Hillary Clinton: Hypocrisy That Knows No Bounds

The world is once again being subjected to a Hillary Clinton campaign, with all the showmanship, pomp, hype, lies and distortions that the candidate is famous for. Her coronation seems to be a foregone conclusion, unless someone (anyone?) steps out of the shadows as then Senator Barack Obama did in 2008 and derails the speeding Hillary train.

Her pronouncements continue to astound, showing either her ignorance of issues, her disdain for the intelligence of the voting public, or her belief that the concept of ‘all men are created equal’ is just a myth. Regardless, her every word seems to show that she is unfit to be president of the United States; her presidency would be a disaster at home and abroad.

Let’s look at the most recent faux pearls of wisdom to drop from her lips, and see what it says about her honesty, and ability to look at a situation and suggest a resolution.

“I am alarmed by the recent wave of attacks against Israelis, including more than a dozen separate attacks since last Saturday. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. Men and women living in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and elsewhere cannot carry groceries or travel to prayer without looking over their shoulder. It is wrong, and it must stop. There’s no place for violence–only dialogue can produce a lasting peace.”

The problems with this ignorant statement are almost too vast to include in a single essay. But we will attempt to focus on a few.

“I am alarmed by the recent wave of attacks against Israelis.

Is Mrs. Clinton unaware of ongoing attacks against Palestinians by IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) terrorists and illegal settlers? One must remind her of the toddler, burned tofantina death a few weeks ago by an illegal settler who still hasn’t been charged with any crime. Or perhaps one can bring to her attention the more than 10 Palestinians, as young as 13, unarmed and shot at point-blank range. The video of a young Palestinian woman, hands in the air, surrounded by IDF terrorists and shot to death is easily available online. Does Mrs. Clinton have nothing to say about her?

“Including more than a dozen separate attacks since last Saturday.”

Is it more tragic that seven Israelis have been killed since October 1 than that 28 Palestinians have been? Perhaps Mrs. Clinton needs to be reminded that Israeli settlers, living in the West Bank in defiance of international law, have the absolute protection of IDF soldiers when attacking Palestinians. Also, Israelis have all the advantages that United States military aid can provide. It was reported that one Palestinian attack against an Israeli was made with a vegetable peeler. Any thinking person would recognize the desperation that this indicates. Palestinians use whatever means they have, generally only rocks, to oppose their brutal occupiers. And now Israelis can legally shoot anyone who throws a rock at them.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families”.

Mrs. Clinton, it must be emphasized, is only thinking about and praying for the Israeli victims and their families. She has said nothing to indicate that she cares in the least for the Palestinian victims.

“Men and women living in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and elsewhere cannot carry groceries or travel to prayer without looking over their shoulder.”

Well, at least they have grocery stores to go to, which is a luxury most Palestinians in the Gaza Strip can’t enjoy. But for Palestinians in the West Bank, they can’t even sleep without the fear of their door being broken down in the middle of the night, their home ransacked, and males of any age being dragged off without charge. Peaceful protests against the occupation by Palestinians and foreign nationals are met with live ammunition from Israeli soldiers.

And in the Gaza Strip, fisherman are shot and their boats confiscated while in their own territorial waters, in violation of both international law and the 2014 cease-fire agreement. Collective punishment, in the forms of targeted bombing of essential services, and a blockade that keeps Palestinians destitute, are part of official Israeli policy. Where is Mrs. Clinton’s concern about these atrocities?

“It is wrong, and it must stop.”

Each crime committed by Israel, only a small fraction of which have been mentioned herein, is wrong and must stop. Mrs. Clinton, when serving as Secretary of State, had ample opportunity to bring about that stop, but did nothing. Now she is concerned about a ragtag group of occupied people opposing their occupier, one of the strongest nations in the world, thanks, of course, to the strongest. Let no one think that Mrs. Clinton is ever on the side of the underdog.

“There’s no place for violence–only dialogue can produce a lasting peace.”

If Mrs. Clinton sincerely believes that there is no place for violence, she could pledge that, if elected president, she will cease to provide Israel with the tools it uses for extreme violence.

And, of course, she had to roll out that tired old cliché about dialogue. No, Mrs. Clinton, it isn’t dialogue that will produce a lasting peace. It is Israel being forced by the international community to adhere to international law. That means removing every last settler from the West Bank; ending the blockade of the Gaza Strip; releasing all Palestinian political prisoners; recognizing the state of Palestine, and ending all aggressive measures against it. Once that is done, the minor, ineffectual violence against the Israelis will cease.

But what is any of this to the mighty Hillary Clinton? She knows where the financial bread is buttered.  One example is billionaire Haim Saban, a dual United States-Israel citizen, who donated between $10 million and $25 million to the Clinton Foundation. Mr. Saban is a hardline supporter of Israel, who has stated that he’s “a one-issue guy, and my issue is Israel.” When asked how much he would donate to Mrs. Clinton’s campaign, he responded: “As much as is needed”. During her 2006 election campaign, Mrs. Clinton received at least $83,000 from various Israeli lobbies. While that is a drop in the bucket compared to Mr. Saban’s donations, Mrs. Clinton was running against an unknown candidate with little name-recognition and even less money. But it was a sufficient donation to indebt her to the donors. It is unfortunate that there is no wealthy Palestinian or Palestinian lobby to purchase Mrs. Clinton’s favors.

So what does all this say about Mrs. Clinton? This writer deduces a few points.

*Money talks. And for Mrs. Clinton, it speaks loudly.

*Her first loyalty is to her wealthy donors; everyone else be damned.

*She disdains international law; the U.S., she feels, is above such mundane considerations.

*Human rights are only for those who support her with their checkbooks.

And for some bizarre reason, members of the Democratic Party are fawning all over her. What is it that she has ever said or done to deserve their praise? What, in her spotted record in governance, gives anyone the impression that she could lead the nation?

This writer looks in vain for a major party candidate showing any sign of statesmanship. It is certainly nowhere to be found in Mrs. Clinton.

 

Robert Fantina’s latest book is Propaganda, Lies and False Flags: How the U.S. Justifies its Wars.