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ISRAEL’S Prime Minister has called on the international community to target Iran as soon as the imminent conflict with Iraq is complete.
In an interview with The Times , he insisted that Tehran — one of the “axis of evil” powers identified by President Bush — should be put under pressure “the day after” action against Baghdad ends because of its role as a “centre of world terror”.
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No, of course not … Israel didn’t voice their strong opinion for the Bush NeoCon cabal to take their fight against the 9/11 terrorists to Baghdad and overthrow nemesis Saddam Hussein. This article was published days before the 2002 US midterm election, just after the political vote by Congress to pass their War Powers to the Bush/Cheney executive branch of government. A lame duck Congress on Iraq and national security has existed ever since!
The Knesset also approved the appointment of Shaul Mofaz, the hawkish former Israeli Army chief, as Defence Minister.
He also issued his clearest warning yet that Israel would strike back if attacked by Iraqi chemical or biological weapons, no matter how much Washington sought to keep its controversial Middle Eastern ally out of any war in Iraq.
He made clear that western Iraq would be one of the first areas targeted by the US in any invasion, saying that lessons had been learnt from strategic mistakes of the 1991 Gulf War when Iraq successfully fired 39 Scud missiles into Israel.
In other significant changes of tone and policy, Mr Sharon told The Times that:
- “The Israeli Government is considering an unprecedented crackdown on the Islamic movement within its own borders, fearing that a “small minority” of Israeli Arabs are turning against the country.”
He asserted that while Washington was inevitably focusing on Saddam Hussein — whom he called “insane” — the White House shared his concern that Iran was also seeking weapons of mass destruction, and developing missiles capable of striking Israel and even Europe.
WASHINGTON DC (The Forward) July 18, 2008 — Two senior Jewish congressmen are distancing themselves from a resolution calling for tougher sanctions against Iran, arguing that the bill would send an unnecessarily bellicose message to Tehran.
Democratic Reps. Robert Wexler of Florida and Barney Frank of Massachusetts pulled their support — Wexler on July 9, and Frank a week earlier — from a congressional resolution that called for increasing inspections on all sea and air traffic in and out of Iran, among other measures. The bill has been targeted by a coalition of progressive groups that give an argument that the measure is pushing for a de facto blockade on Iran that may lead to war.
“It’s a little trickier for the Jewish community, because there is a school of thought that believes the community bears disproportionate responsibility for the war in Iraq,” said Mark Pelavin, associate director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. “The fact that this claim is out there makes people be more measured this time around.”
Among those calling on lawmakers to turn down the proposed resolution is Americans for Peace Now, a dovish Jewish group that is pushing for a peaceful solution to the standoff with Iran. In a July 8 letter to members of Congress, the group wrote that “ambiguity in the text of the resolution has led some to see it as de facto approval for a land, air or sea blockade of Iran, any of which could be considered an act of war.”
On July 9, activists from the women’s antiwar group Code Pink, which opposes the resolution, launched a symbolic blockade of the Washington houseboat of Rep. Gary Ackerman, a New York Democrat and one of the authors of the resolution.
“Where Have all the Flowers Gone”
When will they ever learn, and the war drums will not be silenced….
just gotta shake my head here…
peace…is that not an option?
Israel a country born in war against indigenous people and has created so many enemies, that it has built it’s economy on war.
ISRAEL’S Prime Minister has called on the international community to target Iran as soon as the imminent conflict with Iraq is complete.
Now that’s a relief since the Korean model applies.
The Iraq genie is out of the bottle. The Sunnis now need to be protected, so we’ll be hog tied to the nearest palm tree in downtown Baghdad forever.
It’ll take decades before we can depart. Imho, we’ll need Iran’s help to calm Iraq and the upcoming Af/Pakistan debacle.
The world is awake. Putting Israel first is no longer an option. And in any event, Israel sits on 200 nukes and is in no danger of being attacked by anyone.
Israel’s propaganda is in the counter-productive phase. They need to STFU. We’re sick and tired of paying higher fuel prices – a result of BushCheneyOlmert’s saber-rattling.
l think idredit’s on to something here…just more of the same garbage in, garbage out by the israelis. how many times can they pull their “let’s you and him fight“ propaganda until people wise up?
they’ve become the “eddie haskell” of the ME.
So was it Big Oil or was it Israel that pushed the US into Iraq. While it doesn’t really matter, one has to argue that the prime conspirators were Israeli loving Neocons, as Zinni rightly contended in his book, and the passive co-conspirators were Cheney’s Big Oil pals.
