Re: [Marxism] Tehran signs trade deals with Cuba and Venezuela

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

Walter Lippmann wrote:
> The Iranian approach to Latin America concerns Washington and Tel
> Aviv. Two weeks ago, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz published an
> article remarking âconcernâ of the Israeli government about the
> foreign policy of some Latin American nations.

Well, that's what happens when you sow the wind. You reap the whirlwind.

Israel began selling Guatemala weapons in 1974 and since then is known 
to have delivered 17 Arava aircraft. In 1977 at the annual industrial 
fair, Interfer, Israel's main attraction was the Arava. "An operative 
Arava is to be parked outside the IAI pavilion for public inspection, 
although its silhouette in flight is a common sight over the capital and 
countryside."'

Referring to the Aravas, Benedicto Lucas Garcia, chief of staff during 
the rule of his brother Romeo Lucas Garcia (1978-1982) said, "Israel 
helped us in regard to planes and transportation-which we desperately 
needed because we've had problems in transferring ground forces from one 
place to another. By 1982, at least nine of the Aravas had been mounted 
with gun pods.

Among the other weapons sold by Israel were 10 RBY armored personnel 
carriers, three Dabur class patrol boats armed with Gabriel missiles, 
light cannons, machine guns and at least 15,000 Galil assault rifles. 
The Galil became Guatemala's standard rifle and Uzis were widely seen as 
well.

According to Victor Perera, "Uzis and the larger Galil assault rifles 
used by Guatemala's special counterinsurgency forces accounted for at 
least half of the estimated 45,000 Guatemalan Indians killed by the 
military since 1978"

full: http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Middle_East/Israel_Guatemala.html

Somoza had been introduced to Israeli weapons in 1974 at a special 
showing arranged for him in Managua. He had bought Dabur class patrol 
boats and Arava STOL aircraft; by the time he fought his final battle he 
would have 14 Aravas to rush his troops from place to place.

Soon after Somoza's U.S. aid was blocked, insurrection flared against 
him. In Septcmber 1978, there was fighting in most of Nicaragua's cities 
and a massive general strike in Managua that was supported by virtually 
the entire business community. Somoza shot his way out of it. His 
National Guard used 1,000 Uzi submachine guns and Galil rifles from 
Israel, and Somoza was expecting "thousands more" Galils.9 Although most 
Latin American leaders were hoping for his downfall, Somoza survived the 
September challenge. "Israeli-made weapons helped to save the Somoza 
dynasty," read one headline.

That autumn, Israeli rifles and ammunition arrived in large quantities. 
Some of the Galil rifles were "sent directly to a special terror unit 
commanded by Somoza's son, which carried out the murder of political 
opponents, among them women and children." The Guard also used the new 
Israeli weapons in its "clean-up" operations, which went on during 
October 1978 in half a dozen cities. The majority of the victims-many of 
them were shot by the Guard at their own front doors were between 14 and 
21 years of age and were marked for execution simply because they lived 
in neighborhoods where the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) 
had been active.

full: 
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Middle_East/Israel_Nicaragua_Contras.html



________________________________________________
YOU MUST clip all extraneous text before replying to a message.
Send list submissions to: Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism