Netanyahu state visit to Singapore
ניסיון הצנזורה נכשל: בני גנץ ביקר השבוע בסינגפור. למה הטיל צא”פ על הביקור? בשנת 2012, שר הביטחון דאז אהוד ברק ביקר בסינגפור.חוליית חיזבאללה זממה להתנקש בחייו במהלך שהותו. המוסד חשף את המזימה, והזוממים נעצרו. סביר להניח שהסינגפורים רצו להימנע מחזרה על התקרית הזו.
Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz returned from a secret trip today. Secret, because the military censor doesn’t want Israelis to know where he went. Why? Your guess is as good as mine. Nahum Barnea, veteran security reporter for Yediot, broke censorship, saying Gantz was in Singapore peddling Israeli weapons to the city-state’s military echelon:
Gantz was in Singapore on Tuesday. The rumors spoke of a secret security mission. But the official summary was far more modest: Singapore was the second nation which ever bought Israeli weapons (after the US). Every prior defense minister (except Bennett) has made sure to conduct such a visit.
Then-defense minister, Ehud Barak, opens Israeli Pavillion at 2012 Singapore Air Show
But why would the trip be kept secret? Singapore is not a Muslim country and it has had relations with Israel for decades. When Netanyahu was prime minister, he traveled there and there was nothing secret about it. Other than sheer pettiness, what would motivate the censor to keep a lid on this?
Tal Schneider reports that Singapore itself requested secrecy. It seeks to conceal from its citizens the sources of the weapons it buys from the world’s arms makers. A more persuasive reason might be this: in 2012, then-defense minister, Ehud Barak visited Singapore. His visit was public knowledge. A Hezbollah cell plotted to assassinate him during his stay. They even obtained his schedule. The Mossad uncovered the plot, informed the country’s intelligence agency and the plotters were arrested. It seems likely the Singaporeans may have wanted to avoid a repeat of this incident. They assessed that Iranian intelligence would welcome an opportunity to take a shot at Gantz if given the chance. Secrecy was deemed the better part of valor.
Aside from this, Israel’s reputation on the world stage took a huge hit after its attack on Gaza last May. Singapore is surrounded by Muslim states (Malaysia, Indonesia) and itself is 15% Muslim. There was no upside for Singapore’s leaders to be publicly welcoming a former IDF chief of staff with blood on his hands, and who may be the subject of an ICC war crimes investigation.
IDF’s Media Feint
Before Barnea published his account. social media accounts of Israeli journalists buzzed with unofficial speculation about Waldo’s whereabouts. One of the more likely scenarios had him in Azerbaijan. Though Israel has had relations with Azerbaijan since 1992, it is a Muslim country surrounded by other Muslim states like Iran and Turkey. For that reason, much of the commerce between the two states is done covertly. The Azeri strongman leader, Aliyev, has spent billions filling his arsenal with Israeli armaments (notably drones) to fight his repeated wars with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Where’s Benny?
It’s a badly-kept secret that Israel has taken over Azeri airfields near the border with Iran and equipped them with all the equipment and infrastructure needed to mount an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. This includes Israel’s latest purchase, American F-35 warplanes which have touched down at the base. These facilities are a key element of Israel’s strategic plan because it vastly reduces the flying time for Israeli warplanes from Israel to Iran. The airfields could also serve as refueling stops for Israeli planes en route to Iran or returning from there to home bases inside Israel. Israel has established secret surveillance facilities in (in the guise of a “smart city”) Azerbaijan aimed at scooping up Iranian intelligence and communications.
Azerbaijan has played a delicate game with its neighbors, especially Iran. There is a large Azeri minority inside Iran. And the two countries share a long history. It’s well known that Iran has planted its own spies inside the country. Israel has done so as well, in order to keep an eye on Iran’s spies.
Azerbaijan recently conducted war maneuvers with Pakistan and Turkey near the Iranian border. The military exercises alarmed Iran since it had not received prior notice. In addition, there have been clashes between Iran and Azerbaijan over Iranian commerce with Armenia, with trucks blocked from crossing into Azeri territory on their way.
The most important reason for a Gantz visit would have been Israel’s escalating war hysteria against Iran. This includes the announcement of a special $1.5-billion budgetary item funding preparations for an Israeli attack. Also, this week’s cyber-attack on Iran’s gasoline supply network and recent attacks on its railway and ports offer further examples of Israel heating up the hawkish rhetoric. For some reason, Israel wants Iran to believe it is prepared to go to war to stop its nuclear program. Whether it really will do so is anyone’s guess. But clearly, Gantz’s trip (if this was his secret destination) would have involved how Israel planned to use Azeri territory as part of its plan of attack.
