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CounterPunch
January
21, 2003
The
Peace Movement is Making a Mistake
Oil Shouldn't
Be the Only Reason for Opposing This War
by BILL and KATHLEEN
CHRISTISON
Amy Goodman said it (speech in Albuquerque, Saturday,
January 18). Robert Fisk wrote it (The Independent, same
day). Much of the U.S. Peace Movement talked about it (in demonstrations
around the country, same day). On that day of all days, when
the peace movement went into high gear around the United States,
just about everybody seemed to emphasize, as Amy put it, "a
three-letter word, O-I-L" as the real reason the Bush administration
wants war in Iraq. Some peace advocates also mentioned the U.S.
drive for global domination as a related reason. Few (we heard
none) discussed Israeli policy and the increasingly close partnership
between the Bush and Sharon governments as a factor at least
as important as oil in pushing the U.S. toward war.
Some people who oppose war in Iraq undoubtedly
have a strong and sincere belief that no connection exists between
the Israel-Palestine issue and U.S. policy on Iraq. More people,
however, perhaps the vast majority of those who oppose the war,
believe it is wise tactically to soft-pedal any Israeli connection
to the war. The peace movement, after all, needs whatever support
it can get, and many supporters of Israel also oppose war on
Iraq even if the present Israeli government does not. Supporters
of Israel tend to bristle at any effort to link Israel to the
U.S war effort. So the thinking most likely goes like this: Why
bring up the issue? We need the biggest coalition we can cobble
together. Let's bury other differences where we can. (No one
would ever charge either Amy Goodman or Robert Fisk with coddling
Israeli or Jewish-American sensibilities, but they may indeed
believe that stopping the war is the number-one priority and
that oil is the best and most unifying issue we have.)
But this approach is shortsighted and
mistaken. Why?
First, the evidence that Ariel Sharon
has since the 1980s fervently desired the ouster of Iraq's present
government and other troublesome Arab regimes as part of "transforming"
the entire Middle East to Israel's benefit is crystal clear.
The evidence is equally clear that strong supporters of a Likud-led
government in Israel exist among the neo-cons at very high levels
of the Bush administration in Washington. Over the years, these
people have not talked or written much for the record about oil
and the Middle East, but they have written a lot about strengthening
Israel's position through transforming the Middle East. No one
can deny that Bush and Vice President Cheney have deep and lasting
interests in oil, but the close political relationship that seems
to have developed between Sharon and Bush makes it likely that
Bush has by now accepted the transformation argument as being
just as important as oil. It is also logical that Bush would
see his acceptance of this argument as increasing his chances
of obtaining more Jewish-American votes in 2004 than he received
in 2000. If Bush (and Karl Rove) are in fact thinking along these
lines, those of us who oppose war on Iraq should be facing this
issue of Middle East transformation head-on, not ignoring it
for tactical reasons or out of fear of charges of anti-Semitism.
Second, and more important, by not talking
about the link between Israel and Iraq, the peace movement is
making it easier for Israel to continue its almost 36-year occupation
of the West Bank and Gaza. Every day or week that passes with
little discussion in the media of the occupation is a plus for
Sharon and his Likud government, because the absence of discussion
makes it easier for Israel to slip its new proposal for large-scale
aid from the U.S. through Congress while continuing its harsh
and unjust actions in the West Bank and Gaza. Furthermore, talk
is continuing to mount in Israel of "transfer," that
is, expelling the Palestinians in the West Bank to Jordan, leaving
the West Bank open to total takeover by the Israelis. This transfer
is an integral part of the Middle East transformation that the
peace movement seems not to want to talk about. If the war comes,
the peace movement's present silence on the subject will also
make it easier for Israel actually to carry out the process of
"transfer."
In short, the peace movement should not,
because of a preoccupation with Iraq, allow the Palestinians
once more to be sold down the river because nobody cares.
Kathleen Christison worked for 16 years as a political analyst with
the CIA, dealing first with Vietnam and then with the Middle
East for her last seven years with the Agency before resigning
in 1979. Since leaving the CIA, she has been a free-lance writer,
dealing primarily with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Her
book, "Perceptions
of Palestine: Their Influence on U.S. Middle East Policy,"
was published by the University of California Press and reissued
in paperback with an update in October 2001. A second book, "The
Wound of Dispossession: Telling the Palestinian Story,"
was published in March 2002.
Bill Christison
joined the CIA in 1950, and served on the analysis side of the
Agency for 28 years. From the early 1970s he served as National
Intelligence Officer (principal adviser to the Director of Central
Intelligence on certain areas) for, at various times, Southeast
Asia, South Asia and Africa. Before he retired in 1979 he was
Director of the CIA's Office of Regional and Political Analysis,
a 250-person unit. They can be reached at: christison@counterpunch.org
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