Another official has resigned from the Obama administration. Only this time it’s not because of taxes, but because of criticism of Israel.
According to a report in The British Newspaper The Guardian one of The President’s picks for top intelligence in the middle east, Chas Freeman, has resigned.
Unlike Tom Daschle and others who simply "forgot" to pay their taxes, Freeman did not withdraw over personal scandal.
The Guardian explains:
Chas Freeman, a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, withdrew before starting work as chairman of the national intelligence council, accusing his critics of libel, character assassination and "utter disregard for the truth".
The "Israel Lobby", he argued, was stifling any discussion of US policy options in the Middle East except those endorsed by "the ruling faction in Israeli politics" - a situation that could "ultimately threaten the existence of the state of Israel".
Freeman's job would have involved producing National Intelligence Estimates, the authoritative documents intended to provide the president and senior policymakers with an overview of crucial security issues.
But numerous members of Congress have questioned Freeman's ability to carry out the task objectively, citing his view that until "Israeli violence against Palestinians" is halted, "it is utterly unrealistic to expect that Palestinians will stand down from violent resistance"
What is objectionable about this is that international consensus agrees that Israel is in violation of international law by continuing to control Gaza and the West bank and by actually occupying Gaza. It seems unfortunate then if the only reason pressure was put on Freeman to resign is because he acknowledge this.
Perhaps there is more to the story of course, perhaps Freeman said more than just Israeli policy in the occupied territories is opposed to international law. However, Obama’s official policy is staunchly pro Israel. The story is certainly worth a deeper look.
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