Judging Freedom - Col. Lawrence Wilkerson: Blinken Shreds Guitar, IDF Shreds Rafa.

Episode Date: May 17, 2024

Col. Lawrence Wilkerson: Blinken Shreds Guitar, IDF Shreds Rafa.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Thank you. Hi, everyone. Judge Andrew Napolitano here for Judging Freedom. Today is Friday, May 17th, 2024. Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson joins us now. Colonel, has Prime Minister Netanyahu painted himself in a corner between those in his administration and amongst the Israeli public that desperately want to see hostages released and conscripted sons and daughters in the military come home and those on the hard right that want to see more slaughter and obliteration in Gaza? He certainly has, but I think it's a corner he wants to be in. The only way he continues is by continuing this war. And the only way he continues this war, politically speaking,

is he keeps all these forces at bay while he remains prime minister. And whether it's Yov Galant, who really is a critic, a true critic, I don't think Galant has a lot of political ambition. He's just a soldier. And he sees that they have no plan, no plan whatsoever. And so he finally became outspoken. But Netanyahu is a master at manipulating all these people, whether they're political or not. And that's what he wants to do.

If he wants to be in a corner, it's fine with him because, as he said, this war could go on for 10 years and I will make it go on for 10 years and therefore stay out of jail and stay in power. That would take quite a trick. But I'd never put anything past BB. So yes, he painted himself in a corner he wants to be in. You are not exaggerating at all. He did tell Haaretz, it seemed like a spontaneous question, but you know him, he probably thought about it ahead of time. When they asked him how long the work had gone, he said for 10 years. I guess that would suit him well. He'd be in his early 80s in time for retirement. I'm trying to think the way he probably thinks. He knows without the war, he's not in power. Do you think if he did something as outrageous to the right wing as agreed to a ceasefire and an exchange of hostages, Palestinian hostages

and Israeli hostages, that the right wing members of his coalition would actually leave the coalition, collapse the government, and force elections in the middle of a war? That's a possibility, but I think it's quite remote as long as Netanyahu is the manipulator of the political scene. I think what he would do if that were to be presented to him, he would make a promise to them that what they fear most, which is there will be some authority in Gaza post-conflict, if there is any post-conflict, that will inhibit them in developing Gaza the way they've developed the West Bank and East Jerusalem and Golan, then they'd be okay with it as long as he assured them that they'd still be able to do that, that he would be against any kind of post-conflict situation that would prevent them from doing that. He's a master at doing these sorts of things. And then if he can't bring that off, he will explain to him just why he couldn't do it at that particular moment in time,

and he'll put it off again, and he'll keep his coalition together. Now, it is somewhat fragile, I think, and it's fragile because the underpinnings never were really solid. He was already in trouble as we had the events of October the 7th. They actually saved him, I think. But I don't ever put anything past him in terms of being able to manipulate the different forces within Likud, including the extreme right wing, and stay in power. The members of that extreme right wing, Colonel, have said horrific things. They have referred to the war in Gaza as mowing the grass. They have called the Palestinian people subhuman.

Inamar Ben-Gavir, who's the rough equivalent of the head of their FBI, is theoretically in charge of some sort of a national security force, have said the Israeli jails are bursting at the seams. We should just take Palestinian prisoners out and shoot them so there's more room in our jails. Given that mindset, which is key to his coalition, because if they leave the coalition, he doesn't have the 61 votes he needs in the Knesset. What does he have to do to keep the coalition in Rafah? I mean, what does he have to do in Rafah to keep the coalition? Does he have to slaughter again?

Does he have to kill another 30,000? There's a million Palestinians crammed into a city built to hold a quarter of a million, and he's on the verge of invading it. And now we have got major elements in terms of Hamas in the north again, starting to fight again and killing Israeli citizens and soldiers in the north. So he didn't clean up too well. He left a lot in the rear that was exploitable by the commandos and others that are left. But what you're saying is that he would have to be presented or Ben Gavir is in for a penny, in for a pound with Netanyahu, as well as Netanyahu is in that way with Ben-Gavir and the other right-wingers. So as long as he keeps delivering a little bit, just a little bit of blood, a little bit of this, a little bit of that, some more Palestinians dying,

maybe a really bad situation in terms of us and what we're looking at in Rafa. And Ben-Gabir has bought off at least for another month of war. So I think Netanyahu is a master at playing this. And the other thing that's happening right now, we're getting ready, as I understand it, we're getting ready to open the pier. And this is going to be a nightmare in essence, because though it's going to deliver enormous amounts of food make everything in the past pale by comparison is what i'm told it's got all kinds of characters that have to play in it from the world food program to the uae which is

financing most of it to the idf which is going to protect it. And then the World Food Program is going to distribute it while the IDF protects it. The IDF is going to protect it, Colonel? There's going to be a thousand Marines on it. The IDF and Marines are going to be cheek by jowl and armed? Well, we're talking about the pier with the Marines, though. We're talking about once it's offloaded and gets into the area. Oh, I see. I see.

