Bibi Netanyahu will shortly touch down in Paris where he’ll be feted by the French president at Elysee Palace. The photo ops there will show the world and voters back home that despite his promoting war with Iran he’s welcome in the world capitals. I’m not a mad dog after all, will be the message to voters.
The interview he gave to French media shows he’s taken leave of his senses and rationality when it comes to contemplating the impact of war on Iran:
An Israeli strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities won’t destabilize the Middle East, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview to a French magazine on Tuesday, adding, moreover, that such a move would only serve to restore security in the region.
“Five minutes after [an attack], contrary to what the skeptics say, I think a feeling of relief will spread across the region,” Netanyahu told Paris Match, adding: “Iran isn’t popular in the Arab world, far from it. Some governments in the region, as well as their citizens, have understood that a nuclear-armed Iran would be dangerous for them, not just for Israel.”
Five minutes after Israel’s attack something will spread across the region, but it won’t be relief. It will be Iranian missiles and other armaments directed at Israeli targets and possibly U.S. as well. As for those in the region who supposedly will welcome an attack, as soon as Israel launches those missiles those nations will likely join in denunciations of Israel before the UN. The Muslim world will stand united, even those suspicious of Iran’s motives and policies, against the naked aggression of Israel. Such action in the UN will undoubtedly be followed by a U.S. Security Council veto thereby covering the ass of our ally and proxy.
We have the bizarre prospect of Bibi cultivating (or trying to) warm ties with the Socialist Hollande in order to offset the frigid ties he had with his right-wing predecessor, Nicholas Sarkozy.
Silverstein has published Tikun Olam since 2003, It exposes the secrets of the Israeli national security state. He lives in Seattle, but his heart is in the east. He publishes regularly at Middle East Eye and Jacobin Magazine. His work has also appeared in Al Jazeera English, The Nation, Truthout and other outlets.
I’ve not seen anyone with such big delusions since Dick Cheney and his “shock and awe” nonsense.
Relief? Does he really think Egypt or anyone else will welcome Israeli aggression against Iran? Maybe Mubarak would have kept his mouth shut, but I wouldn’t count on Morsi accepting an attack on Iran especially over the mythical nuclear weapons program Iran is not engaged in.
I think the man has to let go of the obsession with Iran. He appears mentally unstable.
I don’t think he is unbalanced any more than Mullahs are irrational and unbalanced. I think he is just doing what he has to do to keep the US in its pocket. He creates a crisis, complete with threats (on a daily basis, Israel has threatened Iran!), mobilizes his American “representatives” to get on-board and, in the end, it looks like Israel is doing the US a favor by policing the region. Israel needs to keep selling its usefulness to the US and it does get tricky. First, anti-Soviet, then the “War on Terror” and now anti-Muslim Iranophobia. Bush proved that one does not need the military or the state department to go to war. Bush went around all that. Bibi is also just end running around the opposition of the US military by appearing to line up France while lining up US public opinion. Israel is trying to sell its “strategic” value to the US which I think has worn very thin from the Pentagon’s point of view. I can’t see any other rational motive for this assault on Iran, now delayed.
The larger issue here is the absence of legal accountability. Netanyahu behaves and Cheney behaved as any criminal would behave if he knew he didn’t have to face justice for his actions; in this respect they aren’t delusional at all.
France lost its chance to stand up against Israel, its lawlessness (settlements and occupation, for instance), and its belligerence (Gaza, Lebanon, Iran). What are the bribes and other payoffs that persuade national leaders like Hollande, Obama, etc., to continue to allow N’yahu to enter their countries — much less meet with those leaders?
Well, after France had Assad, Kadaffi and the rest of the middle-east dictators over back on 2008, I think it’s safe to say the’ll have anyone over.
Bibi don’t have to worry about France’s support for bullying the Islamic Republic. Like Nicolas Sarkozy (born to a Jewish mother and Catholic father), President Francois Hollande is also under the influence of France’s powerful Jewish Lobby.
Elliott Abrams, a Zionist Jew and former National Security Council Advisor, who was convicted for lying to Congress – wrote in the CFR’s magazine (May 14, 2012) that Hollande will not follow “France’s tough position on the Iranian nuclear program“. Hollande has dumped his common-law wife Marie-Segolene Royal who gave birth to Hollande’s four children. Now, the dude has a new girlfriend Valérie Trieweiler.
However, America’s top Islamophobe and Israel-Firster David Horowitz’s website FrontPage Magazine has claimed that Francois Hollande could be “the first Muslim-elected president of France“. Why? Because while majority of 500,000 French Jews voted for Hollande’s opponent Sarkozy – a majority of seven million French Muslims voted for Hollande. Furthermore, Hollande’s Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has appointed three Muslim members (one minister and two junior ministers) in his 34-member (17 male + 17 female) cabinet in addition to three Zionist Jew ministers.
@ Rehmat
1.Sarkozy’s mother is not Jewish. She was born to a Catholic mother and a Jewish father who converted to Catholicism before she was born. How does that make her Jewish ? I think only the Nazi would consider her so…..
