In response to a particularly heartless link offered by a right-wing reader of this site showing the corpse of Iranian assassinated nuclear scientist, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, I wanted to feature this happier image of the man with his baby son. If I were a hacker or expert in the type of breaking and entering activities of the Mossad, I would plaster this image on every website page and in every office in Mossad headquarters. Not that it would cause a sudden attack of conscience for any of those responsible for Israel’s black ops war against Iran. They see themselves the way citizens of a particular European nation saw themselves during the last World War–loyal cogs doing their duty to their country.
But on the presumption that even state-sponsored killers are human beings, I’d like them to see the face of the man they’ve killed along with the now fatherless son his wife will now be forced to raise. I want Israeli nuclear scientists to see this image as well and think: “there but for the grace of God go I.” Again, very few Israelis will have the moral conscience to feel any of these emotions. For some reason, Israelis are particularly anesthetized to such introspection. But perhaps there are a few.
Maybe we can even sneak this image into Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama’s offices. Let them see the result of an orchestrated policy by which Israel provides the covert terror muscle and the U.S. fronts the cash (remember Bush’s $400-million allocation to fund the anti-Iran terror war?) and the sanction regime designed to grind the average Iranian into the ground and kill the young and vulnerable as happened in Iraq during the Saddam regime. All in the name of imposing our will on a sovereign, independent country which seeks to define its policy without the overbearing bullying of Israel or the U.S.
None of what I’ve written means I support the current Iranian regime. But what I DO support is the rule of law, respect for international law and the sovereignty of nations, even ones we dislike. I support diplomacy and not “bang, bang, boom, boom” as a CIA officer called Israel’s covert war against Iran when Mark Perry interviewed him.
Richard, your hopes are in vain. these American and Israeli killers are not nice folks. Period. Some are doubtless psychopaths. Like not a few police, prison guards, soldiers, etc., they like killing and torturing and destroying and the absolute unrestricted power over the lives and happinesses of others. They will not be re-constructed.
Pity. But that’s why MLK needed to do what he did, and for which he died, and the current BDS activists do what they do. There is, thankfully, a humane impulse and sometimes it can be activated over fear and apathy.
Keep up this valuable blog.
What a tragedy. Seemed like such a nice young boy.
Science is a dangerous occupation in Iran these days.
For being an insensitive amoral asshole, you’re moderated. I’ll be only too happy to ban you if you continue with your disgusting comments. And btw, you should only know half the suffering his little child will go through because of murderers your country sent to kill his daddy.
I share your sympathy and compassion towards the victims but where did the respect for international law and the sovereignty of nations go when ahmadinejad openly denounces the existence of the state of Israel?
I understand you do not support the current Iranian regime and you do very well know that Iran will not think twice before dishing out the same treatment to any of the key Israeli personnel.Nobody can stop this except God.
Another lie from the hasbara brigade. Ahmadinejad has never said what you claim. And what about Israeli generals & pols who openly denounce the Iranian regime. Nice symmetry of intolerance & hate there, doncha thing?
God doesn’t stop things like that. If human beings want to screw up the world & their countries God won’t stop them. Human beings have to take responsibility for their own sins & the mess they make.
If your word had to be believed, Ahmadinejad just loves Israel so much that he showers the land of Israel with hanukkah presents through hezbollah rockets.
Why don’t you put the photos of victims of suicide/rocket bombings in ayotollah’s palace. Don’t you care for them?
Why don’t you keep the snarky attempt at wit to yrself. If we needed comedy or political satire we’d ask for it from a professional.
You’re rapidly wearing out my patience in this thread. Move on to another. This has been yr last comment in this one.
Whenever Jews are murdered, like in Itamar, you take this objective, distanced stance. But whenever any of Israel’s enemies are killed, you get all teary-eyed with cute pictures of the guy’s family. Why is that?
A lie. I featured images of the murdered family here & denounced the killing. By the way, do you have a cute son or grandson? WOuld you like to imagine him orphaned or fatherless? No, I expect you wouldn’t. So when it comes to yr own son or any Israeli’s son you share the suffering. But when it comes to an Iranian baby, you don’t. A tad insensitive don’t you think?
THERE YOU GO AGAIN. There is something wrong with your logic.Nobody wants children to be orphans.
The father of this boy was helping to build an atomic bomb
that would one day be used against Jews(just because they
are Jews) and cause thousands of boys to be orphans.
If you do not understand that, I think that when the boy
grows up he will!
That’s a lie. You don’t know what this man was doing. Enriching uranium, which this man was responsible for can be used for many purposes. You’re also speculating about who the target of a non existent Iranian bomb would be.
So you’ve killed hundreds of Iranian based on two sets of speculations which are entirely unfounded. You & yr leaders deserve to go to the Hague for this. Some day you will. Or more correctly, you’re only guilty of gross insensitivity & immorality. Your government is actually responsible for the murders. They’re the ones who belong in the Hague.
I would rather be immoral(by western standards ) not dead.
You remember they use to say in the US better red than dead.Your hearing is selective because you do not take into account all that has been said about the destruction of the
Jewish state by Iranian Leaders and other Islamic Imams.
WE ARE FIGHTHING FOR OUR LIVES. If you do not understand that, then I am sorry for you.
You’d rather be immoral? Then you are. Better red than dead is a reviled slogan, one that today is laughed at as a perfect exemplar of the paranoia of 1950s America. Is that what you’re saying Israel is today? A poor reflection of McCarthy era America?
You are not fighting for your life or anyone else’s. But with paranoia like yrs you will end up taking yr own life and those of many Iranians. You’re a deluded Samson.
Flik,we are not terrorists,did you ever come to Iran?I wonder why you speak aplomb like this…his family are happy for this because they know that their child was a gift from ALLAH and now he want it back
If you don’t know this or don’t want to know about this,I AM SO SORRY FOR YOU
Correction: Murdered.
Richard Silverstein is an intelligent man who works for peace and freedom. I’m disgusted by the lack of respect this man receives throughout this site. It’s as if the Jewish community only rewards psychopaths and child killers nowadays.
I follow a Torah of peace, love, and compassion. G-D bless you, Richard.
The wife of Martyr Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan Behdast, who was assassinated by Mossad agents in Tehran in January, reiterated on Tuesday that her husband sought the annihilation of the Zionist regime wholeheartedly.
“Mostafa’s ultimate goal was the annihilation of Israel,” Fatemeh Bolouri Kashani told FNA on Tuesday.
Bolouri Kashani also underlined that her spouse loved any resistance figure in his life who was willing to fight the Zionist regime and supported the rights of the oppressed Palestinian nation.
Right to defend/Live by the sword etc.
This seems to be the new hasbara meme. What, did you guys get a new directive from Danny Ayalon on this? Four diff. right wing hasbaraniks have posted this stuff.
Let me ask you nitwits a simple question: what would be yr overwhelming personal emotion if assassins killed yr spouse on behalf of another country? And if they killed the spouses of scores of other wives in bombings, plane crashes, etc. Vengeance, hatred, violence? Sure you’d feel all those things & more. So you’ll find no sympathy from me for any of this. It’s also off topic so go peddle your papers somewhere else.