By Latheef Farook –

Dismissing the island’s Muslim community, the United National Party led government, brought to power on 17 August 2015 by more than 95 percent Muslim votes, started rolling red carpets to Israeli delegations while Israeli troops desecrate Islam’s third holiest place, Masjid Al Aqsa in Jerusalem, and killing Palestinians who resist.

The island’s Muslim community remains shocked that the government started opening its doors wide to Israel even before it settled down to work. Up to date the government has not shown even a wee bit of interest, it has shown to develop ties with Israel, to attend to burning Muslim grievances.

For example this month marked the 25 anniversary of the LTTE eviction of Northern Muslims most of whom still languish in refugee camps. Numerous articles in the local media highlighted their misery. Has the government even indicated its willingness to deal with this burning issue?

Instead the government’s priority seems to promote Israel- the sworn enemy of Muslims worldwide, as if they are going to bring economic bonanza and turn the island into a land of milk and honey.

Six days before the 17 August 2015 general elections, war criminal Tony Blair, despised by all decent human being worldwide, and his family were invited on a two week tour by Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera. Blair, who now regrets for destroying Iraq, was taken to meet President Maithripala Sirisena, former President Mahinda Rajpaksa and was honored by inviting to address the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Affairs and Strategic Studies.

Minister Samaraweera’s invitation to Blair indicated the new government’s foreign policy of siding with US-Israeli war mongers who have turned many Muslim countries into grave yards and made more than twenty million once happy Muslim families into refugees.

This was followed by the visit of an Israeli Parliamentary delegation to Sri Lanka from 24 to 30 of September 2015. The delegation had discussions with Secretary-General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake on what was described as areas of mutual interest, security arrangements in Parliament, public outreach and employing disabled people in Parliament.

The question is how could Sri Lanka with more than 2000 years of civilization have areas of mutual interest with a neo fascist entity like Israel which occupies Palestinian lands and deny Palestinians even their basic human rights in their own land with its oppressive policies.

Now three weeks later comes the 15 member American Jewish team which established a” Sri Lanka-International Jewish Friendship Association” on 20 October 2015 assisted by Deputy Foreign Minister Harsha De Silva.

The team, also met President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake, Foreign Employment Minister Talath Athukoralae, Deputy Foreign Minister Harsha De Silva and many others all of whom received the team with enthusiasm.

Hope these ministers know ABC of Israel’s crime records and the sufferings they inflicted and inflict even today upon Palestinians whose lands they robbed after massacring and driving them out to establish the racist state of Israel.

As it always happens these visits were always shrouded in secrecy. There was a blackout of news on their visit in the local media -both print and electronic. Only social media reported in brief.

The question is what is the new government’s foreign policy, if there is one?

The government has thrown its weight fully behind US, where governments are made and unmade by Jewish lobbies, and Israel.

In view of the developments in the region, US and Israel wanted Sri Lanka more, as part of their global strategic reasons, than Sri Lanka needs these two countries.

There is a common feeling among Muslims here that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is more pro American than Americans themselves and he has been rather allergic to Muslims here in the country and abroad.

Citing an example many still speak about his unstinted support to US led invasion of Iraq in March 2003. He refused in 2003 to condemn the US which destroyed that ancient oil rich almost developed Muslim country where people enjoyed high standard of living .Today it was pushed into middle age. More than a million and half Iraqis who lived in peace and prosperity were slaughtered. More than five million thrown into refugee camps while an equal number made refugees in their own country. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis were tortured to death in the notorious Abu Ghraib prison as disclosed by the media.

In the Iraqi city of Fallujah innocent Bush and Blair incinerated Iraqis with latest of bombs.

Disgusted Muslim parliamentarians in the then UNP government wanted to condemn this unprecedented war crime. However Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, then prime minister, prevented them from condemning US stating that “those who wanted to criticize the US could do so after leaving the government”.

Thus his today’s honeymoon with American and Israeli war mongers is no surprise.

Few highly connected businessmen, certainly not Muslims, and others may benefit. However the country may be torn apart and bound to lose a great deal as wherever Israelis go they select racist elements to put them against Muslims to create communal clash. This is part of the global Zionist Jewish policy.

Palestinian-Israeli is a question of good and evil, justice and injustice, crime and barbarity and genocide and their victims and so on.

The United Nations, blackmailed by US, violated all accepted laws and ethics in human history in approving a resolution which provided a state to Zionist migrant Jews in Palestine.

This was also the death of United Nations and the international law.

