Netanyahu Appoints Right-Wing Extremist to Head Israel's Diplomatic Corps

Netanyahu Appoints Right-Wing Extremist to Head Israel's Diplomatic Corps

by Stephen Lendman

Nissim Ben Shitrit is out as Israeli Foreign Ministry director-general. Netanyahu thanked him for his services. Dore Gold replaces him. He heads the neocon Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

He's a longtime Netanyahu confidant. He earlier advised him on foreign policy. They share the same over-the-top racist, hawkish ideology.

Gold is a former Israeli UN envoy, Sharon advisor, and sham peace process negotiator and advisor, among other dubious credentials.

From 1985 - 1996, he was a Dayan Center for Near East Studies senior research associate and Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies US foreign and defense policy project director.

In 1991, he was a sham Madrid Peace Conference advisor. In 1996-97, he was Netanyahu's foreign policy advisor in his first term as prime minister.

From 1997- 1999, he was Israel's UN envoy. In 1998, he was a Wye River sham peace negotiator.

From 2002 - 2004, he was a Sharon advisor. Since 2000, he's been Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs president.

In 2013, he again served as a Netanyahu's advisor on Israel's relations with Washington, the UN and Iran policy. Since January 2014, he was an hourly consultant until Netanyahu announced early elections.

He's a former neocon American Enterprise Institute (AEI) scholar despite living in Jerusalem at the time - paid $96,000 a year from 2001 - 2004. AEI didn't list him as a scholar. Perhaps he remains covertly affiliated.

He's militantly pro-war, pro-Jewish supremacy, anti-Palestinian statehood, anti-Iran.

In a recent article, he lied claiming Tehran "is clearly exploiting its nuclear talks with the West to establish its hegemonic position and erect a new regional order from Yemen to Kurdistan."

He calls it "completely unrealistic to propose negotiations to reach a full-blown final status agreement with the Palestinians" - given what's ongoing in the region.

He once said if Palestinians declared statehood within June 1967 borders, "Israel would have to respond forcefully and immediately annex vital areas like IDF security zones, settlement blocs, and points of national-religious significance to the Jewish people."

"For now, Israel will have to take measured steps to deter Abbas from going further down the path of unilateralism."

Former Saudi ambassador to Washington/Riyadh intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan once called him "simply hatred's scribe."

In past testimony before Congress, he lied claiming Israel faces a diplomatic assault able to undo its West Bank defenses providing security since June 1967.

He said Oslo "envisioned a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with borders to be decided by the parties themselves and not imposed by" other nations or "unilateral acts."

Washington doesn't expect Israel to withdraw from all territory it occupied in June 1967, he maintained.

He claimed Israel is being asked to make unprecedented concessions risking its security and future at a time "the entire Middle East is engulfed in flames."

Congressional support was predictable. Big Lies and Israeli ruthlessness don't weaken it. One rogue state supports another.

In acknowledging his new appointment, Gold said "I am aware of the various significant challenges facing Israel in this time, and my duty to protect the country's interests."

Gold's book titled "The Fight for Jerusalem: Radical Islam, the West and the Future of the Holy City" became a 2007 New York Times bestseller. With enough promotion, even rubbish, hate-mongering and outrageous Big Lies sell.

Among other extremist views, Gold argues for Jerusalem to stay united under Israeli sovereignty based on the Jewish people's historical rights - invented ones to deny Palestinians their legitimate historic and cultural ones.

Jerusalem was always a Jewish city, Gold claims - contrary to historical facts. He absurdly says its holy sites would be endangered under any authority besides Israel's.

In his new capacity, he'll help advance Israel's imperial agenda - including its extremist ideology couched in diplomatic rhetoric.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen [at] sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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