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Memorial Day, 2011

Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Government

Tel Aviv, Israel

Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu,

Usually I write America’s political and military leaders on Memorial Day and Veterans Day. I try to remind them about the men and women who serve this Country and the obligation that they have in protecting them and honoring their sacrifice. I tell them about protecting our rights and freedoms and not let their ambitions stand in the way of the decisions they make.

I sympathize with the Jewish people with the horrors of World War II.

I also lost relatives during the war to the Nazis. An uncle and a cousin, and two of my uncles were in slave labor camps. I realize that the Jewish people need a homeland. But the size of Israel has changed dramatically since 1948 through the acquisition of lands due to wars. And this is where my sympathy with Israel ends.

USS Liberty

On June 8, 1967 the USS Liberty was cruising in the Mediterranean in International waters ordered to monitor the Israeli-Arab war. In the morning the ship was circled a dozen times by low flying Nord propeller "boxcars" at mast height with Israeli designation. The planes flew at mast height; the men on the ship could see the teeth of the pilots as they smiled. They waved at them. The ship was flying a 4’ x 7’ American flag; it stood straight out on a clear, breezy day. The ship had large letter designation on the bow GTR-5. The attack by unmarked Israeli planes (Israel says the attack was an accident – the ship was an Egyptian horse carrier – less than 1/2 the size of the USS Liberty) commenced in the afternoon in International waters. After the attack with cannon, rockets, napalm and torpedo fire; the torpedo boats came back and machine gunned the life rafts as they were thrown overboard (a war crime according to International Law). 34 men were killed and 171wounded (out of a crew of 291) this day by the Israelis. The men on board the ship call it murder. Captain Ward Boston was given one week to conduct an investigation of the attack. Before he died Ward Boston signed an affidavit stating that the attack on the USS Liberty was deliberate.

Many American intelligence servicemen have come forward stating they overheard the Israelis identifying the ship as American. I do not believe the Israeli government – I believe it is lying.

Rachel Corrie

On Sunday 16 March 2003, Rachel and her fellow ISM volunteers were confronting the drivers of two bulldozers who were in the process of razing Palestinian civilian land and homes. For two hours, Rachel and other ISM activists followed the bulldozers, trying to block their passage and hamper their efforts at destruction. Rachel was clearly identifiable in a bright fluorescent orange jacket and was speaking through a bullhorn when she was brutally run over. Rachel was blamed for her own death. In addition, Rachel was accused of "protecting terrorists", even though the home she died protecting was that of a Palestinian medical doctor.

The Israeli government could have arrested the activist (peaceful protesting is an American right) and whisked them away to jail. But I believe that the Israeli government wanted to make a statement “not even the American government will protect your rights” if you oppose Israel.

I do not believe the Israeli government – I think it is lying.

Jonathan Pollard—an American Israeli spy

A number of officials strongly suspect that the Israelis repackaged much of Pollard's material and provided it to the Soviet Union in exchange for continued Soviet permission for Jews to immigrate to Israel. In December, 1985, a month after Pollard's arrest, William J. Casey, the late C.I.A. director, who was known for his close ties to the Israeli leadership, stunned one of his station chiefs by suddenly complaining about the Israelis breaking the "ground rules." For your information, the Israelis used Pollard to obtain our attack plan against the U.S.S.R. all of it (the coordinates, the firing locations, the sequences). Casey had then explained that the Israelis had traded the Pollard data for Soviet émigrés. "How's that for cheating?" he had asked. During Pollards trial, the Justice Department further informed Judge Robinson, in a publicly filed memorandum, that "numerous" analyses of Soviet missile systems had been sold by Pollard to Israel, and that those documents included "information from human sources whose identity could be inferred by a reasonably competent intelligence analyst. Moreover, the identity of the authors of these classified publications" was clearly marked. People have told me that over 100 of the American sources were executed by the Russians. I wonder if any Americans were executed. I believe Israel gave the documents to the Russians which makes Israel more criminally liable then Jonathan Pollard.

Silence

Rabbi Joachim Prinz spoke at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963 with Dr. Martin Luther King. He was the rabbi of the Jewish community in Berlin under the Hitler regime. The most important thing that he learned under those tragic circumstances was that bigotry and hatred are not the most urgent problem. The most urgent, the most disgraceful, the most shameful and the most tragic problem is silence.

What causes the American Congress to be so silent? No matter how much Israel tramples on the rights of Americans, there is hardly a complaint by Congress. As a matter of fact it gets even worse; the Congress is the cheerleader and protector for Israel worldwide. No matter how much damage is done to America’s reputation, no matter how many Americans are murdered; there is Congress leading the cheers. Pat Buchanon calls Congress the “Amen” corner of Israeli policy – he is right.

There is only one explanation for this tragedy - AIPAC and money.

Some say AIPAC spends 2 billion dollars on presidential campaigns.

I understand that if you run for office in America AIPAC wants you to fill out a five page questionnaire. It has nothing to do with American issues, just how you will treat Israel. I understand that between foreign aid, military aid and the free trade agreement Israel gets 25 billion from the USA yearly. I wonder how much of that gets funneled back to the USA to buy the politicians? You have national healthcare, we have none. It would be easy to threaten you with withholding payments. But like I said not even the murders of Americans stops our Congress from putting Israel first.

In Israel, Jewish citizens and rabbis protest against Israel all the time about the brutal treatment of the Palestinians and other matters. In America, if you protest against Israel you are an anti-Semite. It is a shame that during the “Spring Arab Uprising” the American government has no credibility with the Arab people. America is a puppet of Israeli foreign policy in the Mideast with veto power in the UN. And the result will be that Israel will be surrounded by even more hostile governments.

Israel has no desire to make peace. It cares not about the damage it does to America. It only cares about a “Greater” Israel. It will find all sorts of excuses and obstacles to prevent peace from happening.

And finally I resent you dressing down an American President in our White House. It only points further to the fact how our Congress is manipulated through AIPAC. I view those who sell us out to stay in office as Benedict Arnolds and Judases.

Israel is not a friend of the American people,

Remember the USS Liberty,

Remember Rachel Corrie,

Ted G Arens

Manistee, MI