Democratic Palestine : 1 (ص 32)
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- Democratic Palestine : 1 (ص 32)
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don’t compete with us in the Caribbean... or in other areas
which (sic) we can sell directly. Let us do it. Sell the
ammunition and the equipment using an _ accredited
representative, Israel will be your accredited representative’
(Haaretz, Israeli daily).
The Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic
Cooperation, signed by the US and ‘Israel’ in 1981,
formalized US-Israeli military coordination. Concerted US
support to the 1982 invasion of Lebanon and the continuing
Israeli occupation of Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian land,
has shown that the formal suspension of this memorandum
had no meaning, for after all, it had only put down in writing
the close working relationship that has long existed. The
Zionist role in Latin America shows that ‘Israel’ can be
counted on to safeguard imperialism’s strategic interests and
objectives when international and domestic outcry against
human rights violations makes US initiatives vis-a-vis certain
regimes more difficult. The strategic cooperation
memorandum gives the possibilities of joint military ventures
“outside the Mediterranean zone”. These were code words
for more Israeli involvement in Latin America and also
Africa. Article 3.2.D. of the memorandum paves the way for
third countries receiving US foreign military sales credits to
use these for purchasing defense items and services from
‘Israel’. This privilege accorded to the Zionist entity 1s
unprecedented in the history of US foreign policy, and not
even given to the NATO allies.
In the context of the greater global role which it has
assumed and as part of boosting its economy, the Zionist state
has diversified and upgraded the type of weaponry which it
manufactures and markets. In the early seventies, ‘Israel’
made mostly light weapons and munitions, but today it has
expanded into heavy arms such as the Merkava tanks and the
proposed Lavie fighter jets. This is closely related to the ever
increasing militarization of the Israeli economy, for such
heavy production tends to employ a greater number of
industrial workers than did the concentration on light arms
industry. In 1982, about 40,000 Israelis were employed in the
arms industry. This constituted about 14% of the industrial
labor force. In 1981, the Israeli arms industry accounted for
| 40% of total Israeli exports.
The importance of the arms industry for the Israeli
economy also has social effects, just as it does in the United
States. A large proportion of the labor force needs this
employment and thus identifies with militarism, blinded to
the dangers engendered by such a monsterous arms industry.
The population is also susceptible to chauvinist and racist
demagogy, whether spouted by Reagan or Begin or now
Shamir, which aims to justify using this weaponry against
civilians, whether in Palestine, Lebanon, El] Salvador,
Guatemala, etc. |
One may ask how ‘Israel’, as a small state with great
economic problems and one of the highest inflation rates in
the world, can produce and export such a huge quantity of
these destructive products. The answer lies in the nature of
the Zionist state and its organic link with imperialism,
especially the US. Just as the Zionist entity is an artificial
state, that would never have been established or survived
without enormous outside aid, so is the Israeli arms industry a
baby of imperialism. Imperialism financed the Zionist state
first to be used as the beachhead for expanding imperialist
control in the Middle East. Today, its zone of military tasks is
truly global. Facts and figures indicate the importance which
US imperialism attaches to ‘Israel’ as a surrogate implementer
of its strategy. In the last 10 years, US aid to ‘Israel’ (military
and economic) has been over $22.5 billion, according to the
US General Accounting Office’s preliminary study released
August 27, 1982. The study states that US aid to ‘Israel’ has
averaged more than $2.5 billion annually for a decade. This
flood of assistance is often given as grants or in the form of
32
Bombs you can
count on to do
what they're
suppo to do.
That's the only
kind of bomb
we make.
We make av bombs for the
terael Airtorce end for the eirforces
of over 20 other countries in the free
world The renge of products inciudes
130 kg. 250 kg. 360 kg and 450 hg
neral purpose bombs filled with TNT.
nitonsl. H-6 end other eaplosives
Allot them eccommodate electrical.
mechanical or prommity tuzes
These ere tow drag profile bombs.
designed for external carnage on high
performance supersonic end subsome
aircraft. Bombs ere competible with
high drag fin sesembiies. in
eccordence with your operationel
needs. All our bombs are fitted with
14 inch spaced NATO standard tugs
For practice end training, we also
menufecture Hash bombs. smoke
bombs and water filled bombs with
edditional flash effect
Contec! us before planning your nom
sircrafht eemament procurement
program we wili be pleesed to give
you full information on our complete
range of ar bombs and colisterai
equipment
ae ISRAEL MTUTARY SUSTAINS
Eaport Owsion POB 1084 Ramat Hasgharon 47100) Israet
“'@"* Yer (03) 499222 Telen 33719
long-term, interest-free loans, which are often never repaid,
but covered by the next aid package. This assistance played a
key role in allowing ‘Israel’ to develop its own arms industry
and become one of the world’s leading arms merchants.
Imperialism’s ultimate repayment comes through ‘Israel’
carrying out assignments which the US finds inconvenient to
execute itself. Indeed, ‘Israel’ can do what the US cannot at
certain times, due to the restraints imposed by public
‘pressure or Congressional hesitation. Moreover, due to its
aggressive nature, the Zionist state has cultivated a reputation
for battle-tested weapons. A slogan which appeared in
newspapers all over the world boasts that ,Israel’ “makes
bombs that do what they are supposed to do”. In Zionist
terminology, battle - tested means that the vacuum and
phosphorous bombs in question have been used on civilians
in Beirut apartment buildings, or on non-conventional armies,
j.e., popular movements, like the PLO forces in Lebanon.
The invasion of Lebanon was a test of world opinion
regarding the use of highly insidious anti-personnel weapons,
,such as cluster bombs and napalm, in urban warfare.
Furthermore, the Israelis have stated that “more ingenious
adjustments were made (on the weapons used in Lebanon),
but those adaptations remain a military secret” (Los Angeles
Times, July 10, 1983). In any case, they are not a secret to the
Pentagon any longer, nor to a series of Latin American
dictatorships, whose record for mass killing and torture
against their own people qualifies them as future users of
such weaponry. Though democratic forces the world over
have protested the use of such weapons in the 1982 Israeli
invasion of Lebanon, and have spoken out against human
rights violations in Latin America, this protest must grow
much more forceful if we are to avoid new battle-testing on
the peoples of the Middle East, Latin America and Africa. @ - هو جزء من
- Democratic Palestine : 1
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- يناير ١٩٨٤
- المنشئ
- الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين
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