Dore Gold’s Jerusalem Center: ‘Iranian ICBMs Could Rain Down on NYC!’

You remember when Hillary Clinton claimed there was a vast right-wing conspiracy out to get her husband when he was president. Well, one of the subthemes of this blog is documenting a vast pro-Israel right-wing conspiracy to advance what they perceive as Israel’s interests, which aren’t Israel’s (true) interests and certainly aren’t U.S. interests.

Today, I’m going to cover two of these Jewish neocon outfits and their bellicose panting after war with Iran and other members of the Arab/Muslim world. Thanks to Phil Weiss for pointing to Dore Gold’s Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, which features this unintentionally humorous (if it weren’t so frightening) graphic at its site. One of the “cool” features is that you can select your missile of choice and discover how much of the world the Iranians can devastate if the west allows that nation to get “the bomb.”

Of course, the Iranians do not have an ICBM to carry such a warhead.  Nor do they have a nuclear weapon.  But these are mere technicalities when it comes to frightening the world into adopting the Israeli government’s priorities and interests.

Those who follow this blog will remember a similar map in Aipac’s glossy brochure produced for its national policy conference last month.  I have this vision of one computer designer sitting in front of his screen designing all the maps for all the pro-Israel groups featuring various threats that Iran poses to the world.  Of course, he’d have so many clients he wouldn’t know what to do with all the work: Aipac, Jerusalem Center, JINSA, WINEP, ZOA, Conference of Presidents, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel Project, to mention just a few.

Speaking of the foreign ministry, on my site stats I’ve noticed a few visits to this site over the past few weeks from the Ministry in Israel and wanted to welcome all those new readers of this blog.  I presume they honestly come to educate themselves about the diversity of political expression among the Jewish blogworld on the Israeli-Arab issue.

Haaretz reports that Iran has just tested a missile with a 1,200 mile range.  Well, that seals it.  War is all but guaranteed, right?  Not so fast:

Some analysts saw the timing of the launch of the Sejil 2 missile – a more accurate, solid-fuel version of an existing missile that is capable of reaching Israel, US bases in the Mideast, and parts of Europe – as more worrisome than the technology on display.

“Certainly the timing is significant and conveys a message of defiance,” said Steven Aftergood, senior research analyst at the Federation of American Scientists. “It’s a bit early to say whether the launch reflects a significant technological advance or not.”

…Ahmad Sadri, a professor at Lake Forest College in Illinois and a frequent contributor to a liberal newspaper in Iran, said “…[The missile test] is not directed at the United States. It is for domestic consumption.”

Mark Gasiorowski , professor of political science at Louisiana State University who has taught and done research at the University of Tehran, said Iran routinely organizes parades and launches to publicize their missiles and stoke nationalist feelings inside the country. But he said that such displays do not mean that Iran won’t eventually decide to normalize relations with the United States and compromise on its nuclear ambitions.

“All of this is meant to show the world – and Iranians – that Iran is strong,” he said. “This is not going to affect steps on both sides toward rapprochement.”

There is a difference between being prudent, careful, and watchful regarding Iran’s actions; and lobbying strenuously for all-out war, which is the barely concealed policy of the pro-Israel camp.