Sheldon Adelson’s shmate, Yisrael HaYom, reports that several senior Israeli cabinet ministers including Bogie Yaalon, Benny Begin, Danny Ayalon, Alon Pinkas, and Dan Meridor are taking the pro-war dog and pony show on the road to the U.S. in the crucial September-October period. Which one of us will have the pleasure of seeing their shining faces and hearing their golden words?
The emissaries will address university students, public leaders and public opinion formers, including senators, Members of Congress, administration officials, governors, mayors, journalists, members of influential organizations and Jewish communities, church leaders and other community leaders. The lectures will be given in Washington, New York, Chicago, Boston and Atlanta, among other locations.
The idea is the brain-child of that master of international diplomacy, Avigdor Lieberman. Though the tour is being presented as standard hasbara (e.g. refuting prejudices against Israel, etc.) the real purpose of the visit is not mentioned: get Iran.
The September-October period is seen as crucial by Israel. Dennis Ross and Pres. Obama have each talked about September as the date by which the U.S. would review the success of its diplomatic engagement strategy (which has had no palpable success at all). October is the month in which the General Assembly meets and world leaders (including Ahmadinejad) tell the world their political priorities. There is no question that Israel wants a radical toughening of U.S. policy toward Iran by then. There are already legislative proposals for draconian sanctions which would undermine Obama administration policy. Israel and its domestic agent, Aipac, are certainly behind these measures.
What Israel appears to want is the softening of U.S. opinion towards an Israeli attack on Iran. Hasbara initiatives like the one announced by Yisrael HaYom are part of the perception management campaign here to stiffen the backbone of American Jews and Americans in general against Iran. When you start seeing your Jewish federation of local Israel lobby organization hosting events like this in your local community (or even ones more specifically targeting Iran) you’ll know that this is probably not a locally generated initiative. But rather one dreamed up in Tel Aviv (or the Israeli embassy in D.C. or the consulates in your region) by Israeli diplomats and politicians and implemented here by Aipac, Stand With Us, The Israel Project, and Middle East Forum.
We must fight back against such orchestrated pro-war propaganda and uncover the hidden agenda of these events, including their funding and sponsorship (hidden or public). View the motives and independence of any speaker participating in such events with suspicion. If you read your local Jewish newspaper please send me announcements of such anti-Iran events along with any agenda, speaker list, etc.
Bottom line is – nobody is paying attention.
Israel’s massive nuclear arsenal is not sitting there for no reason. It will be used against Iran for the simple reason that Iran is considered by the Israelis as an existentialist threat.
The US needs to fully recognize that the Israeli state cares not one iota what the world or the UN thinks. Arrogance will drive the Likud government to mount an attack because they believe it will be just another commando raid on Entebbe, only a little more difficult.
Israel has been built-up by America, over the past decades of AIPAC influence, to be the estimated fourth or fifth most powerful nuclear entity in the world. We need to ask ourselves the reason and logic for this extraordinary situation given that Israel is, in fact, of no strategic importance whatsoever nor does it have any natural resources.
Israel’s nuclear option is primed and ready for use and we can only now wait, impotently, to see what is in store for us in the months to come. We are all just pawns in a situation that has become way beyond our control.
RE: “the pro-war dog and pony show…in the crucial September-October period”
FROM “HUFFPO”: Back in September of 2002, six months before the invasion of Iraq, the White House acknowledged a planned strategy to get Congress and the public on board. The “rollout” of this strategy was purposely delayed until after Labor Day, and [Andrew] Card himself explained why to Elisabeth Bumiller of the New York Times:
”From a marketing point of view, you don’t introduce new products in August.”
SOURCE – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jackson-williams/andy-card-a-tale-of-two-q_b_265315.html
They must be delusional or have a very cynical view of the American population. Do they seriously think the US will condone an Israeli strike on Iran when pretty much every commentator in the US plus many US politicians will be screaming that it will put American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan in grave danger?
Not even Bush Jr. let them do that when they asked back in 2008, and he certainly wasn’t either a friend of Iran or inclined to doubt the neo-conservative crowd.
