Reuters reports that a “senior IDF officer” has broken ranks with Bibi Netanyahu and supports a nuclear deal with Iran. The story doesn’t identify the official. But a knowledgeable Israeli source informs me that it is the same individual who was the focus of my last post, Chief of Staff, Gadi Eizenkot. Further, the remarks about the Iranian nuclear deal were part of the same briefing in which he promised 1.5-million Lebanese refugees during the next war against Hezbollah.
Here is how the news agency portrayed his remarks:
…An unnamed senior military officer said that if agreed by its June 30 deadline, the deal would provide clarity on the direction of Iran’s nuclear program.
The officer said that for now, measures sought by world powers such as stepped-up international inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities and scaling back of its uranium enrichment “allow for the supposition that, in the coming period of years, this is a threat in decline.”
Though horrified by the future war crimes Eizenkot promised in one portion of his briefing, I’m gratified that the most senior officer in the Israeli army is willing to break with his boss and say he can live with what promises to be a nuclear deal between the P5+1 and Iran. Though there is much that is wrong with the IDF, we can say at least in this instance that it is willing to go against the politicians when it thinks they’re wrong. The current chief’s predecessor, Benny Gantz, also defied the political hierarchy in saying much the same thing. But in that instance, then defense minister gagged the army’s leader. When called before a Knesset committee to testify, Barak refused to allow him to.
That may be why Eizenkot chose to make his remarks in a briefing in which his identity was concealed (at least somewhat). The fact that the general did make the remarks at all tells me that his bosses, Yaalon and Netanyahu, may realize the jig is up. They won’t have Iran to beat up on much longer once a deal is signed.
Remember that in this same briefing the IDF chief pivoted to threats closer at hand. That’s how the promise to depopulate southern Lebanon came up. Israel’s army is smart enough to look at the history of conflicts over the past thirty years and the ones that most recur are with Lebanon and Gaza. Since Hamas is not a true military threat, that leaves the IDF with its most potent enemy, Hezbollah.
Eizenkot knows who his next adversary will be. He knows he must prepare the Israeli people for the next war; for the bloodshed; for the war crimes. He must offer the justifications that allow Israelis to feel they’re defending themselves when they’re invading a foreign state in violation of international law.
Pivot to BDS
Netanyahu and his new rightist government are making a different pivot. Instead of the usual suspects, Bibi wants a more urgent and immediate target: BDS. Whereas Iran used to be Existential Threat #1, BDS is now described in precisely the same terms used previously against Iran: terrorism, anti-Semitic, elimination of Israel.
The far-right throughout history can be defined, in part, by a need for an enemy. Sometimes the enemy is foreign, sometimes it is domestic. Netanyahu has no real ideas of his own. He has no philosophy or political platform. He exists to rule. To continue ruling, he must find an enemy to make the public fear and vote for him. After he leaves the scene (and may it be soon), his only legacy will be fear.
Now that he’s about to lose Iran, he needs a new bogeyman who will make Israelis quake with fear. Before, Israeli schoolchildren could have nightmares of screaming bearded Ayatollahs. Now, their nightmares will involve BDS protesters around the world waving placards and screaming for Israeli blood (so to speak).
Here in America, Bibi’s fat-cat pro-Israel elite gathered in Las Vegas at the behest of Sheldon Adelson, Clinton funder and Israeli intelligence asset, Haim Saban, and ex-felon Adam Milstein. There they announced that Adelson’s capo di tutti, Shmuley Boteach, was to command a new anti-BDS initiative. Miriam Adelson gave it the bizarre title, Campus Maccabees Summit. As if fighting BDS was akin to a great Biblical battle against Hellenists and God knows what other enemies threatening the Jewish people.
The idea that the guy who invented Kosher Lust was going to lead a campus crusade against BDS has veteran Jewish leaders aghast. You can tell by the anonymous comments they made about the event that they think the idea is whacked out:
“Shmuley should stay out of our bedrooms, out of our foreign policy and away from our campuses. He misunderstands and disrupts all three.”
But no one can say this about Shmuley to someone worth $30-billion who can buy and sell your organization in half-a-millisecond.
Those of us who support some or all of the tenets of BDS realize that Adelson and his cronies are taking Israel and the Jewish people down a dangerous road. One that will likely lead to a car crash. There’s little we can do to avoid it except warn them as they come careening past. It doesn’t give me any pleasure to know that Jewish leaders are off the rails. But in the struggle for Israel, when your opponent persists in making a fool of himself, far be it from you to stop him from going down in flames.
Orange Sees Red
Since I mentioned Haim Saban, let’s talk about his own minor BDS debacle over the past day or so. He owns the Israeli telecom, Partner Communications. It provides cell phone service in Israel under license from the French company, Orange. Its CEO told an audience in Egypt that the relationship with his Israeli partner was a pain in the neck and he wanted to be rid of it as soon as possible.
