Posted on 09/22/2005 11:53:59 AM PDT by sofaman
The US imposed a sales embargo on spare parts for helicopters during the first year of the Intifada, former head of the Shin Bet, Avi Dichter, revealed on Thursday.
In a speech at the Saban Center for Middle East Studies at the Brookings Institution, where Dichter is now a fellow, he said that the embargo was short-term, and was imposed because the of the Israeli policy of "targeted killings" by the Israeli air-force using US made helicopters. "The embargo was lifted after the 9/11 attacks", Dichter said in his speech.
This is the first time an Israeli official has mentioned such an embargo on military equipment, and it is not clear what spare parts were banned for sale to Israel.
Human rights groups and members of Congress tried, in the early years of the Intifada, to get the US administration to stop supply of aircrafts to Israel, claiming the Israeli air force was breeching the "terms of use" agreed upon with the US government.
The Pentagon and the State Department rejected those claims and did not put new limits on the sales to Israel.
Dichter, who recently met with PM Ariel Sharon to discuss the possibility of joining the political arena, said he is still considering his future, but did not dismiss the possibility of a career in politics.
"I will make my decision in the next three months", said Dichter, who will be spending that time in Washington. "It will take no longer and no shorter that three months."
Dichter refused to say which party he is thinking of joining – "first I'll decide what course I'm taking," he said, adding that the field of politics attracts him more now than it did five years ago.
In his speech, in front of an audience of Middle East experts, Avi Dichter said it is now up to the Palestinian Authority to decide if it wants to choose the path of harboring terrorism, as do Lebanon, Syria and Iran, or the way of fighting terror, like Egypt and Jordan have chosen. "If the PA chooses to fight terror they can build a paradise on the ground," said Dichter, "but if the PA goes the other way, I can assure them they'll enjoy the fruits of hell."
Dichter portrayed the Israeli way of dealing with terror as a success, but pointed out that it was successful only after Israel arrived at the conclusion that it must use full force against the terrorists.
"If the M-16 can send a message, then sometimes the F-16 can deliver that message even better."
According to Dichter, Israel erred when it chose the policy of limited response to terrorism, and gained victory only after it employed full force. He said that there is no sense in a measured response, because the escalation will happen in any case.
Meanwhile, we just dispatched another $350 million to the Palistinians (which will most likely end up in Swiss bank accounts). . .
Hey your on your own. Time to take matters into you own hands dont you think?
Hey your on your own. Time to take matters into you own hands dont you think?
'scuse me?
US stopped parts sales during intifada
My heart bleeds for the restrictions that we place on our friends, and the leeway that we give to our enemies.
This sounds an awful lot like the policy may have been instituted under the regime of the "Former Occupant of the Oval Office, 1993-2001" and was not brought to the attention of the new Bush Administration until after a LOT of questionable policies had already been reviewed and in some cases, reversed altogether.
When you are cleaning out the stables, you do not pause for some spilled grain. It gets thrown out with everything else.
My heart bleeds for the restrictions that we place on our friends, and the leeway that we give to our enemies.
I'm not in the least surprised.
I will also not be surprised in the future when it is found that Sharon is leading Israel to slow suicide because the alternative pushed by the US - and the our Quartet buddies-is worse.
I will tell you that this really pissed me off. I'm so sick of Israel being dictated to about their response to terrorism, while we react as we see fit.
Tepid condemnation by our erstwhile State Dept of suicide bombers blowing up women and children but Israel target the kingpins, and we stop shipping spare parts. It's a disgrace.
Uh, the restriction was put on by DIRT ex-POTUS, and removed by W? Is that right?
Unlikely, Camp David broke down as Clinton was leaving office, Sharon was elected 2/6/2001. Targeted attacks was a Sharon policy, the first I can find was 2/13/2001 (Massoud Ayyad, Force 17)
So W put the restrictions on that early in his administration? Surprising....
..................
Sounds like it.
So we are talking about State Department policy, in the early days of the Bush Administration - an agency that the Bush Administration did not have a handle on in February 2001, and which seems to move obliquely in directions of its own, not always responsive to Presidential policy in every respect.
This sounds like a clique that was operating almost as a rogue activity - where have we seen this sort of behavior before?
DOD would need to be involved.
No low level staff is going to stop arm sales to Israel.
Something like this goes to the very top- the Saudis.
Bush, then goes out and makes nice speeches to the Jews to placate them here, while he stabs them in the back in Israel. This administration has lost my vote forever. I do not care who runs for the presidency the next time out. I will not vote republican.
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