Bradley Manning leaked diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks that shed light on
U.S. foreign policy and Israel/Palestine (Photo: Associated Press)
Alex Kane ( Mondoweiss)The trial of military whistleblower Bradley Manning has refocused attention on the revelations about U.S. foreign policy his actions produced. Much ink has been spilled on the headline-making news related to Iraq and Afghanistan that WikiLeaks, the organization Manning leaked to, shed light on. But WikiLeaks' and Manning's actions also exposed many important details about Israel/Palestine.
The massive amount of State Department cables that Manning handed over to WikiLeaks was a deep look into how U.S. policy on Israel, Palestine and the larger Middle East play out. Here's a look back at some of what Manning told the world about the region—a reminder why Israel/Palestine watchers should be concerned with Manning's trial and sentencing.
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"WikiLeaks focused attention on how important the Palestinian Authority is to Israel. In 2009, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he wanted to “strengthen” the PA during his term in office, according to one State Department cable. Another cable from that same year shows why Netanyahu wanted to boost the PA. Israeli defense ministry official Amos Gilad “noted that Israeli-PA security and economic cooperation in the West Bank continues to improve as Jenin and Nablus flourish, and described Palestinian security forces as the ‘good guys,’” as another cable reads. A separate cable also reveals that Gilad was concerned about PA President Mahmoud Abbas' longterm viability. Other cables revealed close security cooperation and intelligence sharing between the PA and Israel, though PA officials wanted to keep those activities under wraps."
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