Today Charles Krauthammer has a scary piece in the Washington Post saying that it’s May 1967, and once again Israel’s neighbors are threatening the Jewish state, and Israel must launch a preemptive strike. MJ Rosenberg rightly describes Krauthammer as “salivating” for war.
Well, American neoconservatives and their fellow traveler Jeffrey Goldberg all see the new coalition government in Israel as increasing the likelihood of an attack on Iran. Three quotes:
Elliott Abrams at Council on Foreign Relations cites Netanyahu’s new Kadima coalition partner’s alleged dovishness on Iran but says Shaul Mofaz would be willing to strike.
He has been cautious in some statements on striking Iran, less so in others. In April he spoke:
“If we see Iran getting closer to a military nuclear capability and the US acting against its own interest and allowing a sword on our neck, I will be the first to support Israel taking action,” he said. “On this there would be no coalition and opposition. But the sword is not there yet.”
Should Netanyahu decide the sword is there, having Kadima and Mofaz–a former IDF Chief of Staff and Minister of Defense–on his side will be of great value.
Krauthammer in the Washington Post:
for Israelis today, it is May ’67. The dread is not quite as acute: The mood is not despair, just foreboding. Time is running out, but not quite as fast. War is not four days away, but it looms. Israelis today face the greatest threat to their existence — nuclear weapons in the hands of apocalyptic mullahs publicly pledged to Israel’s annihilation — since May ’67. The world is again telling Israelis to do nothing as it looks for a way out. But if such a way is not found — as in ’67 — Israelis know that they will once again have to defend themselves, by themselves.
Such a fateful decision demands a national consensus. By creating the largest coalition in nearly three decades, Netanyahu is establishing the political premise for a preemptive strike, should it come to that. The new government commands an astonishing 94 Knesset seats out of 120, described by one Israeli columnist as a “hundred tons of solid concrete.”
So much for the recent media hype about some great domestic resistance to Netanyahu’s hard line on Iran. Two notable retired intelligence figures were widely covered here for coming out against him. Little noted was that one had been passed over by Netanyahu to be the head of Mossad, while the other had been fired by Netanyahu as Mossad chief (hence the job opening).
Jeffrey Goldberg at the Atlantic also sees the Iran strike as more likely (of course he’s been carrying water for the warriors forever). Goldberg says the two leading motivations for Netanyahu’s coup-de-government are:
1) Bibi is forming the closest thing he can to a national unity government in order to strike Iran if he feels the upcoming P5 + 1 talks about Iran’s nuclear program have failed. Mofaz is on record against a raid, but his support would be important, and no doubt Netanyahu (and his sidekick, Ehud Barak, the defense minister) could convince him that it is necessary, if they come to the conclusion that they have to act….
6) Bibi wants to be able to say to President Obama: More than three-quarters of the Knesset is with me. I am Israel.
Now is an excellent day to re-read the 2009 article by Roger Cohen in the New York Times, entitled “Israel Crying Wolf”. Cohen demonstrates that Israel has been claiming for decades that Iran is “just about to” develop nuclear weapons and use them to attack Israel.
In addition to authoritative statements by Israel officials, the neoconservatives, who swarm through the US mainstream media, are clamoring for action.
There they go again!
There just aren’t enough Jews to impose Israel’s writ on the region.
I was in Mumbai when the city was attacked in 2008. 2 hotels and a Chabad centre were targeted. There are lots such targets across the world that could be selected if Israel goes after Iran.
Israeli warmongering is bad for Jews.
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/what-an-israeli-attack-on-iran-will-mean-for-the-muslims-1.429646
“At the same time, anti-Americanism is reaching dangerous levels in predominantly Sunni countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan. Both countries have extremist Sunni groups that engage in terrorism, as well as conservative Islamic parties that participate in electoral politics. Any attack on Iran could see a merging of all these Sunni elements as well as of the broader Sunni population, and one could expect widespread anger in the streets.
Such widespread and angry protests could make it almost impossible for Americans or Israelis to travel, work or do business across the Arab world and the Indian subcontinent. Such protests would almost invariably wipe out the gains and aspirations of the democratic movements within the Arab Spring countries, and lead to a reinforcing of Islamic fundamentalist parties, which could be expected to jump on the anti-American bandwagon. Widespread Sunni protests would invariably make the U.S. and NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan planned for 2014 much more difficult and possibly lead to the strengthening of the Taliban. It also could lead to a possible new intifada among the Palestinians, who in any case see little hope of an agreement with Israel on a two-state solution.
Thus any attack on Iran can be expected to unleash a violent reaction throughout the Muslim world, both in the more organized Shia minority camp where Iran has influence and in the majority Sunni countries where Iran may not have influence but anti-Americanism certainly does. The risk will be greater for Israel than for anyone else – a state already isolated and besieged by hostile states. With its conflict with the Palestinians unresolved, it will find itself even more isolated and under threat. The United States will find itself besieged in many parts of the Muslim world, making normal diplomacy unworkable and the effort to enlist Muslim states to support the U.S. war against Al-Qaida more difficult. “
Meh. There is a heightened risk of war on the Haredi (and once they are dealt with, the Palestinians), but not with Iran. I predicted this call a couple of days ago. The voices in Israel that had been denouncing warmongering by Bibi had been doing so solely for domestic political edge. Now that Bibi has blocked elections for the next year and a half, all the voices will again resort to warmongering in order to scare the US government.
This also increases Israel’s assumption it can do what it pleases. Congress passed the new 1 billion extra giveaway to Israel on May 9th.
If you want to check your reps vote go here..
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/112-2012/h225
H.R. 4133: United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012
It’s impossible to describe how deeply and completely US zionist and Israel have penetrated and perverted the US government. ..the US, the media, the press…. there has to be an ending to this somehow.
“as in ’67 — Israelis know that they will once again have to defend themselves, by themselves”
If only that was true.
If Israel was going bomb Iran’s nuke facilities and NO ONE was going to back them up or go to their aid in any way no matter what…I’d be saying yahoo!…..do it Israel!
And then I’d be saying yahoo!…Iran, Syria, Egypt, Turkey, all you ME states, let loose on Israel with everything you’ve got!….and may the right side win.