“By his own account, KSM’s animus toward the United States stemmed not from his experience there as a student, but rather from his violent disagreement with U.S. foreign policy favoring Israel.”
KSM, you see, had attended North Carolina A & T in Greensboro, and apparently the first thought that came to those drafting the 9/11 report was that perhaps he had suffered some gross indignity accounting for his hatred for America. Not so.
Moreover, the footnote section (page 488 of the 9/11 Commission Report) reveals that KSM was not the only terrorist motivated by “U.S. foreign policy favoring Israel”:
“On KSM’s rationale for attacking the United States, see Intelligence report, interrogation of KSM, Sept. 5, 2003 (in this regard, KSM’s statements echo those of Yousef, who delivered an extensive polemic against U.S. foreign policy at his January 1998 sentencing).”
The reference is to Ramzi Yousef, KSM’s nephew. The 9/11 Commission Report had noted earlier (page 147) that, “Yousef’s instant notoriety as the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing inspired KSM to become involved in planning attacks against the United States.”
In the “Recommendations” section of its final report, the 9/11 Commission suggested:
“America’s policy choices have consequences. Right or wrong, it is simply a fact that American policy regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and American actions in Iraq are dominant staples of popular commentary across the Arab and Muslim world. … Neither Israel nor the new Iraq will be safer if worldwide Islamist terrorism grows stronger.” (pp 376-377)
These observations seemed to strike my radio interlocutors as unfit for the airwaves. When the shouts of protest died down, there was an opportunity to offer additional evidence, so I threw in what a prestigious board appointed by the Pentagon had to say about all this over four years ago.
Defense Science Board Report
Are you ready for a scoop that is not a scoop, but that almost no one knows about?
It has to do with an unclassified study published, not by some “liberal” think-tank, but by the Pentagon-appointed U.S. Defense Science Board just two months after the 9/11 Commission Report. That report directly contradicted what Cheney and President Bush had been saying about “why they hate us,” letting the elephant out of the bag and into the room, so to speak:
“Muslims do not ‘hate our freedom,’ but rather, they hate our policies. The overwhelming majority voice their objections to what they see as one-sided support in favor of Israel and against Palestinian rights, and the longstanding, even increasing support for what Muslims collectively see as tyrannies, most notably Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan, and the Gulf States. Thus, when American public diplomacy talks about bringing democracy to Islamic societies, this is seen as no more than self-serving hypocrisy.”
You didn’t know about that report? Well, maybe this is because of the timing. The Defense Science Board final report was given to Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Sept. 23, 2004, just weeks before the presidential election.
That is a time when presidential candidates and the U.S. Establishment in general are hyper-allergic to discussing how U.S. support for Israeli policies toward the Palestinians encourages the recruitment of anti-American terrorists.
Suppressed, Then Gutted
Bending over backwards to oblige, the FCM suppressed the Defense Science Board findings until after the election. On Nov. 24, 2004, the New York Times, erstwhile “newspaper of record,” did publish a story on the board’s report — but performed some highly interesting surgery.
Thom Shanker of the Times quoted the paragraph beginning with “Muslims do not ‘hate our freedom'” (see above), but he or his editors deliberately cut out the following sentence about what Muslims do object to; i.e., U.S. “one-sided support in favor of Israel and against Palestinian rights” and support for tyrannical regimes. The Times did include the sentence that immediately followed the omitted one. In other words, it was not simply a matter of shortening the paragraph. Rather, the offending middle sentence was surgically removed.
I think this ariticle has more to do with what you want to say more than anyone else. Don't you find it strange that the Arab's with all the oil, land and money they have choose to fund terrorist (Billions) instead of cutting out land and building homes for the Palestinians to live? If they really cared they would not let them suffer the way they do. Check your history and see if you can find the name Palestinians anywhere until after Israel regained control of Palistine in 48. When the land was bare and dry and would not grow grass, no one wanted it because they saw it as worthless. When Israel returned to the land as God said they would, God blessed the land once again and the desert became a paridise and began once again to yield it's fruits. The Arab's don't want peace with Israel they want to see it's destruction and they have help now in our new president. We help Israel, God blesses us. We don't were crused/lose. End of story. God said (I will bless them that bless you "Isreal" and cruse them that cruse you. And God warned "woe unto them that part my land or devide it". This is a bad move on our part and we will live to regret it. Now you might not be a Christian but you have enjoyed the good life along with everyone else in this country which God gave to this country because it has helped Isreal in pass year as God keeps His Word. Sorry to say this about to come to an end if things continue the way they are going. We have only one friend in the world and that is Israel believe it or not. No one can defeat Isreal without Gods help, not even the go old USA. My suggestion to all of you is, start praying that some common sense emerge from our leaders before it's to late. God help us.
VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY, OF THE BUSH ADMINSTRATION, HAS LOST HIS MIND. PERSONALLY, I FEEL THAT CHENEY IS TRYING TO SHOW WHAT THE BUSH ADMINSTRATION DID THE RIGHT THING. HE SAID WHAT PRESIDENT OBAMA IS DOING, THREATENS OUR COUNTRY. WHY DOESN'T CHENEY WAKE UP TO REALITY. HE IS FRIGHTTING PEOPLE IN AMERICA, FOR NO REASON AT ALL.