Powerful Foreign Friends

Israeli propaganda often tries to paint a picture of Israel as a weak unarmed country fighting alone. This is not true. The basis of the state of Israel is aggression. It is supported with arms, ammunition and funds by the USA, West Germany, Great Britain and France. In fact it is the watchdog of these countries in the Middle East and in 1968 Israel received about 10% of all aid given to under-developed countries. In 1972 there was an estimated $US760 million given to Israel in gifts, $US950 million in loans and US$12 million in investments. Only 3% of this flow of capital into Israel is in a form which calls for a return outflow of dividends, interest or capital. In short, Israel is a client state of imperialism.

Israel is the principal military power in the Middle East. In periods of full mobilisation it can field as many soldiers as its three principal bordering states. It has more tank specialists and pilots than all the arab countries put together. Furthermore Israel possesses nuclear reactors and has produced plutonium stocks estimated at enough for 20 bombs. Although consistently cagey on the question of its nuclear capability a delegation of 13 US Senators were recently refused permission to visit one of Israel's nuclear research reactors at Dimana in the Negev, a move which is seen as putting Israel's "peaceful" nuclear intentions in doubt.