Not surprisingly, our torture chamber is closely tied to Israel.
<<< ... The Abu Ghraib outrages conjure a sense of deja-vu: where have we seen these kinds of methods employed before? The Palestinians have had to endure much the same thing. The interrogation techniques employed by the Abu Graib gang bear a striking resemblance to those employed by Israel, according to Amnesty International:
"Israel allows the use of 'moderate physical pressure' – which is defined in detail in secret guidelines – during interrogations. This includes sleep deprivation for prolonged periods while being tied in painful positions, hooding with filthy sacks, being forced to squat like a frog for hours and violent shaking (which has caused the death of one detainee)."
CACI's links to Israel are well-documented. CACI CEO J.P. "Jack" London was awarded the Albert Einstein Technology Award by the Jerusalem Fund of Aish HaTorah, presented by Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz this January. CACI's website crowed:
"CACI was honored as a provider of information technologies for helping to fight the war on terrorism and transform the Middle East from a source of global instability into a peaceful, stable region."
According to the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, CACI is the recipient of grants allocated by the Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD), a joint U.S.-Israeli government program supposedly engaged in promoting "non-defense" research and development. London visited Israel earlier this year with a delegation of corporate executives, politicians and government officials for a homeland security conference.
As Seymour Hersh has pointed out, the U.S.-Israeli alliance has been taking covert shape in the course of this war:
"Israeli commandos and intelligence units have been working closely with their American counterparts at the Special Forces training base at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and in Israel to help them prepare for operations in Iraq. Israeli commandos are expected to serve as ad-hoc advisers – again, in secret – when full-field operations begin."
The Guardian confirms and expands on Hersh's account, citing "two sources" that "Israeli military 'consultants' have also visited Iraq." "Israel Trains Assassination Squads in Iraq" averred the headline, and the story, published last December, cited "a former senior U.S. intelligence official" who predicted disaster:
"'This is basically an assassination program. That is what is being conceptualized here. This is a hunter-killer team,' said a former senior U.S. intelligence official, who added that he feared the new tactics and enhanced cooperation with Israel would only inflame a volatile situation in the Middle East. 'It is bonkers, insane. Here we are – we're already being compared to Sharon in the Arab world, and we've just confirmed it by bringing in the Israelis and setting up assassination teams.'"
The Guardian also quoted "a well-informed intelligence source in Washington," who said:
"They are being trained by Israelis in Fort Bragg. Some Israelis went to Iraq as well, not to do training, but for providing consultations" ... >>>
<<< ... One of the interrogators at Abu Ghraib writes in his diary:
"I went through the DOD Strategic Debriefer Course, Israeli Interrogation Course, and the SCAN Course." ... >>>
antiwar.com
Tom |
