US government is 'captive of Israel lobby': James Petras
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The US government is a “captive” of the powerful Zionist lobby in the United States, “acting blindly in favor of whatever crime Israel commits,” an anti-imperialist activist and writer in New York says.
The US Congress on Friday said it will continue its supports for Israel as the Zionist regime continues to pound the besieged Gaza Strip, with some of Congress’ most high-profile lawmakers saying they support Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.
More than 125 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have lost their lives in the impoverished region since Tuesday when Israel started its biggest offensive in nearly two years. Over 900 others have been injured in the ongoing air raids.
“The US Congress has been notorious in its blind following of the Israeli lobby in the United States,” said James Petras, retired Bartle Professor of Sociology at Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York.
“Over the past few days, there’s been a concerted effort by the pro-Israel, Jewish organizations to have Congress endorse whatever crime Israel is committing,” Petras told Press TV on Saturday.
“The reports that we get from all the continents is that Israel has been condemned for crimes against humanity and the United States precisely because of the power of the Israel lobby, the US government acts blindly in favor of whatever crime Israel commits,” he noted.
Israeli airstrikes hit a mosque in Gaza and a home for disabled people Saturday, raising the death toll to more than 125, Palestinian Health Ministry officials said.
“There is no countervailing force comparable to the pro-Israel lobby for finance, influence, penetration of government, etc,” Petras said. “The US cannot oppose any human rights violation that Israel commits because it is a captive of the Israeli fifth column in the United States.”
On Friday, the UN's top human rights official said Israel air campaign may violate international laws prohibiting the targeting of civilians. "We have received deeply disturbing reports that many of the civilian casualties, including of children, occurred as a result of strikes on homes," said Navi Pillay, the UN high commissioner for human rights. |
