Netanyahu's government, which has just won the Knesset's vote of confidence, has been greeted with horror everywhere due to its extreme right-wing nature. But the Americans don't seem worried about it, saying that they respect the free choice of the Israeli people. In truth, the Americans have more respect for their own interests than the free choice of other people. Remember what happened in Chile in the early 1970s? Back then, a freely elected government, led by Salvador Allende, was overthrown by a US-backed military coup. The reason was that Allende was a leftist politician who was opposed to US hegemony and wanted to clamp down on the monopolistic practices of major US corporations. That's where the Americans drew the line, encouraging General Pinochet to take over by force. Allende was killed in the presidential palace in Santiago on 11 September 1973, having delivered a farewell speech to the nation by radio. And Pinochet proceeded to commit unimaginable atrocities and eliminate thousands of his opponents. Washington had no qualms about that. Indeed, its leading strategist, Henry Kissinger, is quoted as saying, "The issues are much too important for the Chilean voters to be left to decide for themselves." The same contempt for other peoples' democracy was evident in the case of the Palestinians, when the Americans refused to recognise or even talk to a Hamas government that was elected by way of free elections. Again, Washington made it clear, through deeds if not words, that its main concern is not freedom, democracy, and human rights, but its own interests. Israel, a country that practically lives off US money and protection, has put a racist government in power and the Americans are not doing anything about it. The US is condoning, if not encouraging, a government that will clearly block any prospects for peace in the Middle East, and the Americans don't seem to be in the least bit alarmed. The Americans must know the full implication of a government that has Avigdor Lieberman -- a hideous racist if ever there was one -- as head of diplomacy. And yet they don't seem to care. Washington's collusion with Israel is evident, and no amount of rhetoric can disguise it now. O democracy, what crimes are committed in thy name!
