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A merely casual observation of the physical features of some of the most fanatical of them, Benjamin Netanyahu and Tzipi Livni for instance, indicates that they are not of Middle East ancestry at all. Miscegenation is forbidden by orthodoxy so that the "purity" of the tribe can be maintained so where did the European colouring - blue, grey, hazel eyes among the brown - come from? Well, according to Paul Kriwaczek in "The Rise and Fall of a Forgotten Nation", some peoples of the Balkans and regions bordering the Black and Caspian Seas were attracted to a monotheist religion and opted for Judaism rather than Christianity. This happened after the time of the Emperor, Constantine the Great, from the 4th century onwards - not exactly the "Biblical times" that are claimed.
Like almost everyone else, I was emotionally affected by Holocaust stories, by the tragic tale of a separate people expelled from their ancestral lands, until the events of the last thirteen days made me think more seriously about what Israel really represents. It seems to be a theocracy which has a caste system, and this is inimical to any genuine concept of democracy. It also has a ruling political clique (Olmert/Netanayhu) whose ancestors are far more likely to have been Slavonic, as Russians are, than Middle Eastern. The physical differences between the Israeli junta and the people of Palestine provide clues and suggest to me that Israel is based on religion alone. With all the "political correctness" that seems to pervade every aspect of American life, it is particularly paradoxical that the USA gives unstinting support to a racist country such as Israel and one which openly practises apartheid. I've checked the rules for Israeli citizenship and the facts are there; it's all about religion, isn't it!
There would be uproar in any country in Western Europe if candidates for the highest political office had to prostrate themselves before any organisation such as AIPAC but it's par for the course in the USA. How very, very puzzling unless you remember the advice "Follow the money". In the final analysis, all Americans will have to ask themselves if the game is worth the candle. A woman who lived about a mile down the road from us had gone to the US, married an American; she and their five year old daughter were on the secon plane that rammed the Twin Towers on 9/11. American/Israeli foreign policy has ramifications for the entire world.
