Gaydamak Buys Another Government

February 20, 2007

The billionaire has previously said that he is not personally interested in an active political life, but he wants to be the man who determines who becomes prime minister.

The billionaire is Russian-born Israeli Arcadi Gaydamak. The prime minister he wants to install is U.S. neocon’s best friend Bibi Netanyahu.

Gaydamak will start a new party in Israel promising "market economy, increased taxation for high earners and a significantly stronger welfare state." He later wants to join it with Likud.

As his ally Netanyahu is a proven arch neoliberal, the political program is of course a scam. But it helps to buy the needed votes of the hawkish but poor Russian immigrants – a sixth part of the Israeli population.

Gaydamak is wanted for illegal arms-for-oil deals with Angola which fueled the civil war there. He had bought the Angolan government by providing old Russian weapons and bribing it to give him very lucrative oil deals.

The story of that resource war in Angola and Gaydamak’s role is told in All The Presidents Men (this is not the Bernstein/Woodward Watergate book) which I recommend. There are also connections to Cheney’s old company Halliburton, Bush and the GOP.

Politics and policy in Israel are already in bad shape. With a crook like Gaydamak buying himself the Israeli democracy, they will certainly get worse.

Posted by b on February 20, 2007 at 16:00 UTC | Permalink

Comments

Bernhard, That’s quite interesting stuff. I for one had never heard of this guy, so it’s doubly interesting. By the way, I have observed that the more interesting and original the post, the fewer the comments. That’s because people are absorbing the new material, thinking, reflecting… I myself have posted over at ” missing links” a total of five fairly interesting posts now, with a clean zero-comments for the lot. Can you match that? (I realize I’ve messed up this one, but)

Posted by: Badger | Feb 20 2007 19:53 utc | 1

@Badger – well the current lack of comments here is likely to be caused by Typepad screw ups and people being sick of it. I’ll have that fixed soon (takes longer than I thought of course).
But in a way you are right – let’s see how the next one gets or does not get comments – it’s quite original …
BTW: I read all of your posts … thanks for them!

Posted by: b | Feb 20 2007 21:02 utc | 2

I hardly ever say anything b. I can’t add to what everyone else says but you have to know that there is very little here that I don’t read and think about and talk about to others. Thank you.
And Missing Links is on my favorites list too thanks to other comments here at the moon.

Posted by: beq | Feb 20 2007 22:28 utc | 3

b, i hope you don’t think just because we don’t comment is a reflection of boredom or anything. how many times can i just say boo, i’m here, awesome post?
i read this earlier and thought about how countering these guys could take decades. last night i was watching the 2nd bbc gladio segment after discussing it w/my neighbor, just amazed no one around here knows about this period in our history. now the world has yet another billionaire stacking the decks against us. these rightwingers know no bounds.
i will be out of town for a few days. don’t take it personally. i luv our moon home. you are brilliant.

Posted by: annie | Feb 21 2007 2:39 utc | 4

Non sequitur:
I just found out Billmon shut down. I am not surprised, but I am sad. Don’t blame him though, I gave up before he did and I wasn’t even doing the writing.
I just happen to be wearing, today, one of the Billmon shirts Annie made. It feels nice to have been a part of history. Billmon is in Wikipedia.
…I am sure there is a thread for this, but I am two months too late.
Keep the faith and peace out.

Posted by: Stoy | Feb 21 2007 5:08 utc | 5

i am always here b even if in state close to coma

Posted by: remembereringgiap | Feb 21 2007 12:33 utc | 6

Good for the wrong reason: Congress puts Palestinian funds in limbo

Congress is holding up $86 million that the Bush administration is seeking to strengthen the security forces of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in a new setback for the administration’s efforts in the region.
Administration officials say they want the money to ensure that the moderate Palestinian leader’s security forces will not be overwhelmed by rivals from the militant movement Hamas, which has received pledges of $250 million in aid from Iran.
…
The U.S. aid package is to go toward communications gear, uniforms and other equipment considered nonlethal, and toward hiring private contractors to train the forces. The aid will benefit both the 4,000-member Presidential Guard, and several thousand members of the larger national security forces, which also have been under Abbas’ control.
Meanwhile, Egypt and Jordan are rounding out the needs of forces from Abbas’ Fatah faction with ammunition and weapons.
…
Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) said at a House hearing last week that the subcommittee had “deep concern” about approving the money, because the Feb. 8 agreement to form a new government had made Hamas and Fatah a “joint venture.”
“I would find it impossible to support any expenditure of funds without knowing how we make sure that those funds stay in the right hands and don’t fall into the wrong hands,” he said.
Other critics have complained that U.S. assistance might only intensify the fighting between the Hamas and Fatah forces. About 100 Palestinians have been killed in that fighting since December.

Posted by: b | Feb 21 2007 14:34 utc | 7

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