The US-Israeli Attack on Gaza

Wed Nov 21 00:17:28 GMT 2012

also - Gaza and the Politics of Greater Israel
http://www.globalresearch.ca/gaza-the-politics-of-greater-israel/5312107

The US-Israeli Attack on Gaza
By Prof Michel Chossudovsky - Global Research, November 20, 2012
Region: Middle East & North Africa - Theme: US 
NATO War Agenda - In-depth Report: PALESTINE
http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-us-israeli-attack-on-gaza/5312383
The Western media in chorus has described the 
Israeli attack on Gaza as an ad hoc IDF-led 
counterterrorism operation, launched on the 
grounds of self defense in response to Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel.
While reports acknowledge that president Obama, 
in the wake of the November 6 elections, had 
granted a Green Light to Tel Aviv, the central 
issue does not pertain to Washingtons support 
but rather to the direct involvement of the US 
government and military in the planning and 
implementation of the attack on Gaza.
There is evidence that Operation Pillar of 
Cloud was implemented in close liaison with 
Washington in the context of the broader process 
of allied military planning. Senior US military 
officials were on location in Israel working with 
their IDF counterparts in the days leading up to the attack.
Operation Pillar of Cloud was launched on the 
14th of November, exactly one week after the US 
presidential elections. It was slated to be 
launched irrespective of  the outcome of the US 
elections. The first action was the targeted 
assassination of the leader of Hamas military 
wing Ahmed Jabari. The operation has since 
evolved towards a generalized bombing campaign 
and ground invasion involving the announced 
deployment of some 75,000 Israeli troops.

US- Israeli War Games
What is significant in assessing US involvement 
in Operation Pillar of Cloud is the fact that 
in the month prior to the attacks, the US and 
Israel were involved in the conduct of the 
largest joint war games in Israeli history. The 
objective of the war games was to test Israels 
missile air defense system against attacks from 
far and near, namely from Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas.
US Defense Secretary Leon  and Israels Minister 
of Defense Ehud Barack had established a process 
of close consultation. Panetta was in Israel in 
early August. He returned to Tel Aviv two months 
later on October 3, two weeks before the 
launching of the US-Israeli Austere Challenge 12 military exercises.
On October 18, the US and Israel launched within 
Israel the first phase of the joint war games. 
The military exercises were conducted over four 
weeks overlapping with the US elections (November 
6) and culminating with the commencement of the Gaza bombings (November 14).
The joint US-Israeli war games, in a sense, went 
live on November 14 with the launching of Operation Pillar of Cloud.
It should be understood that the joint US-Israeli 
war games were intended to lead towards an actual 
military operation. Pillar of Cloud was planned 
well in advance. It had been embedded into the 
structure of the joint US-Israeli war games.
The joint war games dubbed Austere Challenge 12 
involved the active participation of some 3500 US 
and 1000 Israeli troops. The US contingent was 
made up 1000 US troops stationed in Israel 
including military advisers and special forces 
together with 2500 US personnel under the 
jurisdiction of the US 6th fleet in the Eastern 
Mediterranean and US European Command (EURCOM). UPI
Israeli soldiers stand near the Iron Dome, a new 
anti-rocket system, stationed near the southern 
city of Beersheba, Israel, March 27, 2011. The 
Israeli Defense Force deployed the $200 million 
Iron Dome system in response to dozens of rockets 
fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza in the 
past weeks. The Iron Dome is meant to protect 
Israeli towns from rockets fired from Gaza. UPI October 23, 2012)
______________________________________________________________________________________________
*
The joint US-Israeli war games were jointly 
coordinated by U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General 
Craig Franklin and IDF Brigadier-General Shachar 
Shohat. The stated objective of these military 
maneuvers  was to create stress situations in 
Israels airspace and off its Mediterranean coast 
that test the ability of both countries to act 
against attacks from near [Hamas, Hezbollah] and far [Iran].
The conduct of these games was overseen by 
Admiral James G. Stavridis, commander of the 
United States European Command (EUCOM).  Reports 
point to the establishment of US command posts 
within Israel operating under the jurisdiction of  EUCOM.
Admiral Stavridis has acknowledged in this regard that:
the two sides [US and Israeli command 
structures] had worked hard to create real 
intelligence during the exercise, The drill is 
meant to simulate an extensive war in the Middle 
East that would require the United States to 
intervene and provide Israel with further defense 
to intercept missiles. (Haaretz, October 24, 2012)
The drills involved the deployment of  Batteries 
for the Patriot Pac-3 missile system, stationed 
across Israel. The US Aegis guided missile 
cruiser was anchored off the coast of Israel as part of the drill.
The missile interception drill is considered an 
integral part of the general exercise. The 
Israeli and American forces will practice 
identifying targets heading toward Israel, in 
order to decide which means should be used to 
intercept them and to activate the defense system 
as quickly as possible, before they can land on Israeli territory.
Israels Defense Minister Ehud Barak underscored 
the fact that the joint exercise reflected the 
profound cooperation with the Americans as a 
means to confront the ongoing threat from Hamas. 
This statement was made on November 12, two days 
before the onslaught of the attack on Gaza:
These are very important times for advancing our 
missile defense coordination in the face of 
future tests, and also for ongoing activity 
against Hamas and the terror organizations in 
Gaza, which is likely to worsen and expand,
  The 
Gaza Strip constitutes a significant challenge, 
at whose center lies firepower, including the 
threat of rockets that can reach the Dan 
region.(Haaretz, November 12, 2012, emphasis added)
In the context of the war games, Hamas and 
Hezbollah are identified as nearby enemies and allies of Iran:
The joint exercise is simulating the possibility 
of wide-ranging rocket fire on Israel, both from 
nearby enemies and more distant ones, and the 
possibility of a war with Iran and Hezbollah.
Defence Minister Barack also confirmed that
After the firing exercise, the defense 
establishment will conduct another round of 
tests, simulating the possibility that more 
advanced defense systems, including the Arrow 3 
and Magic Wand systems, which have not yet been 
used in combat, would take part in confronting rocket barrages.(Ibid)