The tour by the shministim will be a good counter to this dog-and-pony show. Jewish Voice for Peace and American Friends Service Committee are sponsoring their visit to Seattle, which will be on September 15 at the AFSC Friends Hall in the U District. Details can be found here http://www.WhyWeRefuse.org
I just found out about the event. I wish I’d known about this earlier so I could’ve promoted it more. But I’ll be writing a blog post about it tomorrow I hope.
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Brett maybe you seem to forget, Iran twice blew up the Jewish embassys in Argentina in 92 and 94 killing over hundred civilians.
The Iranian who ordered the 94 attack in Argentina which killed 85 civilians and maimed 300 was just put in as the defense minister of Iran. Iranians MPs were chanting death to Israel as he was sworn in. So who wants war?
Read this article about this.
And not a word about this from Richard.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/world/middle-east/My-choice-as-Iran-defence-minister-slap-to-Israel-Vahidi/articleshow/4968897.cms
What utter drivel. Any Iranian can quote you chapter and verse on Israel’s perfidious attacks on Arab nations including Lebanon & Palestine. THis is propaganda drivel. The next time you attempt to grandstand here your comment will not be published & yr privileges may be revoked.
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So Richard when Iranian MP’s call for death to Israel and when Iran puts someone in as their defense minister who commited the biggest terrorist attack in the history of Argentina, we cant write about that.
Not here you can’t. You can write about it in comments at Commentary, Jerusalem Post, Frontpagemagazine or Middle East Forum or any number of Islamophobic websites. Or better yet you can start your blog shmate & make the world safer from Muslim hate or whatever propaganda you peddle. But not here because this isn’t yr scandal sheet.
Next comment that shows you’re only out to score propaganda pts & it will be deleted. And the next one after that causes you to lose yr privileges.
Believe it or not, people can debate here on various issues & we all don’t agree. But even if we disagree we respect the discourse & stay on topic AND we address specific arguments made by others, none of which you have the respect to do.
Major pro-Iran war event coming next month, Richard. Check out the AIPAC “National Summit” that this year will be held in San Diego Oct. 18th. Speakers include Victor Styrsky, West Coast director, Christians United for Israel. CUFI, that Hagee- spawned War cult from hell. Around San Diego, this fundamentalist lunacy will be relatively well-received.
It is up to us to confront it. Since Rep. Howard Berman will also be there, perhaps we can organize some campaign so that Berman would disavow the extremism of CUFI, that he will be sharing a stage with, if not aipac (that’s too much to expect at the moment)
This is the case with just aboyt every imperial regime! NOTHING is ever enough! Britain in the opium and the boer wars! Germany in WW1(started delibartl,y because the German military leaderhip honestly belived they could win a war against England, France and Russia ALL at the same time!)the militaristic expansion of Italy from WW1 to WW2, and Japans outright genocide in China! Indeed, NOTHING ever will be enough! The zionists simply want a full scale war in the middle-east to act as a somescreen for genocide of the Palestinians! The fact is “liberals” are no longer in charge of Israel! Like in Japan before the war, they have been replaced with warmongering fanactics! This is not about “winning” a war with Iran! It’s about PROVOKING 1 and using it as an excuse to WHIPE the Palestinians out! THATS THE DEAL!!!
War by February?
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL4624921
I just saw a poster that Benny Begin was at Case Western Reserve U., Cleveland today, Sep 10, sponsored by Cleveland Hillel Foundation, Consulate General of Israel in Philadelphia, CWRU College of Arts and Sciences, CWRU Department of Judaic Studies, Jewish Student Group.
URGENT!: Intelligence professionals warn Israeli attack on Iran would drag US into war (scroll down to comments section at following URL):
http://america-hijacked.com/2010/08/04/intelligence-professionals-warn-israeli-attack-on-iran-would-drag-us-into-war/
http://tinyurl.com/IsraeltodragUSintoIranWar
A Timetable for War (with Iran):
http://tinyurl.com/atimetableforwar