That's a huge question. I was talking to a couple of guys, a couple of logisticians just the other day. They hadn't gotten to this point yet. But what are you going to do with the rubble that's out there and the World Food Program trucks that won't go through that rubble or any other means that the World Food Program might use to distribute, the UAE might pay for, and the IDF might, okay, ostensibly protect while they're doing it. How are they going to move?

How are they going to get through this? And where are they going to set up the supply points? This is all terrific in terms of volume. It'll make, as I said, the past look like a piker. Those airdrops were nothing compared to this. But I don't know how they're going to do it. And there are just too many players to do it. You mentioned a few minutes ago, Defense Minister Gallant, you referred to him as not being politically ambitious, but being a professional soldier.

Here he is, pretty severely criticizing Prime Minister Netanyahu without mentioning his name. I want you to hear it. It'll be obvious about whom he's speaking. Cut number 17. Indecision is, in essence, a decision. This leads to a dangerous course, which promotes the idea of Israeli military and civilian governance in Gaza. This is a negative and dangerous option for the state of Israel, strategically, militarily, and from a security standpoint. We must make tough decisions for the future of our country, favoring national priorities above all other possible considerations, even with the possibility of personal or political costs. Well, it's kind of obvious who he's talking about.

Right. You might remember, I had to refresh my memory on it, but Gallant was the one that Netanyahu, a short time ago, tried to take on before October 7th. I believe he actually fired him and then he was forced to rescind the fire. Got him in real trouble. Got him in real trouble. He knows how popular he is with the Israeli people, or at least a sizable number of them, who look at him as a soldier. They don't look at him as a politician.

And they think that what he's saying is probably, in terms of the critical situation they're in right now, is probably good, probably accurate, probably needs to be listened to. And what he's saying is you've got no plan, Bibi. You have no plan, and I know you have no plan. If your plan is to have the IDF secure Gaza for ad nauseum, for the future, then I'm not for that because you're going to get a lot of IDF killed. You're going to get them killed day in and day out. This is a huge occupation that we got out of it. We left. Sharon pulled us out because he didn't want to do that.

You're talking about putting us back in if that's your plan. If, on the other hand, your plan is to bring in the Arab states and other militaries, including possibly even I've've heard talk of, some U.S. forces, that's another deal that we've got to work out, and we've got to understand what the plan is, how we're going to work it out. And he's not doing that. Netanyahu is not telling anybody what he's going to do other than I'm going to wage this war for 10 more years if necessary. That's his plan. While the war is going on, the IDF built a highway from Israel to the sea,

right across the middle of the Gaza Strip. And it's a mile wide. I mean, the highway's not a mile wide, but there are buffers on either side of the highway, so the Gaza Strip is effectively cut in half now.

Why did they do that? I can only surmise that they did it for the same reason that they did it in the West Bank in terms of making sure that what was occurring as they cleansed the Palestinians, as they dispossessed them of their lands and their orchards and things was not in any way a security threat to the settlers that did it. And so they created these roads whereby the settlers could move easily and strategically, tactically and operationally and strategically, and take care of their own security. At the same time, the Palestinians were forbidden from using these roads and would die if they were on the roads. I mean, they were going to be eliminated if they got on these roads because they're only for the settlers. So there's got to be something

in the way of that, I think. Ben-Gavir can start in the north of that road and he can be supplied, or he can start on both sides of that road and be supplied. But there's got to be something operational about it. That's my guess anyway. Has Netanyahu, as far as you know, and from your sources, lost popularity amongst the Israeli people, or do they still view him, notwithstanding what happened on October 6th, as their supreme leader in this effort to rid themselves of Hamas once and for all? I think the majority of them, that might be 51% of those that vote, believe that to remove him at a point now where something has to happen that's critical to their future would be a mistake. And so he's solidified in his position by that feeling. They don't like him. They don't care for him particularly. And remember, they were probably going to remove him simply because of

his messing with the Supreme Court before. He's lost a lot of popularity. But I don't think they're going to, you know, the old idea, you don't remove a president or a prime minister when they're in the middle of a war unless they're just in a complete disaster. And I think that's weighing, and Beebe knows how to weigh that properly, so he stays in there. And he knows how to play all the different elements against one another, so he stays in there.