The Insidious Role of Qatar
October 18, the joint US-Israeli war games are launched
On October 23, the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin 
Khalifa Al Thani visits the Gaza Strip for 
meetings with the Hamas government and promises of  financial aid.
October 24, Israels President Shimon Peres 
insinuates that Qatar, a staunch ally of the US, 
is not only providing military aid to Hamas but 
is encouraging Hamas to increase the rocket attacks on Israel:
No sooner had he [The Emir of Qatar] departed, 
than the Islamist group ruling Gaza let loose 
with salvoes of rockets against Israel. 

Peres commented Wednesday [October 24] said that 
it is intolerable for the rulers of Gaza to 
receive millions of dollars form the Emir of 
Qatar and shoot rockets. Nowhere in the world, 
whether London or New York, would it be 
acceptable for money awarded for building 
materials to be spent on rockets. Israel cannot 
put up with any more of this, said the president. 
It is up to Gaza to choose between development and terror and murder.
October 24, Israel launches a bombing raid on 
Gaza killing four civilians in retribution for 
rocket attacks out of Gaza, which resulted in the 
wounding of four foreign workers. The press 
reports acknowledge that the Israeli air raids 
coincided with the onslaught of the joint US-Israeli war games:
The mock military maneuvers and computer war 
simulations 
 coincided with actual Israeli air 
raids 70 kilometers (44 miles) to the south on 
the Gaza Strip in response to Palestinian rocket 
attacks. Four Gaza residents were killed by the 
Israeli strikes as Palestinian militia groups 
launched at least 75 missiles into Israel, 
wounding three foreign workers, two seriously, 
and damaging property, according to police. 
(Bloomberg, October 25, 2012, emphasis added)
What the above suggests is that the October 24 
air raids on Gaza were already ongoing in the 
course of the joint US-Israel war games. 
Everything indicates that the attack on Gaza 
officially launched on November 14 was a sequel 
to the joint US-Israeli war games which had in 
fact already gone live in late October.

Covert Op?
The visit of the Emir of Qatar to Gaza at the 
very outset of the US-Israel joint war games has 
all the appearances of a US-led covert operation. 
Qatar is a US sponsored puppet regime It has a 
close relationship to both the US and NATO in 
both intelligence and military affairs, while 
also channelling financial aid to Hamas.
According to one report:  the Emir of Qatar 
provided intelligence to the Israelis which was 
used in the targeted bombings of key Hamas 
government buildings. (Fars New, November 17, 2012)
The US-Israeli Attack on Gaza

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