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Taking Sides: America's Secret Relations With Militant Israel
Examines the adversial and friendly dealings between the United States and Israel and evaluates the impact on Israel's neighbors and on hopes for peace in the Middle East
370 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 27, 2025
The Millstone Around Our Necks
In Taking Sides: America's Secret Relations with a Militant Israel, Stephen Green doggedly mines through confidential government documents recently declassified at the time of writing and brought to public attention for the first time through this book. The result paints a very disturbing picture of how the United States of America is continuously used, abused, and discarded like a cheap prostitute in service of maximal and aggressive Israeli interests, often at the expense of American ones and in opposition to publicly stated American policy.
He pointedly states at the start that this book is far from a comprehensive history or overview of the Israeli/Arab situation in the Middle East, but rather a series of vignettes that shed considerable light on important occurrences such as (but are not limited to) the first Arab-Jewish war 1947-1948, the Lavon Affair, the Suez Crisis of 1956, Israel's secret nuclear weapons program, the Six Day War of 1967, and the USS Liberty attack. The truth uncovered from these documents, which include assessments from intelligence agencies and memoranda by top level bureaucrats, are in virtually all cases the total opposite of the fictions blared by the mainstream media designed to mislead the masses.
A special delight of this book is the author's colorful and confident writing as he intrepidly navigates the information and deftly analyzes it in context. But its presumption of some familiarity by its readers with the events and names discussed means this title is a brilliant resource for those with intermediate or higher knowledge of the Israel/Palestine conflict or the host/parasite relationship between America and Israel, but ought to be set aside for later by neophytes.
Cui Bono? Who Benefits?
However, one aspect I thought was strangely lacking was the refusal to dwell at length upon JFK's assassination, particularly since the author forcefully documents how American assistance to Israel in all aspects from military aid to diplomatic protection went turbo in the first few fiscal years of the Lyndon Johnson presidency, an unprecedented surge that dwarfed the levels of assistance in the previous years since 1948 combined. Kennedy's firm chastisement of Israel's nuclear ambitions are also noted, if briefly. Do we not then have here powerful motives based on who stood to benefit the most with him out of the way?
In Taking Sides: America's Secret Relations with a Militant Israel, Stephen Green doggedly mines through confidential government documents recently declassified at the time of writing and brought to public attention for the first time through this book. The result paints a very disturbing picture of how the United States of America is continuously used, abused, and discarded like a cheap prostitute in service of maximal and aggressive Israeli interests, often at the expense of American ones and in opposition to publicly stated American policy.
He pointedly states at the start that this book is far from a comprehensive history or overview of the Israeli/Arab situation in the Middle East, but rather a series of vignettes that shed considerable light on important occurrences such as (but are not limited to) the first Arab-Jewish war 1947-1948, the Lavon Affair, the Suez Crisis of 1956, Israel's secret nuclear weapons program, the Six Day War of 1967, and the USS Liberty attack. The truth uncovered from these documents, which include assessments from intelligence agencies and memoranda by top level bureaucrats, are in virtually all cases the total opposite of the fictions blared by the mainstream media designed to mislead the masses.
A special delight of this book is the author's colorful and confident writing as he intrepidly navigates the information and deftly analyzes it in context. But its presumption of some familiarity by its readers with the events and names discussed means this title is a brilliant resource for those with intermediate or higher knowledge of the Israel/Palestine conflict or the host/parasite relationship between America and Israel, but ought to be set aside for later by neophytes.
Cui Bono? Who Benefits?
However, one aspect I thought was strangely lacking was the refusal to dwell at length upon JFK's assassination, particularly since the author forcefully documents how American assistance to Israel in all aspects from military aid to diplomatic protection went turbo in the first few fiscal years of the Lyndon Johnson presidency, an unprecedented surge that dwarfed the levels of assistance in the previous years since 1948 combined. Kennedy's firm chastisement of Israel's nuclear ambitions are also noted, if briefly. Do we not then have here powerful motives based on who stood to benefit the most with him out of the way?
September 11, 2020
US a stooge of Israel
US government is a hypocrite, lying, heartless lackey of the Zionists. What a book. Hats of to Stephen Green. Exposed all the lies and hypocrisy of the USA. USA government and Israel the original ISIS and Al Qaida.
US government is a hypocrite, lying, heartless lackey of the Zionists. What a book. Hats of to Stephen Green. Exposed all the lies and hypocrisy of the USA. USA government and Israel the original ISIS and Al Qaida.
June 5, 2026
While everyone is in surprise last few months or years, when it comes to extent of state of Israel's influence in US and West, this book proves that this was ongoing from the very start.
Opening chapters describing events immediately before and after 1948 point to the fact that militant faction, that seems to have been a dominant one from the beginning and finally the one with whom US created intimate links continuing to our present time, was supported by the only dominant force in US - wealthy political forces that [seems like it] ruled the US always, control of actual government being just one of the means of this king-makers/breakers, since they never expose themselves.
I have to say that information provided here deflated a myth I had great respect for. All the story about miracle survival is nothing but story of use of covert means, mercenaries and weapon imports - including tanks and airplanes - with complete merciless disregard of everything and everyone else. Again, standard covert militarization that we see time and time over from Eastern Europe to Asia and Africa.