But the truth was much more prosaic. Gantz wasn’t planning a war against Iran. He was paying his respects to a well-heeled long-time weapons customer. An Israeli journalist who was fed the false Azerbaijan angle accused the IDF of spreading false rumors; just as it did during last May’s Gaza war when it tried and failed to tempt Hamas militants to flood their tunnels so that Israel would test its new bunker buster bombs courtesy of Uncle Sam. It did so by announcing via the media that it planned a massive ground assault. Reporters dutifully reported it. But Hamas knew better than to trust Israeli media. They weren’t fooled. And the bombs fell on tunnels which were virtually empty.
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.
You’d think Israel’s interest would be in becoming a nation at peace with it’s neighbors, including, yes, Iran, and not drumming up war or promoting war, peddling weapons, intelligence, spyware, what have you elsewhere.What a disappointment.The world does not need this. How does this comport with Judaism?
“The World” (PRI) program had two days of excellent interviews from Breaking the Silence members, one Israeli, one Palestinian, telling their stories.
https://www.pri.org/file/2021-10-28/spiritual-edge-part-1
https://www.pri.org/file/2021-10-28/hate-peace-worker-palestinian-story
it doesn’t, money is power, he aint gonna get a lot of bakshish by peddling intel or nvidia,
so he gets it both as a seller agent and as dictator propping.
again judaism is for the populace so that 48 can literally drop dead whilst the rabbis pharaohs the likes of deri and litzman can pretend to be zuckerman
@Potter
Suppose just for a minute, that’s it’s Iran that’s the problem. That Iran is the aggressor.
Bear in mind that Iran has already placed large proxy armies on Israel’s borders, whereas Israel has not set proxy armies on Iran’s borders.
Suppose Iran is using the Israel/Palestine conflict as a wedge to pry apart and weaken the nearby Sunni Arab States.
Suppose Iran really does want hegemony in the Middle East.
@ Cillian: Let’s not “suppose” since suppositions mean nothing. Let’s actually use historical evidence:
Only a few of the points attesting to Israel’s offensive capability and its history of aggression against its enemy states. As for Iran’s purported offensive activity and proxy relationships, they are largely defensive, offering Iran the chance to strike back against Israel should it launch an offensive attack.
As for Iranian “hegemony,” don’t make me laugh. The only state in the region which asserts regional dominance is Israel. There are a few that attempt to assert influence beyond their borders like Turkey and Saudi Arabia (and Iran), but they are pikers compared to Israel. Their capacity to impact events outside their borders and their will to do so is much more limited.
Do not post again in this thread.
Rich, I really thank you for countering this person’s post with facts. You educate us. (I say this with all due respect for my pie-in-the-sky post.)
It saddens me to read how someone can try so hard to prove his radical points of view on a matter without objectively judging the case and it’s players for what they are and what guides them, you’re willing to judge the situation by amount of weapons and actions, without taking into considerations why they have so much weapons or why they had to resort to violence, did it stop evil from happening or did it create it? you have a serious problem if that’s how you judge geopolitical events.
If I needed another supporting evidence that you are evil and you don’t even care for free speech or stopping Iran from promoting terrorism, you even tell the fellow above to not post again in this thread as if it were a threat, what are you so afraid of? the truth?
As a fellow man hoping for a peaceful future, I hope that you wouldn’t delete or alter this post so others can read, understand and do their own search for facts on each point you made.
Hoping for a better tomorrow,
Kingfisher.
@ Kingfish:
Israel is not a peaceful country that promotes peace. And as my comment showed, Israel poses FAR more danger to the region than Iran. It has far more lethal weaponry and can do immense damage throughout the region. Iran’s capabilities are limited by comparison.
I take offense at this calumny. Iran is not “evil.” You will never say this again here or you will be banned permanently. I do not permit commenters to smear me in this fashion.
Yes they do, just like Israel does.
I never said Israel was “satanic.” YOu used the term, not me. I oppose all nuclear weapons held by all countries which have them, including Israel & the US.
Not for want of trying. In fact, Moshe Dayan in the first days of the 1973 War lobbied Golda to drop a nuclear bomb. She didn’t. But if he had been PM, he might have.
As I’ve said here before, the only time nuclear weapons deter aggression is when two hostile nations each have such weapons. If only one does, this actually encourages aggression.
F-4 Phantom jets circa 1970s.
Iran’s military might is the equivalent of a slingshot compared to Israel’s.
This is Shiaphobia, a close cousin to Islamophobia. It is not permitted here. Read the commennt rules.
Israel and the US are two of the most aggressive warmongering nations in the world. Together we’ve killed more and invaded more than any other two countries in the past 40 yrs.