2. There are NOT seven millions Muslims in France. Even Islamophobic right-wingers stop at six millions….
Serious studies by social scientists on the subject state around 2,8-3 million Muslims. The numbers by the Ministry of Interior released a couple of years ago (for purely political purposes ?) have been much criticized: they were calculated on the country of origin, not taking into account that your ancestors can be of non-Muslim origin though they come from a Muslim-majority country, and that a second or third generation North African, Turk or Senegalese can very well turn out a beer drinking atheist.
Could you please give me the names of the “three Muslim members” and “three Zionist Jew ministers”. Yamina Benguigui declares that she’s an atheist, and by the way she’s married to a Jew. In what box did you put her ? Laurent Fabius has a father of Jewish origin (and an American mother). He was baptized in the Catholoc Church. Is he one of your three Jews ?
By the way, one of the most pro-Israeli members of the new government, the Minister of Interior, Manuel-I-m-eternally-linked-to-Israel-Valls is a Catalan immigrant from Spain.
Funny enough, antisemites and right-wing Zionists (mostly Israelis) seem to share the same obsession about origins.
If you click on the poster’s name it links to their website where all of your questions are answered. In fact, there is a lengthy post there that begins with the same information from the paragraphs included here and then follows with more details.
The site purports to be devoted to “exposing non-Muslim lies about Islam and Muslims.”
Deïr Yassin – You remind of Sen. John Kerry. When he was told by a reporter that Kerry both grandparents were Jewish – Kerry replied: “That’ news to me”. Sarkozy’s mother died as a Jew.
For your information – Hollande’s former ‘common-law’ wife Marie-Segolene Royal is also Jewish and Hollande has claimed that he is a ‘non-practicing Jew’.
Several German writers have claimed that Adolph Hitler’s father was Jewish – who converted to Catholism at the age of 40. Maybe, that’s why German author Hennecke Kardel called Hitler: “The Founder of Israel”.
France’s Muslim population according to Muslim sources is between 6-9 million – while according Zionist lobby – there are less than two million Muslims. So, you choose yours and I will choose mine. Fair enough!
@ Rehmat
You simply don’t know what you’re talking about ! I live in France, have done so for many years, and your comment shows that you’re a sick person. You should go see a shrink, not a Jewish one though….
So Zionist sources are saying “less than two million Muslims in France”. Funny, I always get the impression that Zionists see France as being invaded by Muslims. My sources are neither Muslim nor Zionist, but based on studies in social science.
“Sarkozy’s mother died as a Jew”
Oh really, when did she die ? And where is she buried ?
“Hollande has claimed that he’s a ‘non-practising Jew”
That’s a lie ! Hollande is the son of two Catholics and he has never claimed anything about being a non-practicing Jew. Voices in your head…..
“Holland’s former ‘common-law wife Marie-Segolene Royal is also Jewish”
Nope, another voice in your sick brain. Segolene Royale comes from a traditional Catholic family.
But I’m sure there’s a Jew hiding under your bed….
Thanks for the laugh. I’m about to ban his sorry ass. Just can’t quite bear doing it–yet.
Thanks for that & for calling him out for his noxious, almost brain-dead views on some of these issues.
Hey Richard – Meet the Jewish bug under my bed.
http://balder.org/judea/The-Jewish-Vote-And-The-French-Election-By-Nicholas-Simon-The-Jerusalem-Report-April-2-2007.php
Shalom!!
Well, that’s fine bedfellows you have. Balder’s Blog is a Danish white supremacist, Holocaust denying, Islamophobic, anti-immigrant, racist nationalistic right-winger.
You really should go see that shrink….
I’m surprised anyone would use such rubbish as an information source. Rehmat, this trash isn’t worth the time it takes to read it. It’s some right winger’s fantasy; not a single thing in it is properly sourced.
Why is anything in the Jerusalem Report worthy of credibility? Their editor used to be David Horovitz, who went on to become founding editor of Times of Israel, which is funded by a hedge fund billionaire who whines he’s supporting Romney because Obama is taxing fatcats too much!
I can’t help feeling that French foreign policy decisions owe much, much more to the powerful German government than to the “powerful Jewish lobby.”
It isn’t customary for French ministers to actually take account of voter’s views or interests once the election is over, either (seven year terms and mostly tribal voting patterns, remember.) To be listened to by the French Government, you have to blockade motorways and (usually) set fire to any right hand drive commercial vehicle with UK registration plates. If ministers can’t smell burning tyres, they don’t think you’re serious.
The thing is that Israel is at a strategic impasse it frantically tries to escape from, and trying to garner sympathy and concessions from outside is one of the few options left at the moment.
Netanyahu knows that the Jewish settlers are far too entrenched in the Westbank and that the removal of some or all of them could lead to an internal civil war. Even if Likud would be willing to get a peace agreement with the Palestinians, the political realities in Israel are strongly opposed to a withdrawal within the borders of pre-1967.
