US SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL UNLIKELY TO CHANGE

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 6 (Bernama) -- United States' President-elect Barack Obama is
not expected to change his country's stand with regard to support for Israel
although the Zionist regime had clearly acted brutally against Palestine, former
Malaysian prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Monday.

He said a major power like the United States needed Israel to support
certain policies which the former implemented and turning away from the regime
would mean losing the much-anticipated support.

"Although the United States' Congress consists of learned individuals, it
condones terrorism. We see Israel as having no restriction and Israel actually
rules the world through its proxies because no US presidential candidate,
including Barack Obama, is bold enough to state that the United States does not
support Israel.

"In fact, Obama's right-hand man (vice president-elect) Joseph Biden has
openly declared that he is a Zionist. So, you can imagine Obama's foreign
policy in the future," he said at a news conference called to condemn Israel's
ongoing brutality against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, at the Perdana
Leadership Foundation here.

Commenting on the tragedy in Palestine and the United States' support for
Israel, Dr Mahathir said the whole world has to unite to state its opposition to
the stand of the United States which did not want to budge from its support for
Israel despite condemnation by all quarters.

Dr Mahathir said it was difficult to undermine the position of the United
States as a major power and, as such, the unity of all quarters was most
necessary to shake its support for Israel's atrocities.

"Although governments may not be able to do anything, the people can play an
effective role, especially in boycotting all goods produced by that country.

"The people can act and they have the capacity to act," he said, adding that
the people need not consume US brands of soft drinks and that the government
cannot force them to drink them.

"If we need to buy weapons for our security forces, we can always buy them
from Russia; we don't have to buy from the United States," he said.

Dr Mahathir said the boycott would have to be a universal effort because it
would be ineffective if carried out by just one side.

"We have to be bold. If all Malaysians are united, even a small thing can
provide a major impact," he said.

Dr Mahathir, who is chairman of the Kuala Lumpur Foundation to Criminalise
War, however acknowledged that there would be a price to pay if countries
stopped trading with the world's major trading nation.

"There is a price to pay for everything. If we want to do something good,
then there will be a price to pay. I think if you whittle down involvement with
the United States from now, slowly we will get used to it," he said.

Israel, he said, had to be blamed for invading Gaza but the United States
and Britain should also be held responsible for their undivided support of the
regime.

"The United States is already paying the price for this. Their embassies
have to have high walls and barbed wire all around. People hate the United
States, but if they want to be hated by people it's their business. Of
importance is that the support for Israel must stop," he said.
-- BERNAMA