It’s not clear to me whether the French company is ending the business relationship imminently or will wait till its contract expires. It’s not even clear what is that date.
But the very notion that a company Saban owns might be harmed directly by BDS has made him apoplectic. Which is of course delightful. For BDS to be effective it must be not just a moral movement or based on abstract principle. It must hit people in their pocket books. Although Saban is worth billions, even a small loss like this will have an out-sized impact on morale.
Saban, Adelson and Netanyahu may rail against BDS all they want, but they have no one to blame but themselves. The farther rightward Israeli politics moves, the stronger BDS becomes. And no, BDS will not topple Israel’s Occupation. At least not by itself. But it will be a lightning rod that concentrates the anger of the world against Israeli injustice.
On a related topic, a few days ago I published a Seattle Times op-ed warning Mayor Ed Murray not to pinkwash Israel when he gives a keynote address at a Tel Aviv conference celebrating Israel and gay rights there. I’m pleased to say that KUOW devoted a segment (it’s roughly 27 minutes into this audio stream) in its weekly new review show to Murray’s trip and included a short clip of an interview with me. Today, a public interest journalist published new information on the trip revealing that the city will pick up the tab for the Mayor’s security in Israel. Seattle police officers will accompany him there and it will cost taxpayers $25,000!
When I informed my Times editor about these developments, he told me that my article vied for most popular article on the Times’ site today, and for a short time it even eclipsed Taylor Swift! For a nanosecond, pinkwashing outshone musical celebrity! I expect to publish an expanded version of the op-ed here tomorrow which will include some new research I’ve uncovered.
“Orange” — that orange wants to divert is because it is not making money, in most countries, orange is the owner of the brand, whereas here it is just receiving logo royalties – peanuts, for them a losing proposal.
further orange’s ceo’s remarks were bombastic made in egypt to brag about “divestment”
but here even monetary issues ARE ANTISEMITIC – THEY HATE US – THEY WANT TO KILL US – no one talks about the billions saban raked before kahlon lowered the boom on the local cellular corp.
discourse ANY discourse, economy, political, you name is put on its head to find the ANTISEMITICAL angle.
it’s a joke, it’s about power, further the IDF apparently “lost” its compass by finding a lone soldier eating a non-kosher sandwich while on action. AS THOUGH THOUSANDS OF ENLISTED DO NOT EAT NON-KOSHER. lonely soldier is a bogeyman for the MIGHTY RELIGIOUS SOCIETY – the local frenzy almost turned this “enlisted” as antisemite. please tell me how ironic that IDF SOLDIERS ARE EVEN CONSIDERED WORKING AGAINST THE STATE OF ISRAEL —– democracy, freedom, gone by the windows ANTISEMITISM IS THE NEW RELIGION
In this “religion of anti-Semitism” Israel relies on a currency that is increasingly losing value outside it. Michael Neumann put his finger on it:
“Inflating the meaning of ‘antisemitism’ to include anything politically damaging to Israel is a double-edged sword. It may be handy for smiting your enemies, but the problem is that definitional inflation, like any inflation, cheapens the currency. The more things get to count as antisemitic, the less awful antisemitism is going to sound. This happens because, while no one can stop you from inflating definitions, you still don’t control the facts. In particular, no definition of ‘antisemitism’ is going to eradicate the substantially pro-Palestinian version of the facts which I espouse, as do most people in Europe, a great many Israelis, and a growing number of North Americans. ‘ [5]
http://www.counterpunch.org/2002/06/04/what-is-antisemitism/
In fact one could well argue that, seeing the result of its actions worldwide, Israel is “objectively” anti-semitic. It is again Neumann who has precisely formulated this in explaining his, and his brother Osha’s, request to remove their grandmother’s name from the wall at Yad Vashem:
““I do not believe that the Jewish people, in whose name you [i.e the Israeli president] have committed so many crimes with such outrageous complacency, can ever rid itself of the shame you have brought upon us. Nazi propaganda, for all its calumnies, never disgraced and corrupted the Jews; you have succeeded in this…you blacken our names not only by your acts, but by the lies, the coy evasions, the smirking arrogance and the infantile self-righteousness with which you embroider our history… You will never pay for your crimes and you will continue to preen yourself, to bask in your illusions of moral ascendancy.”” (Wikipedia)
Recently there has been an attempt by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs to shore up the currency of anti-semitism accusations by law. It produced a Draft International Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Anti-Semitism. The main mover behind this is the Center’s Director of the Institute for Contemporary Affairs, Alan Baker, who has been, among other things, a military prosecutor for the IDF. This draft convention has a preamble as long as your arm. And yes, hidden among the many “considerations” is this:
P28] Noting the State Department’s report on anti-Semitism which includes in its definition of anti-Semitism the “demonization of Israel, or vilification of Israeli leaders,” along with “hatred toward Jews”;
See more at: http://jcpa.org/article/draft-international-convention-on-the-prevention-and-punishment-of-the-crime-of-anti-semitism/#sthash.WwABpPx8.dpuf
Why not say straight out that the main idea is to make criticism of Israel punishable by law.?
