"ISRAEL FIRST" = "AMERICA LAST"

"American direct intervention in the Muslim World has paradoxically elevated the stature of and support for radical Islamists, while diminishing support for the United States to single-digits in some Arab societies.  Muslims do not `hate our freedom,' but rather, they hate our policies.  The overwhelming majority voice their objections to what they see as one-sided support in favor of Israel and against Palestinian rights, and the longstanding, even increasing support for what Muslims collectively see as tyrannies, most notably Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan, and the Gulf states."
          —2004.11.30, Final Report of the Defense Science Board (DSB) Task Force on Strategic Communication, an advisory panel for the United States Department of Defense (DOD), p. 40

(The DSB, established in 1956, is "a committee of civilian experts"—"eminent authorities in the fields of science, technology, manufacturing, acquisition, and other matters of particular interest to the Department of Defense"— appointed to advise the DOD.  Its mission is to "provide the Secretary of Defense, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and, as requested, other Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Principal Staff Assistants, the Secretaries of the Military Departments, the Commanders of the Combatant Commands, independent advice and recommendations on scientific, technical, manufacturing, acquisition process, and other matters of special interest to the Department of Defense."  (Wikipedia.))

(When reporting on this DSB report, the New York Times conspicuously manifested its strong, pro-Israel bias by failing to mention the Israel/Palestine issue:  "[The report] warns that no public relations plan or information operation can defend America from flawed policies.  ...  The report says that `Muslims do not 'hate our freedom,' but rather they hate our policies,' adding that `when American public diplomacy talks about bringing democracy to Islamic societies, this is seen as no more than self-serving hypocrisy.'  In the eyes of the Muslim world, the report adds, `American occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq has not led to democracy there, but only more chaos and suffering.'  The report also says:  `The critical problem in American public diplomacy directed toward the Muslim world is not one of 'dissemination of information' or even one of crafting and delivering the 'right' message. Rather it is a fundamental problem of credibility. Simply, there is none ...'"