To prevent that Israel needs an external enemy – be it Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, or all of them together – to fulfill two vital functions: Most importantly, it serves as a means to create unity within Israel and deflect the attention from the 60+ year old conflict with the Palestinians and other frictions within Israeli society. A second function is to uphold the positive picture of Israel and contrasting it with the viciousness of a real or imaginary enemy. That also allows to garner more support from the US and the Europeans.
The difficulty is now that you can’t do that indefinitely because you would be perceived as crying wolf. In addition to that the Arab Spring has delivered such a negative strategic outlook for Israel that it might feel that overwhelming military capabilities might be the only thing that could keep the neighbouring Arab states at bay and from exacting retribution for the humiliations received so far.
It truly feels to me that all that Israel can do is to increase the divisions among the Arab states to prevent them from forming coalitions that might threaten Israel. It then also needs to do everything it can to maintain the support from the US and Europe. The fact that Israel itself is radicalizing by the day and exhibiting apartheid tendencies towards its non-Jewish citizens makes this task much harder. This, however, are the only options left at the moment because the two state solution is now truly dead and a one state solution with a democratic majority for Arabs is incompatible with the Zionist dream. Israel has no good options left and none of the remaining options does contain a lasting and realistic peace proposition.
I think that Netanyahu may see that and that from this perspective a war with Iran might hold more promise than for outsiders who are focusing predominantly on the geopolitical and economical repercussions. If there is no clear way forward, why not make sure that the strongest enemies in the region get reduced to rubble while you still have the possibility to do so?
Netanyahu is many things, but stupid he is not. A machiavellian calculation like this may therefore lead to a strike of Iran, regardless of whether it develops nuclear bombs or not. Put simply, it is the least bad option from those available. And nobody could say that they have not been warned as it is eminently clear that the elections are also a litmus test of how strongly the Israelis share his views.
I agree with some of your points, but I don’t think Netanyahu and his party look into the more distant future for an endgame. From their point of view, the status quo is sustainable forever. The only historical force threatening Israel is demography and that is being “treated.” shall we say. Militarism is a factor though. I suppose the Israeli military, like the US military to some extent, wants to remain employed and in power so what’s better than a short fight of your own choosing? While there are a number of “benefits” to be derived from an attack, the chief reason has to be the need to assure strategic relevance to the US.
N’yahu is working towards the end game by his steadily increasing attacks on Gaza which camouflage the acceleration of settlements and displacements of Palestinians in the West Bank and E. Jerusalem. Iran is also part of the end game (and perhaps Egypt, too), as he perceives them as the only countries in the region strong enough to stop him from fulfilling the Likudnik dream of eratz Yisrael.
Sure, but that endgame is not sustainable for all the reasons Patrick cites, but mostly demographics. I can’t see the vain wishes of surly old men as an endgame. But not to quibble: The nightmare goes on day after day for Gazans and in the West Bank, the steady destruction of a people’s identity and life. And the knowledge of this alone is unbearable.
Some see it as the endgame because Israel has already stolen almost 80 percent of the West Bank, is poised to take all of Jerusalem, and Israeli public opinion is in favor of denying Palestinians full rights even in the event of a one-state solution (as we know, they have already killed off the hopes for a Palestinian state).
Bibi is asking the world to take his side in his campaign on an unjustified, unfounded, and illegal campaign to attack Iran. He is making Israel look stupid and dangerous.
Where is the evidence? You’ve had 10 years, ya dope! Produce it or SHATAHP!
Every time you think Israeli chutzpah has reached its peak, they manage to climb even further.
Today Bibi said: “As the Prime Minister of Israel, I always say to the Jews wherever they are: come to Israel, and make it your home”. François Hollande retorted that the place of French Jews is in France.
Tomorrow they’ll visit the Jewish school in Toulouse where three kids and the father of two of them were killed last spring. That’ll be a great occasion for Bibi to reiterate his invitation.
One does so wish they would figure this out already.
The ground level level of Neoconnery – the really deep actors such as Martin Indyk of WINEP and David Makovsky (DM has an article up now at Haaretz) – seem to be now positioning Israel for her post-Netanyahu debacle of earlier this fall
They’re setting Israel up for another bite at the Iran apple – Makovsky hilariously giving the ‘explanation’ of why Israel conducted a ‘No-Strike on Iran’ once it became clear that Netanyahu was destroying the special relationship – it’s really a must read.
These Israelis/Neocons are relentlessly systematic and very methodical – it’s all about endless bites at the apple until they find a way. They’re like an evil Bruce Lee – they’re ‘like water’ until they get their war on Iran. They’re trying to regroup now and I just can’t stand it
Netanyahu and Israel should be given NO respectability for anything they do involving two main things:
1- their internal affairs (their internal war against Non-Jews, esp the war against the Arabs/Palestinians)
2- their external affairs (centered around hoaxing the US into war against Islam (her external as well as internal enemies)
No more endless bites at the apple – no more buying from the apple sellers Indyks or Makovsky
These Israelis/Neocons are relentlessly systematic and very methodical – it’s all about endless bites at the apple until they find a way.