Hasta La Creative!

The war clouds are gathering as both Israel and the United States continue to make threatening gestures over Iran’s alleged nuclear ambitions. And yet, it is rarely mentioned that Israel has a known stockpile of nuclear warheads … and that the presence of these warheads is the primary catalyst for the regional nuclear arms race. All that is beginning to change: a global push is now underway to make the entire Middle East a nuclear-free zone. Already there are signs that the world could reach consensus on this proposal. For one, a recent poll revealed that 64% of Israelis would support a nuclear-free Middle East that included Israel and Iran. This meme may be the only practical initiative that can bring peace.

Now the Guardian reports that in December, 2012 Finland will host “a historic conference bringing Iran and Israel together with Arab states to discuss a ban on nuclear, chemical and biological weapons in the Middle East… A British foreign office spokesman said the UK believed that a Middle East free of all WMD and their means of delivery was an achievable goal, and one which was vital to the long-term peace and security of the region… The promise to work for the creation of a WMD-free zone in the Middle East dates back to 1995, when states without nuclear weapons demanded it as part of the price for them to stay in the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and not seek their own arsenals.”

At #OCCUPYCHICAGO and beyond, can we seize the historic opportunity of back-to-back G8 and NATO summits and begin dictating to our leaders what we, the people, want? Can Occupy end the Iran war before it begins with a simple demand that 99% of the world, including Israelis and Iranians, can get behind: a nuclear-free Middle East as a concrete step toward a nuclear-free world?

This week marks a new geopolitical direction for the Occupy movement. As the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference unfolds until March 6, AIPACers will be greeted by the ongoing scores of occupiers who have descended on Capitol Hill. AIPAC is the 1% of American foreign policy; they’re the eyes, ears, nose and mouth of America’s generals, politicians and economic elite. At #OccupyAIPAC they come face to face with the 99%. Read about it here:

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has contributed to a disastrous American course in the Middle East and will be back at it this week in Washington, D.C. Self-described as a “pro-Israel lobby” whose goal is to “enact public policy that enhances the U.S.-Israel relationship,” the organization has enhanced this relationship while simultaneously making the region far more dangerous. More than ever in this election year with Republicans calling for the bombing of Iran and candidate Newt Gingrich claiming Palestinians are an “invented” people, AIPAC has the US Congress and presidential candidates in its thrall. Yet this year’s AIPAC policy conference in Washington, D.C. is more controversial than ever as Occupy activists seek to highlight the role of big-money lobbyists in elections while standing in solidarity with the global 99% opposed to Israel’s violations of human rights and international law.

Each year at AIPAC’s policy conference in Washington, D.C., the president, powerful senators and members of Congress parade across the stage in order to prove their loyalty to the Israeli government. AIPAC’s outsized influence on U.S. foreign policy can be linked to the disastrous war in Iraq, as well as to the current push for an attack on Iran. AIPAC is also known for drafting extreme anti-Palestinian, anti-human rights legislation that it then funnels into Congress. AIPAC Director Howard Kohr will likely appear on stage this March at the 2012 AIPAC conference to make the annual roll call, rattling off the names of congressional representatives, diplomats and dignitaries present in the room as if he is the auctioneer at an estate sale. And in a way, he is.

URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rae-abileah/occupy-aipac-saying-no-to_b_13…