Trump
Elects
Israel
‘Aparheid’
Critic,
James
Mattis as Defence Secretary
US President-elect Donald Trump has sparked Israeli concerns
following his announcement that he intends to nominate General
James Mattis to serve as Secretary of Defense.
The retired US Marine Corps General nicknamed “Mad Dog” served
in both Iraq and Afghanistan and has been an outspoken critic
of the Obama administration, especially in regards to the
policy in the Middle Eastern and North African.
The General, who is known for his hawkish policies is also a
heavy critic of the Iran nuclear deal and is vehemently
against the closure of Guantanamo Bay. He has previously
claimed that Iran “remains the single most belligerent actor
in the Middle East.”
https://twitter.com/nathanguttman/status/804744499108990976
He has also been condemned by pro-Israel groups for his
comments that settlements in the occupied West Bank are
leading Israel becoming an “apartheid” state.
“If I’m in Jerusalem and I put 500 Jewish settlers out here to
the east and there’s 10,000 Arab settlers in here, if we draw
the border to include them, either it ceases to be a Jewish
state or you say the Arabs don’t get to vote — apartheid.”
Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz reported three years ago:
https://twitter.com/TOOEdit/status/804730528733638656
“A former U.S. general said last week that the United States
is paying a military and security price “every day” because
of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, warning that the
continued construction of settlements is liable to turn
Israel into an apartheid state.
“Gen. (ret.) James Mattis, who until two months ago headed
the Central Command of the U.S. Army (CENTCOM) and commanded
U.S. forces in the Middle East, made the comments at an Aspen
Institute conference last Saturday…
“Gen. (ret.) Mattis then sounded a prophecy of doom regarding
what is liable to happen if a Palestinian state is not
established. “I would tell you that the current situation is
unsustainable,” he said, adding, “It’s got to be directly
addressed. We have got to find a way to make the two-state
solution that Democrat and Republican administrations have
supported. We’ve got to get there, and the chances for it are
starting to ebb because of the settlements, and where they’re
at. [They] are going to make it impossible to maintain the
two-state option.””
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)