“I don't think anyone has been slandered more than the Jews,” rued the mass-murderer whose media runs these cartoons.
Castro’s Zionist shtick to Jeffrey Goldberg went viral last year. But amazingly, without being recognized as such-- not only by Goldberg—but even by the world’s pre-eminent Zionist experts on shtick-detection.
“So what was up with all that pro-Israel hype?” you ask.
Elementary, my dear Watson. Cuba-Watchers know that Castro plumbs the workings of the U.S. legislature better than most home-grown lobbyists, and well knows the main power brokers. As proof, he’s been smooching U.S. farm interests for over a decade. Coincidentally, perhaps, over the last decade the U.S. became one of Cuba’s biggest food suppliers. (Some “Embargo”!)
Last year it was time to schmooze Israel-backers. At the same time Castro seemed poised for a pilgrimage to the Wailing Wall last year, the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Relations was poised for a vote vital to the financial health of his fiefdom. Steadfast Israel-backer Howard Berman chaired this House Committee at the time and steadfast Israel-backer and Committee member Senator Gary Ackerman held what looked like the deciding vote. So you see the importance.
Some background: as often explained here at Townhall, Castro’s military and secret police own Stalinist Cuba’s tourist industry practically lock stock and barrel. As used to be common knowledge during the Cold War, secret-police and military (the only outfits with guns in such places) maintain Communist regimes in power. The HCFR vote would decide a further opening of U.S. tourist travel to Castro’s fiefdom. So you see the importance of the issue.
Even with Rep. Ackerman taking Castro’s bait, Rep. Berman saw that the vote for Castro’s bail-out was a lost cause and postponed it. “Hay Caramba!” snarled Castro while ripping off and stomping on his yarmulke. A few weeks later his roaming ambassador Aleida Guevara (Che’s daughter) was in Lebanon posing next to Hezbollah missiles aimed at Israel.
The Cuban-born (and steadfast Israel-backer) Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, was among those bemused with Netanyahu and Peres last year. “Look, this guy has been an enemy of Israel, “wrote Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen to Netanyahu, “just because he said something that a normal person would say - after 50 years of anti-Israel incitement, it's one phrase from an old guy who doesn't even know where he's standing."
Fortunately for Israel (and unfortunately for Castro) Ileana Ros-Lehtinen recently succeeded Berman as the Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign affairs and is currently leading legislative efforts for the U.S.-- not exactly to get out of the U.S.—but at least to start de-funding it. Hey, it’s a start.
The biggest question now is whether Hezbollah will content itself with Israeli targets. The arrest of a Hezbollah member tasked with setting up a cell in Tijuana was confirmed in a memo from the Tucson Police Dept. in April 2010. "Many experts believe Hezbollah and drug cartels have worked together for decades.” wrote U.S. Rep. Sue Myric R-NC to the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security. “Hezbollah operates almost like a Mafia family in Northern Mexico, often demanding protection money and "taxes" from local inhabitants." She also noted that lately gang tattoos of many prisoners in Arizona jails are written in Farsi.
"Several reports, citing U.S. law enforcement and intelligence sources, document that Hezbollah operatives have provided weapons and explosives training to drug trafficking organizations that operate along the U.S. border with Mexico,” testified Roger Noriega (former U.S. Ambassador to the OAS) to the House Committee on Homeland Security's Subcommittee on Counter-terrorism and Intelligence on July 7th.
“If our government and responsible partners in Latin America fail to act,” continued ambassador Noriega’s testimony. “I believe there will be an attack on U.S. personnel, installations or interests in the Americas as soon as Hezbollah operatives believe that they are capable of such an operation without implicating their Iranian sponsors in the crime.”