After initial dominance of militant faction, state of Israel had few peace-oriented PMs but everything they ever did was undermined by militant faction controlling security forces. So, in terms of state of Israel's behavior, it was and remained consistent .... as a matter of fact only side changing the nature of the relationship was US and West, and they did it by forgetting all principles they apply elsewhere if it impeded state of Israel.
I still do not understand the need of US to remain in this type of relationship, but obviously true powers in US - not the Administration people since these are only interested how to go through 4 years, get another 4 and in meantime sell everything and everyone (I would not be surprised if this includes family members) to remain in power - want that, to ensure survival of this small highly militarized war camp in Middle East. It is weird relationship that just does not make sense for anyone looking from the outside. As time goes by it seems to evolve in the weirdest ways, especially last few days with direct US national laws to integrate US and Israel military and intelligence. This can bring nothing else but utter destruction, not only for US or Israel (they dig their own hole) but the world. And why make this official on this level? This will just remove even the very thin veneer of US political national independence when it comes to Middle East - whose gonna trust them about any initiatives when they have to discuss it with their "partner"?
While we can talk about how US controls Israel, I am not quite sure to be honest that is the case. I think they are both controlled by the same forces. And that is terrifying, especially because it just enforces all the cliche views of state of Israel and its supporters in US, and thus closes the circle. Again, for state of Israel, feeling I get is that they would like to be left alone in the world, with burning neighborhood all around, bulldozers creating new apartment areas in depopulated and razed areas, and any opposition killed off, in that blood-vengeance, vendetta way that spares nobody - wives, children, grandchildren .... nobody.
As I said state of Israel is ran by militant faction, that has a very Old-Testament view of international relations that have nothing in common with the modern politics of the West. It is just tribal politics with high technology. To give credit where it is due, state of Israel actually fights for its interests (or at least interests of its power elites, because they are not all militant) while US sucks up humiliation after humiliation (Liberty was terrifying event, and Vietnam related discussions were enlightening), bow down and keep on ..... serving [in lack of better word].
What we see today is just culmination of wanton and unopposed wars of US and state of Israel in the Middle East. Nothing is truly new, seeds of this were sown decades ago, only difference now is that news spread faster and loud mouth sympathizers just don't take care what the f they talk about. Once narrative is out, it is out. How it will all end? Who knows, but I do not think it will end well, especially for these two "partners".
Highly recommended.
Opening chapters describing events immediately before and after 1948 point to the fact that militant faction, that seems to have been a dominant one from the beginning and finally the one with whom US created intimate links continuing to our present time, was supported by the only dominant force in US - wealthy political forces that [seems like it] ruled the US always, control of actual government being just one of the means of this king-makers/breakers, since they never expose themselves.
I have to say that information provided here deflated a myth I had great respect for. All the story about miracle survival is nothing but story of use of covert means, mercenaries and weapon imports - including tanks and airplanes - with complete merciless disregard of everything and everyone else. Again, standard covert militarization that we see time and time over from Eastern Europe to Asia and Africa.
After initial dominance of militant faction, state of Israel had few peace-oriented PMs but everything they ever did was undermined by militant faction controlling security forces. So, in terms of state of Israel's behavior, it was and remained consistent .... as a matter of fact only side changing the nature of the relationship was US and West, and they did it by forgetting all principles they apply elsewhere if it impeded state of Israel.
I still do not understand the need of US to remain in this type of relationship, but obviously true powers in US - not the Administration people since these are only interested how to go through 4 years, get another 4 and in meantime sell everything and everyone (I would not be surprised if this includes family members) to remain in power - want that, to ensure survival of this small highly militarized war camp in Middle East. It is weird relationship that just does not make sense for anyone looking from the outside. As time goes by it seems to evolve in the weirdest ways, especially last few days with direct US national laws to integrate US and Israel military and intelligence. This can bring nothing else but utter destruction, not only for US or Israel (they dig their own hole) but the world. And why make this official on this level? This will just remove even the very thin veneer of US political national independence when it comes to Middle East - whose gonna trust them about any initiatives when they have to discuss it with their "partner"?
While we can talk about how US controls Israel, I am not quite sure to be honest that is the case. I think they are both controlled by the same forces. And that is terrifying, especially because it just enforces all the cliche views of state of Israel and its supporters in US, and thus closes the circle. Again, for state of Israel, feeling I get is that they would like to be left alone in the world, with burning neighborhood all around, bulldozers creating new apartment areas in depopulated and razed areas, and any opposition killed off, in that blood-vengeance, vendetta way that spares nobody - wives, children, grandchildren .... nobody.
As I said state of Israel is ran by militant faction, that has a very Old-Testament view of international relations that have nothing in common with the modern politics of the West. It is just tribal politics with high technology. To give credit where it is due, state of Israel actually fights for its interests (or at least interests of its power elites, because they are not all militant) while US sucks up humiliation after humiliation (Liberty was terrifying event, and Vietnam related discussions were enlightening), bow down and keep on ..... serving [in lack of better word].
What we see today is just culmination of wanton and unopposed wars of US and state of Israel in the Middle East. Nothing is truly new, seeds of this were sown decades ago, only difference now is that news spread faster and loud mouth sympathizers just don't take care what the f they talk about. Once narrative is out, it is out. How it will all end? Who knows, but I do not think it will end well, especially for these two "partners".
Highly recommended.
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June 19, 2024made it 3 pages in then couldn’t continue 😭
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews