Haaretz reports that the Israeli foreign ministry plans to wage an all out diplomatic war against Iran in the run up to its June presidential election. The purpose is to show the world that Iran is a medieval, homophobic, misogynist nation outside the norms of western civilization:
Organizing demonstrations in front of Iranian consulates worldwide, staging mock stonings and hangings in public, and launching a massive media campaign against Iran – these are just some of the steps Israeli diplomats have been told to take in the coming weeks. The goal, according to a senior Foreign Ministry official, is “to show the world that Iran is not a Western democracy” in the run-up to the country’s presidential election on June 12.
What’s interesting in this is that the foreign ministry seems not to understand that Iran is, in fact, not only not a western democracy, it is not western. That nuance seems lost on them though perhaps if they consulted a map of the Middle East they’d understand their error.
As Israel proved after Hamas won the 2006 PA legislative elections, it is selective about which elections it depicts as legitimate democratic exercises. Israeli elections of course qualify as do U.S. elections. But Hamas? Certainly not. And Iran? Beyond the pale:
The main message Israeli diplomats should try to send is that “despite the democratic game of a presidential election, this is still a terrible regime that infringes on human rights and imposes many restrictions on its citizens,” the telegram said. In a nutshell, the goal is to “blacken Iran’s international reputation.”
Barak Ravid, known as a conduit for Israeli political and military figures, is remarkably explicit about the tactics behind the campaign:
“We decided to move from defense to offense,” a senior Foreign Ministry official said, explaining the decision to broaden Israel’s public diplomacy campaign against Iran to showcase other issues, such as human rights violations, instead of focusing solely on Iran’s nuclear program. “We need to show the world who the real Iran is and make sure that the presidential election does not create the illusion that it is a Jeffersonian democracy.”
Israel isn’t exactly a pristine western democracy either. But the MFA flacks probably don’t realize that by calling the kettle black they might call attention to the fact that the pot isn’t pristine either. If you recall that Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s current foreign minister, got his start in life as a bouncer at Moldova clubs, the sleaziness of this operation can be no surprise.
If you attempt to peek behind the Wizard of Oz’ heavy curtains to parse the meaning of this I’d guess that Bibi and Yvet are afraid that the moderate presidential candidate might win the election. This might mean a potential new Iranian opening to the U.S. In turn, this could prove disastrous for Bibi’s goal of bombing Iran. Therefore, it’s in the interest of Israel’s rightist government to smear Iran even, if, or especially if a moderate candidate assumes the presidency.
RE: “Organizing demonstrations in front of Iranian consulates worldwide, staging mock stonings and hangings in public, and launching a massive media campaign against Iran…”
MY COMMENT: This sounds like a great way to boost Ahmadinejad’s chances for re-election! But then, perhaps that is the goal. The cynical depravity of Israel’s government knows no bounds.
Yes, you’ve hit the nail on the head. What self-respecting Iranian reading about this provocation wouldn’t feel sympathy for Ahmadinejad’s campaign? Israel doesn’t want a moderate to win the election. Having a radical in office saying the loony things the current president has been saying for years is like gold to Israel. It’s the same with the Palestinians. Israel wants an impotent figurehead like Abbas or extremist zealots like Hamas. And if in reality Israel’s enemies aren’t extremists or zealots, then Israel will turn them into same. That’s what this current sleazy campaign is all about.
The things Ahmadinejad are saying are far from “looney” but some of the translations of his speeches and writings certainly are.
Of course, I can make any unfounded assertion about the President of Iran that I want, and as long as it does not show him or his country in a positive light, the assertion will fly.
I worked in Washington for a congressman as a summer intern. Most business and it’s usually commercial, not political, is conducted at private homes. The mere fact a senior government official goes to a Israeli diplomat’s house means nothing. This must happen over a hundred times a year.
Given that your handle is “the dhimmi” let me guess which Congressman you worked for: Ileanna Ros-Lehtinen perhaps? Or Eric Cantor? Are you saying that senior officials from the White House routinely conduct government business at Israeli diplomats’ homes? If so, I think the FBI might wish to talk to you as this is a highly dubious activity. Besides, as a lowly summer intern I think you’re hardly in a position to tell us how business is conducted by the White House and the Israeli diplomatic corps. But I’ll bet you’re an expert at how Aipac operates, now aren’t you?
Imagine staging a mock occupation of the Israeli embassy in London. Imagine staging mock arrests and mock imprisonments of embassy staff that dared to protest the violation of the sovereignty of their embassy. Imagine building a 28 foot high mock wall (excuse me, fence) around the embassy. Imagine proposing that the embassy staff swear an oath of loyalty to Great Britain… and so on (the list is indeed endless).
Imagine all of this and then imagine how quick you would be given the anti-semitic boot.
Seems to me that—and I just limn a few quick thoughts for what they be worth:
I don’t cease to be amazed at the juvenile games high-level supposedly intelligent people do to get their own way and that of their “nation states”.
The sleaze of a diplomatic corps that would use such tactics is rather noteworthy as a juvenile touch to creating the illusions of reality and success. Doesn’t sound like much of a step forward for Israel for international understanding.
Such underscores the need for Israel’s need re-assess not only its tactics, but the underpinnings of its approach creating reality…and those settlements surely don’t help.
It would seem that with the “Chosen” people’s ancient and historic ties to Iran, the modern resident of Israel might to seek some sort of accommodation and mutuality and cooperation…and vice versa–regardless of “religious” and “ethnic” interests, etc.
Doing the childish things reported here would not seem to be helpful for overcoming such divides in understanding.
Israel already has the “bomb”–sadly. Should Iran have it? Probably not? Should the U.S. as the Big Stick in the world? Probably not. One might wonder about the wisdom any nation state going down the road of empire building and coercion of other peoples.
It all seems rather childish and not rather mature?
What can we do about all this garbage between peoples in ?
I guess just whine and complain–but maybe we simply should treat each other with respect across our divides and support adult diplomatic measures.
Most children do seem grow into mature adults. We need to support maturity.
Well, for what this was worth…thanks. I’ll take my toys and go into my corner and think about what your blog noted.
Thanks, Richard for stimulating us to think and discuss.
RE: “ISRAEL WAGES PROPAGANDA WAR AGAINST IRAN’S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION”
SEE ALSO: “Neocons for Ahmadinejad”, By Daniel Luban, 06/04/09
(EXCERPT) At Wednesday’s Heritage Foundation conference on the Middle East peace process (which, as I wrote yesterday, was primarily devoted to pushing the almost-universally-scorned “three-state solution” for Israel-Palestine), Middle East Forum director Daniel Pipes made an unusually revealing comment while discussing Iran’s upcoming presidential elections.
“I’m sometimes asked who I would vote for if I were enfranchised in this election, and I think that, with due hesitance, I would vote for Ahmadinejad,” Pipes said…
…Now that it seems possible that Ahmadinejad might lose, however, the same people who spent the last four years obsessively focusing on the Iranian president’s every utterance have suddenly discovered that the Iranian presidency doesn’t matter after all. In the same discussion at Heritage, Pipes reminded the audience that it is Supreme Leader Khamenei rather than the president who controls foreign affairs and military policy. Similarly, AIPAC is now pushing the line that Iran’s elections will not affect their nuclear policy. While it is perfectly true that the Iranian president has little control over foreign policy, it would have been nice to see some acknowledgement of this from the Iran hawks prior to the elections, instead of constant harping about the “existential threat” that the dastardly Ahmadinejad poses to Israel and the U.S.
ENTIRE POST – http://www.ips.org/blog/jimlobe/?p=256
PS. The Heritage event, which was sponsored by right-wing U.S. casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, came only two weeks after right-of-center Israeli parties hosted a similar conference in Jerusalem.
SOURCE – http://original.antiwar.com/luban/2009/06/04/hawks-push-three-state-solution-for-palestine/
French Wine: President Sarkozy and Nuclear Disarmament
Did you read it too? French President Sarkozy in his private talk with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Wednesday, the official Israeli reporter said, Sarkozy delivered a message to Iran. The message said, France would start dismantling her nuclear bombs and remove them from their submarines if Iran would agree not making nuclear bombs in the future.
This is great news. France has stepped up to the plate, President Sarkozy said, and would set herself as an example for international nuclear disarmament. British government has also joined in the nuclear disarmament. Let us open a bottle of French wine and drink to a better future world, a world free of all nuclear bombs.
This may be a dream, but you never know.