[Arutz7] - One of the reasons reporters covering the Middle East get the story wrong so consistently is that they believe that history begins with their arrival on the scene. This is evident again in the numerous reports about U.S. support, particularly within the Democratic Party, shifting away from Israel.
A trip down memory lane might put the situation in context.
In June 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon. The reasons were the buildup of PLO forces and their terrorist attacks on Israel. Numerous members of Congress supported Israel's decision but not all. Four Republicans, Rep. Paul Findley (Ill.), Rep. Toby Roth (Wis.), Sen. Charles Mathias (Md.), and Sen. Mark Hatfield (Ore.) condemned the invasion, and Roth and Hatfield called for the suspension of aid to Israel. After Israel surrounded Beirut, Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) said the United States should break relations with Israel if it didn't ease pressure on the city. Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, he said, "must stop this business because the American people find repugnant the continuation of the destruction … and killing of innocent people."
A bipartisan resolution sponsored called for a suspension of arms sales and deliveries to Israel, and an investigation into whether U.S. military equipment was used for "aggressive purposes" in violation of U.S. law. It was sponsored by Republicans Findley and Paul McCloskey (Calif.) as well as Democrats Nick Joe Rahall (W.V.), George Crockett (Mich.), Gus Savage (Ill.), David Bowen (Miss.), Walter Fauntroy (Washington, D.C.), Mervyn Dymally (Calif.), John Conyers (Mich.), and Mary Rose Oakar (Ohio).
...Ronald Reagan was arguably the most pro-Israel president in history; nevertheless, he was angered by Israel's actions in Lebanon and distrusted Begin (compare with Biden saying Netanyahu has "never broken his word to me"). After the media reported Israeli warplanes bombarded Beirut and killed more than 300 people, Reagan called Begin and "expressed his outrage" at Israeli attacks, and the "needless destruction and bloodshed." The White House said, "The President made clear that it is imperative that the cease-fire in place be observed absolutely in order for negotiations to proceed." An aide said Reagan's call was "his toughest yet‐he used frank and straightforward language."
Sound familiar?
Reagan's equally pro-Israel Secretary of State George Shultz said "of the nations of the world which need and deserve peace, Israel surely holds a preeminent place." Echoing Biden, he added, "of the peoples of the world who need and deserve a place with which they can truly identify, the Palestinian claim is undeniable."
And it goes downhill from there 
|
