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House delivers for AIPAC, 410-1, passing Israel as ‘strategic partner’ bill

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The American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is bruised from the fight over Iran sanctions. But that didn’t stop the group from helping to push through legislation designating Israel as a “major strategic partner”–a first for any U.S. ally.  The measure has been a major lobby priority since last year.

Today, the House of Representatives passed the U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act by a 410-1 vote.  The lone dissenting voice was Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY), a libertarian aligned with Senator Rand Paul.  The Senate has not voted on their version of the bill yet, though it has strong support there, with 55 co-sponsors from both parties.

In addition to the “major strategic partner” designation, the bill allows for Israelis to travel to the U.S. without visas, though the State Department has to certify that Israel meets the requirements for the visa-waiver program.  The legislation also calls for giving Israel advanced combat aircraft and military tanker transports.  It was authored by the hawkish Florida Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky, official portrait
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky, official portrait

“Israel has…never been as strong as it is now.  Think of Israel’s economic dynamism, its entrepreneurial spirit, innovative culture, and you get a better sense of why there is so strong a bond between the United States and Israel,” said Rep. Ed Royce (D-CA), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which passed the legislation in late January.  “It’s this dynamic economy and society that are building blocks for Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge and its relationship with the U.S. The U.S. benefits when Israel is strong. This legislation stands by our values; stands by our interests; and stands by Israel.”

The liberal Zionist lobby group J Street applauded the bill’s passage.

The legislation had languished in Congress for a year.  While it was a priority for AIPAC at last year’s conference, it was held up because of concerns that it would codify Israel’s discrimination against activists and Arab- and Palestinian-American travelers.  Those concerns, pushed to the forefront by a coalition of groups, led to the stripping out of language that gave Israel a right to deny entry to travelers if they threatened the state’s security.  The security pretext is a favored tool used by Israeli authorities to deny people entry.

The U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act was one of the initiatives AIPAC members pushed for when lobbying Congress on Tuesday.  AIPAC activists also asked elected officials to sign onto a pair of letters stressing that Congress should be informed of the nuclear negotiations with Iran.  As the Jewish Telegraphic Agency‘s Ron Kampeas reported, the letter for the House of Representatives, which J Street also backed, “does not include AIPAC’s previous calls for new and enhanced sanctions” and “does not include prescriptions for what the outcome of an agreement should look like.”  The Senate letter, on the other hand, does include prescriptions for a deal with Iran, like the dismantling of enrichment capacity–a demand Iran has categorically rejected.

The fight over visa-waivers for Israelis may not be over.  The US-Israel Strategic Partner bill now shifts to the Senate. Their version still contains a provision allowing Israel to deny entry to those who jeopardize the country’s security.

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The 2nd American Revolution and Judaism Revised

Bibi and AIPAC left the rotten Apartheid COMPLETELY EXPOSED by their
stupid tactics – and now we get all the marbles – AIPAC’s Girl Hillary
and ‘Judaism as Zionist’

The Strategy:
1- Successful 2nd American Revolution: America Free of AIPAC [and free
of AIPAC’s Girl Hillary (2nd American Rev)]
2- Reformulate Judaism as Free of Zionism.
3- 1P 1V 1S

The Tactics:
1- Force AIPAC to register as agent of hostile foreign power then make
it ILLEGAL
2- Shame ‘All American Jewry’ and ‘All American Zionism’ – re-dedicate
Judaism to SERVING Palestinians

Please support President Barack Obama as We The People lead our 2nd American Revolution to free ourselves from AIPAC and AIPAC’s Girl. We’re in AIPAC’s End Zone – they are in TOTAL STRATEGIC COLLAPSE.

Shame every American Jew or American Zionist you can find who is NOT helping overthrow AIPAC-Apartheid Israel – OFF.AT.THE.KNEES

crrrrrrrraaaaaap! throw the bums out!

Israel is not our ‘ally’– strategic or otherwise!

Further and further down the slippery slope of total abdication of all US sovereignty to a foreign nation.

I can hear what these bought politicians tell themselves—‘well, this most favored ally status isnt such a big deal, we can give Israel this to please the lobby and our donors’. This is how they rationalize their treasons large and small.

But the Zionist and Israel are like the southern kudz plant that now covers 2 million miles of forest like a blanket, suffocating the light out of forest that trees need to grow, it can envelope a small house in a year, grow up the side of a mountain….if you don’t completely eradicate it, then you fight it all the time, you mow it and spray poison it and it always comes back. The only way to kill it is to tear it out completely by the roots and then burn the foliage to ashes so there are no seeds or nodules left that can take hold in the soil and re sprout.
You cant give the Zionist a little bit or a small patch of favor anywhere—if they get one foothold or root down they will keep spreading like the kudz weed till they suffocate everything in a country.

J Street applauded the bill’s passage.
Along for the ride? It was more likely an active participant.

These pandering laws are important for the Palestinians to understand that the US will never ever be a force for liberation or justice. that they must abandon all hope of fairness from America and take their case to the world and court of public opinion. Salvation will not come from America