The Verity Courier
Middle East Turmoil
Ron Estes
9 February 2024
With
the German invasion and occupation of Western Europe at the onset of
WWII, the United States, though neutral, became active in supporting
resistance activities in the German occupied nations.
When
war broke out in Europe in September 1939, U. S.
President Roosevelt declared the United States would remain neutral,
but Roosevelt himself made significant efforts to help nations engaged
in the struggle against Nazi Germany by extending clandestine help.
Various organizations were formed to support foreign resistance. Following
the U.K., which created the SOE, Special Operations Executive, an
agency designed to support resistance activities in the German occupied
territories, and the Americans created OSS, Office of Strategic
Services, predecessor of the CIA, for essentially the same type
operations. Their activities ranged from rescuing Allied airmen shot
down over occupied territory to committing acts of sabotage, ambushing
German patrols and conducting acts now called terrorism in the
Palestinian territories occupied by Israel. The Germans branded such
groups as terrorists and Communist. In many ways, the Israeli occupation
of the Palestinian West Bank, Gaza, Jerusalem and the Golan Heights has
caused they same type turmoil in the Middle East that the German
occupation caused in Eastern and Western Europe.
For
example, the German invasion and occupation of Poland killed over 5
million of the then 34 million P0lish population, and left a lifetime of
Polish animosity for Germans and Germany The 1982 Israeli invasion of
Lebanon and the resultant 15 year occupation of Southern Lebanon killed
an estimated 20 thousand Lebanese civilians, most of them Shia, out of a
population of 5.5 million, and left a hate consumed dedicated
Hezbollah, a Shite militia founded in 1985 to drive Israel out of
Lebanon. Israel still occupies a small parcel of land in Lebanon, and
calls Hezbollah a terrorist organization.
Contributing
to the regional turmoil is Iran, a nation of over 89 million people of
the Shia sect of Muslim with 60 % of the population under the age of 30
and literacy rate higher than that of the U. S. The country has no
history of attacking its neighbors or pursuing other aggressive
policies. Israel
declares Iran to be its primary enemy in the region, and has conducted
assassinations on its territory. Iran earned that reputation by being
the most effective crusader supporting Palestinian resistance to the 56
year Israeli occupation of their territory. As did the Germans, Israel
has declared those resistance activities to be acts of terrorism, and
Iran the world’s number one supporter of international terrorism.
In
fact, Iran supports Hezbollah because of its anti-Israel activities
and as adherents of the Shia religion. Hezbollah has no place else to go
for Shia support. Iran also supports the Shia minority Houthi
population of Yemen. The Houthis can hardly be considered terrorists,
they have mounted an insurrection against the Sunni Muslim government
seeking more equitable representation in parliament, and fairer
distribution of government financing. The Houthis cannot afford to
ignore Iranian orders to attack shipping affiliated in any way with
Israel, there is no other Shia support entity to which they can turn.
Thus,
the Israeli terrorist accusations of Iran, often supported by U. S.
administrations, turn hollow under a bright light. Iran in activities
against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory is doing exactly
what the U. S. and the U. K. did confronting the Nazi occupation of
Europe. And
the United States pays a terrible price for its support of the Israeli
occupation of Palestinian territory and Jerusalem which, by the way, is illegal. Because of that U.S. policy, the Sunni terrorist organization
headed by Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda, attacked the U. S. on 9/11 in an
assault that killed more Americans than the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor.
,
Osama
bin Laden explained in multi interviews why he ordered the attack on
the United States. “Our attacks will continue against you as long as
your support for Israel continues,” he declared. "America will not be
able to dream of security until we live in security in Palestine. It is
unfair that you live in peace while our brothers in Gaza live in
insecurity,” he declared. Not to be forgot were the bombing of U. S.
Embassies and the Marine barracks in Beirut
The
October Hamas Israeli war is just the latest stage of Middle East
turmoil, and it all seems to revolve around one factor. There is only
one cause affecting every focus on violence, violations of international
laws, violations of human rights, charges of genocide, threats of war
that
often sweep through the entire region: Israeli settlements on occupied
territory, Hamas, Hezbollah, and the fears of war with Iran.
That cause, the Israeli occupation of Palestine territory and Jerusalem. It must end.
Ron Estes served 25 years as an Operations Officer in the CIA Clandestine Service.
