An Israeli who is opposed to Sharon's existence much less his policy took these pictures near Peta Tikva in the eastern suburbs of Tel Aviv and a few mile northeast of Ben Gurion Airport. You can see this place on Google Earth in an earlier stage of construction.
The Israeli is unhappy. He says this is an "American Base." He thinks that this "base" is connected to Bush/Sharon policy toward Syria. He is unhappy because he sees this as a diminution of Israel's "sovereignty." He clearly does not understand the Bushian view of such matters as "sovereignty."
When I first looked at these pictures my reaction was that this was a "surge" facility for storage of materiel and command and control of forces that might go there in a contingency situation.
The more I think about it the more I think that is true, but that the implications of its existence in that place should be examined.
Pat Lang
I received the following from a trusted friend in Israel -
"This is a base for the IDF, built by the US, in accordance with the Wye River Agreement. It should replace the Yamach [Emergency Storage Unit] of 720 Division, which used to be in Anatot."
http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=32.095664,35.114708&spn=0.052153,0.081050&t=h&hl=en
That would be the place?
Isn´t there a U.S. brigade in the Negev desert already?
Posted by: b | 14 September 2005 at 12:11 PM
Joe Trippi posted some pics of a base in Israel and spoke of similar claims...
I'll try to find the post, The pics appear (in my memory) to be the same.
Posted by: Geoff | 14 September 2005 at 12:33 PM
b
There have been deployments for maneuvers from time to time.
pat
Posted by: Pat Lang | 14 September 2005 at 12:57 PM
All,
I am told by an Israeli friend that this is a facility built for the IDF by the US under the Wye River Agreement and that it will house an Israeli division which must be moved out of the West Bank under the agreement.
Pat
Posted by: Pat Lang | 14 September 2005 at 01:21 PM
I don't know why there is such a fuss about this; after all Israel is a US base for hegemony in ME anyways.
Posted by: Friendly Fire | 14 September 2005 at 03:51 PM