Mr.Baker should have learned from the many attempts, throughout history, to maintain the value of a failing currency through some “binding” regulation or other.
Thanks for the Neumann quote! Nobody writes with quite the same cool logical and outraged persuasion as he does.
sorry for net being well read but “Antisemitism is the new religion” i made it up while writing, i swear i had no idea someone else came up with it before, no plagiarism was ever intended
what disgusts, revolts and brings me to vomit is the level of cacophony and the extreme sense of “hurt” that the hasbara country is showing of late rather than confront the truth is looks better as “guilt” acting to rend ones robes and throw ashes on our head. as though will “immediately and automatically” kill and destroy any further BDS talks. These people do not see that their acts appear as buffonerism and only serve to further inflame and feed the act that they wish to destroy.
you cannot destroy or legislate ideas you cannot silence speech.
Funny to read about inflation of definition on a blog that constantly used terms like genocide and murder where it is far fetched from the usual definition.
Richard – coming talk at Santa Fe Community College, Santa Fe NM, as a result of an successful academic freedom challenge:
‘The US Pivot on Israel and the Israeli Lobby/Jewish Lobby in the US’
…………………….‘The Reset of US-Israeli Relations’
WHEN: June 10th, Wed evening, 6:00 – 7:00pm
WHERE: Classroom 214, West Wing, Santa Fe Community College,
WHO: Dr Lance Dale Call …… SFCC@ 505-428-1000 to find classroom
A talk providing description and context of 2 root strategic US policy resets on Israel,
3 advancing and unstopped existential crises for Israel – as well at the resulting fresh conversations, vantage points, and facts on the ground arising therefrom
US Strategic Pivots:
The Pivot on Israel’s strategy on Iran
The Pivot on Israel’s strategy on Palestine
3 Advancing Israeli ‘existential crises’:
The 3 dispositive and concurrent existential crises seen as such by Israel itself:
Crisis #1: The Iran Nuclear Deal: signed sealed and delivered June 30
Crisis #2: Successfully advancing Palestinian case at the ICC
Crisis #3: Catastrophic reversal of US diplomatic cover at UN/international forums
– ‘Concurrency and synergy of crises and Strategic Collapse of Israeli Apartheid/Strategic Collapse of the Israeli Lobby’
American Political Consequences and Resets:
Battle Royale – Obama’s Legacy vs Hillary’s Presidency
Sheldon Adelson’s ‘Chinese Mafia links’ US Court Case
‘The Israel Lobby of Post-Apartheid What*?’ *1P1V1S
‘CHECKMATE: Queen Hillary on an AIPAC Horse’
==========
Goals: General familiarity with current US and Israeli policy position and state of play amidst rapidly evolving events and importance of consumption of Israeli media to understanding above
Never fail to lose sight of the fact that Israel has lusted for the Litani River and all the Lebanese land south of it since 1948 and will continue to attack until they succeed or are militarily thrashed.
Nessim Dayan: I hope I haven’t given you the impression that Neumann used the term “religion of anti-semitism”. To the best of my knowledge he has never done so and even if he had there would be nothing against you using the phrase as well. There is no copyright on it.
You are right in assuming that the incredible fuss some people in Israel make about the BDS- movement only will strengthen it.
Saban and Adelson have warned of a “tsunami” of anti-semitism by which they mean critique of Israel. Saban indulged in threats against Orange which would, I assume, only put his target’s back up. It is a pitiful sight to see these two primitive money bags lead the anti-BDS movement. It shows that Israel can’t rely on the “non-compulsive compulsion of the better argument” (Habermas) but only on intimidation and bribery.
I think the key to understanding Gadi Eizenkot is this: he knows what the IDF is capable of, and he knows what the IDF is incapable of doing.
Flatten the southern part of Lebanon?
Yeah, that’s as-easy-as, so let’s trumpet that to everyone.
Force millions of civilians to flee south Lebanon?
Hmmm, probably. Quite do-able. So I’ll add my voice to the chorus.
Take out Iran’s nuclear facilities?
Are you kidding me! Look at the map, dude, then look at the F-16’s spec sheet.
You. Are. F**king. Mad. If. You. Think. The. IDF. Can. Do. That. On. Its. Own.
Basically, he is a man with no moral fibre whatsoever, but he is perfectly capable of looking at what he has got in his goodie-bag and comparing it to what the politicians want him to do.
If he can do it then he’ll say so. He’ll do it, and sleep soundly at night no matter the screams of the dead.
If he can’t do it then he’ll say so, and if the politicians don’t want to hear it, well, tough luck.