith reportedly demanded the resignation of Amos Yaron, the Defense Ministry director general, on the grounds that Yaron had not provided a full accounting of the Israeli deal with China.

Posted by: b | Dec 22 2004 9:31 utc | 9

OK, it is getting a little weird that no US media of consequence have picked up on this yet, but I still say that will change in short order. Sometimes when they get behind the curve like this, reporters wait for a “news peg” (in this case, most likely a press release, news conference, or official statement) to sell the story to their editors. I don’t think this has anything to do with the subject matter being too much of a hot potato.

Posted by: ralphbon | Dec 22 2004 22:41 utc | 10

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