As the civilian death toll in Gaza tops 27,000 and those barely surviving face near-certain death through starvation, disease and unrelenting Israeli bombings and raids obliterating hospitals, refugee camps and ambulances, the horrific carnage provides invaluable marketing opportunities for the death merchants of Israel.
Yes, as unimaginably unspeakable as that sounds, the more than 10,000 children slaughtered and thousands still beneath the rubble of their homes are merely the latest wave of test subjects for the Israeli war machine, as were so many others slaughtered before them—innocence butchered on the state-sanctioned altar of divine annihilation.
“You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu infamously commanded his troops and nation back in November. “And we do remember.”
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"We are fighting human animals, and we are acting accordingly," insisted Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in announcing the “complete siege” of the occupied territories, cutting off food, water, fuel, and power to the more than 2.2 million people living in the Gaza Strip.
The occupied, blockaded, walled territories of Palestine have served as an incubator for some of Israel’s deadliest and most intrusive weapons and surveillance systems. Once tested and perfected on the captive population, they’ve been sold to some of the most oppressive, murderous autocracies—and democracies—in the world.
One might argue that those nations purchasing and deploying these technologies are therefore complicit in helping fund the “plausible” genocide (the World Court’s language) taking place every single moment of every single day—right freakin now!!—in the occupied territories.
These are some of the many revelations exposed in the latest book by acclaimed journalist, filmmaker, and author Antony Loewenstein: “The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation around the World.”
A guest on previous episodes ”Disaster Capitalism” and “Grifter’s Paradise,” Loewenstein joins us once again to discuss the ascent of Israel into one of the largest arms dealers on the planet, its insanely disturbing testing and marketing techniques, the authoritarian regimes that have unleashed these weapons and technologies to crush dissenters and massacre countless people, 9/11’s lasting impact on all this, his warning for the future, and much more.
“Israel has developed a world-class weapons industry with equipment conveniently tested on occupied Palestinians, then marketed as ‘battle-tested,’ he writes in the book’s introduction. “Cashing in on the IDF brand has successfully led to Israeli security companies being some of the most successful in the world. The Palestine laboratory is a signature Israeli selling point.”
Through insightful interviews with journalists, scholars, attorneys, and human rights groups, historical records, declassified documents, and other sources, Loewenstein meticulously chronicles the darker secrets of this deadly trade, along with a long list of dictators and totalitarian states that have benefited immensely from their lethality.
“Israeli arms sales in 2021 were the highest on record, surging 55 percent over the previous two years to US$11.3 billion,” he writes. “Europe was the biggest recipient of these weapons, even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, followed by Asia and the Pacific. Rockets, aerial defense systems, missiles, cyberweapons, and radar were just some of the equipment sold by the Jewish state. The result is that Israel is now one of the top ten weapons dealers in the world, having sold a range of equipment to nations including India, Azerbaijan, and Turkey that worsened conflicts in their own regions.”
We consider “The Palestine Laboratory” required reading for anyone craving the critical, critical context at the heart of the ongoing war waged by Israel on the Palestinian people.
Learn more about Antony Loewenstein’s many projects at AntonyLoewenstein.com
Purchase “The Palestine Laboratory” How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation around the World” at Verso Books, along with his previous book “Disaster Capitalism.”
Check out investigative news outlet Declassified Australia, which Loewenstein co-founded, and follow him on X
Listen to our previous episodes featuring Antony Loewenstein:
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