I'm not saying he's going to fall tomorrow morning, but I don't think it'll happen. Transitioning to the other hotspot, another area of your expertise, Colonel, Ukraine. How much longer do you think the Ukraine military can last? How much longer do you think, this is a long-winded question, my apologies, address it as you see fit, President Zelensky can last since his term of office expires at midnight on Monday night? I think the 1.5 million population city of Kharkiv is a sort of a ripost by Putin for what has been happening around Bevorod in terms of the way the Ukrainians are attacking. I think he's probably looking at the city to the northwest too and the Oblast there, Sumska I think it's called, and the city is Sumy. And he's just

going to do this. He can do this at will pretty much. And every time he gets some kind of a threat from Ukraine that is into Russia, Belgorod or wherever, he's going to threaten some population center like Kharkiv or Sumy and threaten the whole obelisk. lost. I don't think he wants to get involved in a 1.5 million population city with troops, but he's going to do this. And he's just going to sit back and do it until they fall completely apart and the rest of the coalition, NATO, Washington, London, Paris with them, because they've lost. And all Putin's going to do is just continue to pound them until, you know, he has no further to go than what he wants to go. I don't think he wants all the rest of Ukraine, but he can certainly threaten them to the extent that they keep putting soldiers out there and they keep losing soldiers. Can you see the map that Chris put up? Because you mentioned Kharkov and you mentioned Sumy. Now, they are not shown in this map as being under Russian dominance. Are they now or are they soon to be?

No, I think the estimates of the military folks that know this scene better than I, is that Kharkiv is the first place to be threatened, and it's Oblast, and then Sumy might be a follow-up. And just look at what he's doing. He's carving Oblast off as he goes along, and there's nothing to stop him now. There's absolutely nothing to stop him. I hear Zelensky talking about, I need Patriot batteries. I need more artillery ammunition. And this money that Congress just approved will get me that ammunition. And I'll be able to stop them. I'm sorry.

You are not going to stop the Russians. They simply are not subject to being stopped by what you have remaining, no matter who helps you with what, unless they enter the war themselves. And even then, I would say it'd be a toss-up because, you know, NATO is really a paper tiger when you look at it really closely, including its complement called the United States of America. I could go on and on about that. I was in the Congress. Recently, the British made some noise about sending troops, or David Cameron, Lord David Cameron, as he's now known, the defense minister, was talking about sending military gear there,

and the Russians responded verbally. And Admiral Kirby was asked what he thought about that response. I think this is an absurd response from Admiral Kirby, but I want you to listen to it and then comment on it. Cut number one. There's been threats from Moscow in the last couple of days about striking British military facilities and also simulating

nuclear drills as it sharply rises tensions because of weapons manufactured in the UK being used in the conflict that says it could potentially apply to other allied countries as well, theoretically the United States. Do you have a response to that? Well, what I'd say, number one, is it's just reckless and irresponsible for the leader of a major nuclear-armed power to be saber-rattling the way that he is with respect to the potential use for nuclear weapons. Obviously, we monitor this and have continued to monitor this very closely. I can tell you we've seen nothing, even despite the reckless rhetoric,

that would cause us to change our strategic deterrent posture. And look, lastly, if if Mr. Putin and Russian officials are worried about their troops in Ukraine getting hit with weapons from other countries, then the easiest thing to do is just take your troops and leave. Isn't that ridiculous for him to say, take your troops and leave after this investment? Well, the first thing that I would say is that admirals ought to stick to the ocean. All right, Colonel, good one. Kirby has never impressed me, either in his spokesperson capabilities or his military acumen. I don't know why Biden keeps him.

I don't know why he keeps Sullivan. I don't know why he keeps Blinken. They're nightmares in terms of diplomacy and good foreign policy. And he's stuck with them, I guess, and he has to. But these comments are just nonsense. What Putin is doing is saying, I know you're thinking that you are desperate. I mean, he's got to be thinking that. We cannot be the idiots we seem to me to him.

So I'm telling you, if you bring NATO into this, I have other weapons in my arsenal. I'd be doing the same thing if I were he because of the bellicosity he sees on the other side. And he's got to be interpreting Washington as being brain dead because it's so obvious that Ukraine is reeling and there's no admission to it on the Washington scene or or London, or Berlin, or any of the places. Secretary Blinken made a surprise visit to Kiev this week at a meeting with President Zelensky and what appears to be senior members of his government. Secretary Blinken made some promises. We'll run this for you now. Watch how stylized and highly produced this is. There's three different cameras. It's almost like they're filming a documentary. I don't know if the United States brought all this camera gear with them or if the Ukrainians set it up. But watch this and then I'll be anxious for your thoughts. This is not a secretary in the basement of the bar.