Thus the Jewish racist state is an artificial entity established in violation of all moral and legal principles and ethics cherished by humanity throughout the ages. Since 1930s when Zionist Jews were brought into Palestine, Israel has committed around 65 massacres of Palestinians.

Unfortunate Palestinian men and women struggle to ensure their rights and dignity against the Israeli atrocities backed by the military might of US, Europe and Russia and ignored by Arab tyrants serving their western masters.

Now by siding with US and Israel, Sri Lanka is endorsing the genocidal policies of these two countries on Palestinians.

The shameful state of affairs is such that there was hardly a word of condemnation from the island’s bankrupt Muslim politicians who sold their souls under shameful deals, the so called wheeler dealer religious leaders and civil society leaderships. This is the sad plight of the island’s beleaguered Muslim community.

Today under the changed political environment since 8 January 2015 much is talked about reconciliation and communal harmony in Sri Lanka. Therefore in inviting the Israeli delegations did the government ever think of the sentiments of the island’s Muslim community?

Muslim countries remain the best friends of Sri Lanka in times of both prosperity and adversity. Under such circumstance why this honeymoon with war mongers?

By and large in Sri Lanka the present generation of professionals, intellectuals and others including most in the media do not know much about the true history of Zionist Jews as they depend on local media which depends on the pro Zionist western media for its international coverage .

Are we to presume that the set of UNP ministers who shook Israel’s bloodstained hands were among them?

The need of the hour for Sri Lanka is to re-establish its image in the international stage by once again supporting the oppressed people including Palestinians. One should not forget that Sri Lanka was highly respected in all Third world forums such as Nonaligned Movement and Afro Asian Solidarity Organizations due its principled support to freedom movements worldwide.

Countries like South Africa and its legendary leaders like Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu were respected because they defended justice all over as Sri Lanka did under late Prime Minister Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike.

Israelis were trying to penetrate Sri Lankan since 1950s. Every time they sneaked into the island through back door they were expelled. It was during Prime Minister W Dahanayake’s period in 1958 a non resident ambassador was appointed to Israel, but he was recalled by Prime Minister Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike.

Later in 1970 Mrs. Srimavo Bandaranaike closed down the Israeli mission in Colombo despite threats of economic boycott. The island’s fiercely independent and dignified policy and the overall attitude towards Israel was such that in 1979, Sri Lankan Cricket Team refused to play its match against Israel in the 15 nation qualifying competition in the 2nd Prudential World Cricket Competition in England.

In the aftermath of 1983 anti Tamil pogrom when President Jayewardene turned to Israel to crush Tamil militancy in the north. Israel grabbed the opportunity and an Israeli Interest Section was established in the US Embassy in Colombo with David Matna, later reported belonging to Israeli intelligence service, Mossad, as resident head.

Muslims opposed the move. However dismissing them President Jayewardene stated “well, if the Muslims wanted they can remain in the government, otherwise they can leave”.

This was one of the reasons why the frustrated Muslims, especially those in the east, turned to Sri Lanka Muslim Congress to raise their voice, though it later ended up as a disaster.

Here in Sri Lanka, instead of helping Jayewardene’s government Israelis trained both as disclosed in the book “By Way of Deception; The Making and Unmaking of a Mossad Officer” by Victor Ostrovsky and Claire Hoy .

It stated that “The Israelis trained elite forces, for both sides-( Tamil militants and the government forces) without either side knowing about the other and helped Sri Lanka cheat the World Bank and other investors out of millions of dollars to pay for all the arms they were buying from them” .

Once again Israel entered Sri Lanka during the Rajapaksa regime and began spreading their tentacles from politicians, media, business establishments and other fields.

With their arrival came the Rajapaksa government backed violent racist campaign aimed at annihilating the Muslims as a community. This was the worst ever anti Muslim attack in the known history of the island. These racist elements were suspected of close links to Israel which reported to have financed them via Norway. A German Jew even bought a building n Galle for BBS which was opened at a function attended by then defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Israelis were so successful that they got even got defeated President Mahinda Rajapaksa, then Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake and a parliamentary delegation led by then Leader of the House Nimal Sripala De Silva to visit Israel. Since then several ministers and top officials visited Israel. Certainly a great achievement for Israel.

This trend continues with greater intensity under the present UNP government. Thus the justifiable fear of Muslim community. Already few hundreds of Tamil Christians held a pro Zionist demonstration recently waving Zionist flag with pro Israeli slogans provoking the Muslims in the area.

Do we really need such provocations and when do we learn lesson?