Karzai previously threatened

To join Taliban

The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) opposed President Barack Obama for firing General Peter Fuller, deputy commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, from his command after Fuller responded to Afghan president Hamid Karzai’s recent statement that, in a war between the U.S. and Pakistan, Afghanistan would fight at Pakistan’s side.  General Fuller’s response to Karzai was, “Why don’t you just poke me in the eye with a needle! You’ve got to be kidding me … I’m sorry, we just gave you $11.6 billion and now you’re telling me, ‘I don’t really care’? When they have a presidential election, you hope they get a guy that’s more articulate in public.” 

As military historian James Corum has observed, “This is not the first time Karzai has publicly made virulent anti-American statements. On several occasions he has accused the Americans of bombing innocent Afghan civilians – accusations later proven to be completely false” (James Corum, ‘General Fuller was fired for hinting at the truth: Karzai is thoroughly unhinged. And we’re propping him up,’ Telegraph [London], November 7, 2011). 

In April 2010, as the ZOA noted at the time, Karzai threatened to “join the Taliban” and warmly welcomed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a personal meeting at his palace, saying that Iran and Afghanistan were “brother nations” that shared the same national interests. Journalist Joel Brinkley wrote at the time that Karzai had made “delusional criticism of the United States and its allies” regarding the rigged Afghan elections that returned him to power. The Obama Administration reacted by saying it “respects” Karzai while White House spokesman Robert Gibbs did not say that Karzai’s statements were “destructive, or an “affront”’ or an “insult,” as the White House said against Israel building in eastern Jerusalem, but merely said this was “troubling” and “frustrating.” 

Gibbs told reporters on April 5, “On behalf of the American people, we’re frustrated with the remarks” (Mark Memmott, ‘White House Frustrated With Karzai After Hearing He Mused About Joining Taliban,’ National Public Radio, April 5, 2010). Gibbs also said in a press briefing on April 6, “There are times in which the actions that he takes are constructive to governance.  I would say that the remarks he’s made — I can’t imagine that anybody in this country found them anything other than troubling.” Gibbs also said that a scheduled visit by Karzai to Washington on May 12 is still on track (‘Briefing by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs,’ April 6, 2010).

In contrast to criticism of Karzai by UN officials, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that Karzai should be “treated with respect because he is the representative of the people of Afghanistan and their sovereignty,” a view Secretary of State Clinton affirmed (‘This Week Transcript: Secretaries Gates and Clinton,’ ABC News, April 11, 2010

Yet, last year, the Obama Administration was publicly, harshly and repeatedly critical of Israel for announcing the building project. Vice-President Joseph Biden “immediately condemned the action” (‘Remarks by Vice President Biden and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas,’ March 10, 2010); Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wondered publicly if Israel is serious about peace and described the announcement as “not only an insult to Biden, but an insult to the United States” (Moshe Dann, ‘A blessing in disguise,’ Yediot Ahronot, March 15, 2010); while senior Obama adviser David Axelrod called it “destructive,” an “affront” and an “insult” (‘Israeli settlement action “an insult”: Obama aide,’ Yahoo News, March 14, 2010).

The Israeli construction decision in Jerusalem violated no U.S.-Israel agreement, endangered no U.S. forces and was in accord with Israel’s unilateral concession in 2009, to initiate a 10-month freeze on Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria, which explicitly did not include construction in Jerusalem. 

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “We are not only good Zionists, but also good patriots. We worry when the President sacks a senior military commander merely for taking issue with a vicious and horrific anti-American statement made by Afghanistan’s Karzai, who owes his very position as leader of Afghanistan to the sacrifice of American lives and resources, threatening to join forces with Pakistan if a war between the U.S. and Pakistan ever eventuates.

“President Obama should himself have condemned Karzai. as we know in the case of Israel, his Administration is more than willing to do so when an ally does something with which it disagrees. All the more so, too, when the Afghan leader made a truly outrageous declaration that he would fight against the U.S. on the side of Pa country with whom we found ourselves in conflict..

“Why is there no condemnation, no penalty for an ally who behaves with astonishing hostility and ingratitude to the U.S., while in the case of Israel, a housing project in the nations’ capital brings about the harshest criticism never used of any other ally?”