After reading [Benny] Morris today ["Why Israel Feels Threatened," a headline that will go down in infamy --Weiss] I recalled the advice that the late Israeli
PM Levi Eshkol (who headed the Israeli government in 1967) had given to
Israeli diplomats then: “Present yourself as Poor Samson” (or pitiful
Samson), make powerful Israel look weak in order to justify Israeli
military action.
Related posts:
- Press Differs on Whether Emanuel Will Serve Israel
- Israeli press calls Netanyahu ‘insane’; why can’t American press do the honors?
- To have an opinion re the Mideast in the American press, you must first ‘love’ Israel
- American press reported on Roxana Saberi’s arrest in Iran; will it pick up Amira Hass’s arrest in Israel?
- Israeli Press Shames Settlement Czar Leviev (Will American Press Shame Sarandon?)
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After the amazing response in the comments to the previous, 18th of July 2008, op-ed by Benny Morris (the one where he explained why Israel has right to nuke Iran – you guessed it – because it feels threatened) this time comments are not allowed.
Smart move by NYT, and I'm glad it is necessary.
A bit hard to make Samson look weak, hairy as he is with advance
American weaponry and US tax dollars stuffed in his pocket for the
next decade firm at least.
Leon Hadar should not invent sources. I write from memory but AFAIK Eshkol never gave such an advice to anyone. He made a disparaging remark about Israeli attitudes.
Inventing a direct quote that doesn't exist is malpractice.
"In 1965, Ezer Weizman, the commander of the Air Force, was sent to Washington with a long shopping list, which included a good number of Skyhawks as well as forty-five A-6 Intruders. Weizman went to see the Minister of Defense to ask for help with a small problem. On the one hand he had to exhibit a certain degree of weakness, to persuade the Americans to sell the planes. On the other hand he had great confidence in the ability of his pilots and did not want the Americans to get the idea that they were dealing with a feeble little air force. Eshkol did not hesitate for a moment before proffering his famous advice: “Present yourself as Shimson der nebichdicker!” – as poor little Samson, or a pitful Samson".
Avi Shlaim, The Iron Wall, Chapter 6: Poor Little Samson.
well, I guess my memory got me in trouble. my apologies.
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