Israel, US liability or ally

Question: So which angle do we want to come in on this story? Is it about how the US is spending all this money on Israel when at home it could be doing some mending with some of the Americans who need this money? Tell us which angle you’d like to come in?
 
Lamb: Well that is a good point. There is no question about that and there is no question that for nearly half a century now the American Treasury has been funding Israel not only as you said Israel is the number one recipient of military aid but also other economic aids in a variety of forms.
 
The figure that is sometimes published in the media is that they get 3.2 billion. But people on the Hill and others know that the aid to Israel is closer to 6.5 billion a year, more than double that figure because of all the grants and the free concessions that they are given. And that means that every day of the year, rain or shine, Israel gets close to 7 million dollars a day.
 
So you talk about this figure of 430 million dollars more for Iron Dome - that is what? That is thirty, no, that is sixty days’ worth of American regular aid.
 
    But on the point of Iron Dome, Hagel has said and others in the Pentagon have said they are not even sure it works and the intelligence community is more dubious about it but what we are seeing is still this unfortunate insouciance by the American people, it is changing but as surely you know that Palestine is occupied by the Zionist and the Palestinian people have got to get their land back because Congress in Washington is occupied by the Zionist and the Americans have got to get their capital back and their Congress back. 
 
So that is the latest, it is a feel good resolution. It does not mean anything. It is just a public relations reminder for AIPAC which has been on the defensive recently as you know. There is a lot of chinks in its armor and because the people are finally getting a little more familiar with what is going on in the Middle East and what is going on with Israel and as you mentioned our serious needs with healthcare, education, infrastructure.
 
So things are changing. It is slow but I am not particularly concerned. Yes it is new but in a sense it is old news that the Congress in this case, just the House and Senate will pass it very likely. We will see what Obama does about it but I think again it is part of this trip a public relations with Netanyahu, the timing because Netanyahu has got a lot of problems.
 
Obama does not want to see him. Who wants to see this guy these days? But he is going to be there a whole week and he is going to make the most of his trip.
 
So I see it in this context more the same and more a reminder that we have got to change and we have got to take back our Congress.    
 
Q: When you talk of a change, it was really interesting Franklin Lamb that just a few days ago, March 7th, there was a gathering. I do not want to call it a summit, I forgot exactly what the terminology was for this but involved the group of American officials or ex-officials of which the theme of this conference, let’s say, was questioning the aid that went to Israel ultimately through questioning the ties between the US and Israel.
 
Is it becoming clearer that Israel is in some ways becoming a liability for the United States when these types of conferences are being held?
 
Lamb: Well you are absolutely right. That gathering by activists in Washington D.C. brought together the lights of Paul Findley and some of the others who have been after this for a long time but at least it is getting a little media attention now ... but it absolutely is and it is dawning I argue slowly, slowly but it is dawning on the American people that this thing and the status they want of strategic ally is a defensive measure because they are in near panic mode in Tel Aviv and in AIPAC.
 
    The reality is that they are not and they have never been a strategic ally. They are a serious strategic deficit and not an ally for the American people  and I think this meeting you referred to is one more sign that yes, yes, slowly, slowly, too slowly the American people are focusing and seeing mathematics especially given the background of our economy in our great need.
 
So the tide of history is against this relationship. I predict it is going to fail and I think of course Palestine will be free because the international community is finally rejecting the last colonial enterprise which is from the 19th century and the occupation of Palestine. It is going to take a while.
 
It is a very dangerous period of history we are in but the American people and I am proud to say I think they are finally dawning, it is dawning and they are catching up with Europe and other areas that have finally said that Israel is basically an outlaw ... [entity].