Israel aims a nuclear warhead at you and says “we will use it unless you do what we say.” Who is more a peace promoter?
Nonsense, the Yishuv leadership and its rivals have been assassinated Palestinians and even fellow Jews going back 100 years. Do your homework before spouting nonsense. And the Mossad’s assassination campaign began just after the state was founded. Not “must later.”
I don’t support Iran’s ideology. I don’t support its alliances with Hezbollah or Assad or the Houthis. But given the provocations and aggression against it by Israel and the Saudis I’m not about to deny it the right to defend itself and strike out in response to such aggression.
I’m not. But I’ll tell you something you are…banned. No one says or even implies such garbage here. Posting here is not a right. It’s a privilege. You smear me, you’re gone.
“Trying” is not the same as succeeding. Israel has succeeded. Iran has failed.
@Richard Silverstein
“Israel is not a peaceful country that promotes peace.?
Yet Israel has made peace with her neighbors in Egypt and Jordan and Israel has just signed onto the Abraham Accords which ‘normalize’ relations with many of the Arab States. Israelis are flying to vacation in Dubai, and air service between Saudi Arabia and Israel has begun for the first time.
All of which, sounds peaceful.
@ Ted Barber: How about this? Does this sound “peaceful?” 40,000 Arab dead since 1948. Hundreds of Palestinian children imprisoned in Israeli jails. Constant invasions of Lebanon and Gaza which kill thousands. Repeated attacks on foreign countries, invading their sovereignty in violation of international law. An ICC investigation for war crimes. 3,000 Mossad assassinations since 1948. 200 nuclear warheads.
I don’t think so.
“There are a few that attempt to assert influence beyond their borders like Turkey and Saudi Arabia (and Iran), but they are pikers compared to Israel”
Not so. Turkey has intervened militarily in Libya, Syria and Nagorno-Karabakh…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_Turkey
…and Saudi Arabia has been at war with Yemen’s Houthis for seven years.
@ Ted Barber: Whatever Turkey or Saudi Arabia have done it does not begin to match the intensity and level of aggression and intervention that Israel has engaged in. In Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Gaza. Israel has engaged in military attacks in all these places and has done so for decades. As I wrote earlier, the Turks and Saudis are pickers by comparison.
Keogh, suppose for a minute that we recognize that no ONE entity always bears the total culpability for any aggression or transgression against another entity’s boundary. This is a truth for any group, be it two in a family, a family in a community, a state in a country, or a country in a particular part of the planet. Furthermore, none of this malevolent behavior has its genesis in a vacuum. It behooves us as creatures with a frontal cortex to understand causes and effects without demonizing others and assigning blame; we need to focus on cathecting compassion and searching for solutions, sans testosterone overload and egos. Why?
Because we’ve managed to destroy our planet and extirpate and exterminate thousands of fauna and flora species. We have a small window of time to use our collective brains and stem the tide of irreversible damage.
Why not spend energy to do this instead of invading and killing each other?
Amen brother (or sister).
Hegemony. Non starter , iran is not rich. Put saudis+emiratis+bahrain+Dubai they’ll more than fend off the poor egomaniacs. Even if they muster a bomb do you see that pile of gold sitting on their hands. Na-ah. Further israel has no proxies . only Hezbollah. They try to build it up except now they have a tiny issue of flying the non relevant flag 🚩 of them being lebanon protectors as they did once. That fly aint flying. And israel keeps swatting every new building or transport they try to make a go. So whackamole in Gaza’s tunnels and irans ambitions in syria that are being limited by putins ambitions to have a part as well as an airport in west med. So this doesn’t fly with irans ambitions. Bottom line Iran’s activities are nothing more than a new and improved somalias pirates.
nah, remember the old adage, knowledge is power, better keep the populace barefoot and pregnant, they wont ask insolent questions,
everything is secret here including the price tags on any item, why, so we can charge more depending on who’s the most sucker of the customer.
it is laughable the behavior of any individual behind a counter, first they cant answer because they have no idea what they are selling and so on .
i have learned to read at least 7 daily newspapers in order to know approximately what is the real story.
remember when gantz declared all palestinians ngo as terror and i said it was personal, here we go again, he’s ego is hurt that shmoo benett is sitting on the throne and not him, instead of peddling knowledge to be imparted to potential israeli customer, he imparts terror by selling arms and peddling to dictators,\
i oughtnot be surprised if i am tilded antisemite by criticizing so much, oh well
An item in today’s haaretz clearly clarify the why if the ngo kerfuffle. It’s because gantz got rebuked for meeting with abbas and none of the left supported him. He supposedly tried to build bridges and got the height of poo 💩 and no meretz or labor backs. So there . ye old that for tat