We'll play that for you in a minute. This is him with a coat and tie on in a conference room in the president's palace. Cut number 14. The assistance is now on the way. Some of it's already arrived. More of it will be arriving. And that's going to make a real difference against the ongoing Russian aggression on the battlefield. And we're determined, along with many other partners for Ukraine, to make sure that you succeed on the battlefield.

We're equally determined that over time, Ukraine stands strongly on its own feet, militarily, economically, democratically, a strong, successful, thriving, free Ukraine is the best possible rebuke to Putin and the best possible guarantor for your future. And for all of that, the United States is and will remain a committed partner. I think this is hogwash because you can give them all the equipment you want. They don't have the manpower to operate it. You said it. That almost looked to me like it was staged by a Hollywood director. Yes.

Yes. Even Zelensky. Zelensky's facial expressions and his nodding his head and everything. He knew exactly what to say and when to say it and what to look like. That was for the audience, so to speak. It wasn't for the Russians. I guarantee you the Russians are probably chortling at that in their vodka. Here's President Zelensky responding to what we just heard Secretary Blinken say, cut number 13. Thank you so much. Thanks for coming to Ukraine, especially these days.

Not simple period for Ukraine and a tough period for the east of our country, for our warriors. Thank you that you came, especially these days to support Ukraine. We need, really, we need today two Patriots for Kharkiv, for Kharkiv region, because the people are under attack, civilians and warriors, everybody there under Russian missiles. When he says he needs batteries, what is he talking about? Artillery? He's talking about the Patriot batteries because the Russians have basically air superiority now. And that's what he wants to do something about.

Shoot a few Russian planes down, maybe with Patriot batteries. What the Russians will do is take out the Patriot batteries. Right. Patriot batteries. What the Russians will do is take out the Patriot batteries. It would be painful if it weren't real. It would be risible if it weren't real. It would be a comedy if it weren't real. And the people paying the price for this are those young people in Ukraine who are dying and who I understand, as I've said on your show before, are now surrendering anytime they can because they are dying and they know they're going to die

even more so if they don't. So this is nonsense and we're using it. This is as bad as Gaza in a different frame of reference. We're enabling genocide in Gaza, and that's reprehensible. In Ukraine, we're enabling the death of Ukrainian young men and women in a fight that is lost. It's over. It's finished. And all Putin's got to do is wrap up the battlefield, mop up the battlefield. That's what he was talking to Xi about in Beijing. I guarantee you that's what he was talking to him about, among other things. But watch this now. You're going to see just how much a deficit there is of brainpower, of talent and skill in the West. You're going to see how bereft these leaders are in the West of any notion of how to deal with the world the way it is now. The rules-based order established by the United States in a post-World War II world is over. And you are seeing it

demonstrated on the battlefield in Ukraine, and you're seeing it demonstrated glaringly in Gaza. Colonel, you have been through this before when you ran the State Department. When we send this kind of equipment over there, A, do we ever expect to get paid for it by the Ukrainians? B, do we ever expect to get it back? Or is it, and the cost of it, gone forever? I'll answer that by telling you we left billions in Afghanistan, and there are still quite a bit in Iraq. And almost any battlefield you want to visit from Vietnam to the time present, we have left billions of dollars of equipment in the country or countries with whom we were engaged. This is the way we do business. There is no accountability for anyone in the

federal structure anymore. I'm not even going to introduce this, but you'll know who it is. You'll know where he is. And I don't know if you can figure out what he's trying to do. Chris, cut number 16. The United States is with you. So much of the world is with you. And they're fighting, not just for a free Ukraine, but for the free world. And the free world is with you too. So maybe we can try something? Yeah, sure. I don't know if we can. I'm glad you saved me from the pain of listening.

What would your colleague, friend, and boss, the late Colin Powell, have thought of a Secretary of State in a subterranean pub in Kiev in the middle of wartime? Well, if he'd been president, he would have relieved him of duty. That's what I would have done, too. But I would have done it long before this this man is just I won't say he's a joke because that's being too kind he's a disaster

he's a walking disaster and that he's the secretary of state of the United States of America is just another example Putin could give to Z in terms of you see you see the skill of these people you see the skill of these people. You see the talent of these people. You see the lying and obfuscation of these people. These people are not for real.

They're just not for real. You should not be scared of them. Not at all. That's a dangerous conversation to be having. Right. Colonel Wilkerson, a pleasure, my dear friend. It's late enough Friday. It's springtime. Thank you very much for giving us your time. Much appreciated. We look forward to seeing you again soon, hopefully next week. Thanks for having me. Of course. Coming up at five o'clock Eastern, the Intelligence Community Roundtable. It's the end of the day. It's the end of the week. It's Friday. Judge Napolitano for judging freedom. Altyazı M.K.