Israeli, US or Indigenous Crime?

THE MUMBAI BOMBINGS shocked everyone around the world - 200 commuters dead, 700 wounded and a great city temporarily stopped dead in its tracks.

Nobody has claimed responsibility but already the Mainstream media have pointed the finger at Kashmiri separatists as the likely culprits. However other Indigenous South Asian candidates suggested so far include Al Qaeda (as always), Hindu extremists (to blame Muslims) and Indian Intelligence (to justify civil rights constraints).

Non-indigenous candidates would include the US (to blame “Islamic terrorism”, while noting that the CIA is closely linked to Pakistan’s ISI, which in turn is closely linked to the Taliban, Al Qaeda and Kashmiri separatists) and  Israel (to blame “Islamic terrorism” and to “cover” its current appalling violence against Palestinians and Lebanon, while also noting that Mossad is closely linked to Indian Intelligence).

In order to explore these hypotheses, it is useful - as in standard criminal investigations - to consider (a) Means (including preparedness, as evidenced by the historical  track-record), (b) Opportunity , and (c) Motive (MOM).

MEANS (& track record)

The Indigenous candidates certainly have the means (including exceptionally bloody track records). Thus the casualties in the insurgency and counter-insurgency in Kashmir since the late 1980s total over 80,000 and tens of thousands of Muslims have left; 0.2-0.7 million Hindu Kashmiri Pandits have been forced out because of Muslim insurgency. Thus both the Kashmiri separatists and the Indian Authorities have shown themselves capable of great violence.

The Taliban and Al Qaeda (both linked to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, ISI) fought against the Russians, Afghan opponents and, since 2001, against the American invaders. Al Qaeda certainly has a fearsome reputation as a non-state terrorist organization involved in bombings around the world (this reputation being assiduously promoted by their former financial backers, the Americans, and complicit Mainstream media). However their “body count” of Western civilian victims is about 4,000 (assuming no Israeli or US complicity in the 9/11 atrocity), this falling far short of the outcomes of their American and US-backed Israeli and Coalition foes.

The Israelis have a long track record of non-state terrorism against the British and Palestinians in the pre-Independence period of the 1930s and 1940s (the 1946 King David Hotel bombing in Jerusalem by the Jewish Irgun organization under Menachem Begin being a notorious episode).

After Independence, Israeli state terrorism (including that during a significant period under Menachem Begin) has been responsible for a horrendous death toll which, of course, has been largely NOT reported by lying, racist Western Mainstream media. Avoidable mortality (excess deaths or avoidable deaths) have totaled 0.3 million in the post-1967 period in the Occupied Palestine Territory - as compared to about 2,200 Israelis killed over that nearly 40 year period by Palestinians (this being comparable to the US domestic murder rate) (see: here and MWC News ).

The US record of “official” and covert state terrorism over the last 6 decades has been horrendous, commencing with the deliberate nuclear incineration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (over 0.3 million victims in total) and thence an avoidable mortality in  post-1950 US Asian wars totaling 18 million, comprising 0.8 million (the Korean War), 13 million (the Indo-China War), 1.8 million (the Gulf War and Sanctions against Iraq), 0.5 million (post-invasion Occupied Iraq)  and 2.0 million (post-invasion Occupied Afghanistan).

These figures ignore the horrendous human consequences of US covert state terrorism in South America, Central America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia. In terms of what is narrowly termed “terrorism” by Mainstream media (e.g. terrorist bombings) the US has had an active involvement for decades in such activities around the world, from the bombing of Catholic churches in Ecuador in the 1960s (see Philip Agee’s “Inside the Company. CIA Diary”) to death squads and bombings in Occupied Iraq (see MWC News ).

OPPORTUNITY

One supposes that Indigenous South Asian candidates from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Kashmir may have had limited opportunity because of intense Indian Intelligence and Security Services scrutiny. However Indigenous candidates from within India itself (Hindu extremists or Intelligence operatives themselves) would have had ready opportunity. Non-indigenous conspiracy candidates (Israelis and Americans) would have had ready access as tourists, business people or government officials. India is a major destination for young Israelis and Americans.

However the Israelis would have had very good opportunity in either an Indigenous or Non-indigenous scenario because of the very close ties of Mossad  with Indian Intelligence  and major Israeli military exports to India .

The Americans had opportunity via either the Indigenous or Non-indigenous scenario. Thus the CIA is very tightly linked to Pakistan’s ISI, which in turn is tightly linked to the Taliban, Al Qaeda and to Kashmiri separatist terrorist groups.

MOTIVE

The Kashmiri separatist terrorists - touted as the most likely candidates by the Mainstream media - have a conceivable motive of revenge – but they have denied any responsibility.

Al Qaeda or the Taliban would appear to have no sensible motive. The only outcomes from Muslim-origin non-state terrorist involvement would surely be NEGATIVE in relation to themselves or their co-religionists in India and Pakistan (and, no doubt, already has been).

In contrast, both the Israelis and the Americans had everything to gain from this kind of atrocity (and indeed have already gained enormously). The Islamophobic Israelis would enhance their love affair with the Indian military, government and Intelligence and would benefit from the immense hostility generated against perceived Muslim candidates (Al Qaeda, Pakistan, Taliban and Kashmiri separatists). For the Israelis the Mumbai atrocity has had the benefit of diverting world attention from Israel’s horrendous military targeting of civilians, as well as providing – as an assertedly Muslim atrocity - a  further element of warped justification for their current massive destruction of homes and infrastructure in Gaza and Lebanon.

The Americans, like the Israelis, have been quick off the mark in condemning the Mumbai atrocity as another event in Bush’s War on Terror. Mainstream media have swung into line supporting this American view - the 200 dead Mumbai victims have already provided further justification for the War on Terror that is currently  responsible for 1,200 avoidable under-5 year old infant deaths EACH DAY in the Occupied Iraqi and Afghan Territories (but which are resolutely NON-reported by Mainstream media).