But this distinction is not as clear when it comes to Iran. Unless Big Oil really believes it can get its hands on Iran’s reserves of gas and oil, which is doubtful, Israel here is more out in the open, alone in motivating the US into another Middle East war. The tail is again wagging the dog, and why the press isn’t out there making that clear to the American public is beyond me.
Iran is of no strategic interest to the US except that it continues producing oil. So why would we support an attack on Iran if the result will only kill our oil supply and thus the US economy?
Just a few Sunday afternoon thoughts.
“So was it Big Oil or was it Israel that pushed the US into Iraq. While it doesn’t really matter, one has to argue that the prime conspirators were Israeli loving Neocons, as Zinni rightly contended in his book, and the passive co-conspirators were Cheney’s Big Oil pals.
Iran is of no strategic interest to the US except that it continues producing oil. So why would we support an attack on Iran if the result will only kill our oil supply and thus the US economy?”
No diff really between the Neocons and Big Oil. They’re co-mingled.
Iran’s oil is a strategic geopolitical interest to the U.S. – spheres of influence Russia and China.
Reading the tea leaves at today’s gathering in Geneva.
Iran given a two week ultimatum?
and for those between the lines noted in the AFP read why here- NYT/IHT
Gawd we never learn. The Iranians can’t be pushed around. They held us at bay for 30 years. They read and know the U.S. is bankrupt, its finances in meltdown, its military in a quagmire Itaq and Afghanistan.
So in two weeks….we’ll know.
big oil, big m/i complex, and most of all the failed, and soon to be discredited “cold warrior” mindset as exemplified by the pnaCON’s project for a new american century.
in stark contrast to their goals, the wars in iraq and afghanistan have resulted in the ascention of iran, russia, and the chinese as the major players on the scene. the new russian leadership, now under the auspices of medevedev, a long time part of the putin apparatus, is actively and aggressively seeking to solidify their gains, thus assuring the eclipse of the long standing role of the u.s. and israel as the dominant force[s] in the region.
l recommend the current fp article at the asia times, Russia’s energy drive leaves US reeling, as well as this wiki piece on gazprom. it’s not coincidental that medevedev is now running things. geopolitics makes for very interesting reading…connecting the dots…that’s a bit harder.
bushco™, aipac, pnac, etal, have blown what they saw as their big opportunity. basically, they screwed the pooch, and there aren’t any puppies to sell.
it’s my opinion that we’re witness to the first major step in the fall of the american empire.
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Behind the shekel’s strength is the Jewish state’s stellar economic performance, fueled by a growth rate of 5% or more in each of the last four years. Israel’s balance of payments is strongly in the black, unemployment is at its lowest level in more than a decade, the government had a balanced budget in 2007, and the country’s debt as a percentage of gross domestic product has dropped sharply. But a supershekel threatens exports of all sorts of commodities, including textiles, diamonds, software, and weapons.
Israel and Green technology –
… and of course good old drug trade to obtain foreign currency.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."be interesting to know how much of the israeli economy is “war based”…ie: weaponry and related industries.
it seems to me that it’s not particularly diverse, given the lack of natural resources available. is this a misconception on my part?
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(The Guardian) June 16, 2007 — This phase of development dates back to the mid-90s, when the country was in the vanguard of the information revolution – the most tech-dependent economy in the world. After the dotcom bubble burst in 2000, Israel’s economy was devastated, facing its worst year since 1953. Then came 9/11, and suddenly new profit vistas opened up for any company that claimed it could spot terrorists in crowds, seal borders from attack, and extract confessions from closed-mouthed prisoners.
Within three years, large parts of Israel’s tech economy had been radically repurposed. Put in Friedmanesque terms, Israel went from inventing the networking tools of the “flat world” to selling fences to an apartheid planet. Many of the country’s most successful entrepreneurs are using Israel’s status as a fortressed state, surrounded by furious enemies, as a kind of 24-hour-a-day showroom, a living example of how to enjoy relative safety amid constant war. And the reason Israel is now enjoying supergrowth is that those companies are busily exporting that model to the world.
Discussions of Israel’s military trade usually focus on the flow of weapons into the country – US-made Caterpillar bulldozers used to destroy homes in the West Bank, and British companies supplying parts for F-16s. Overlooked is Israel’s huge and expanding export business. Israel now sends $1.2bn in “defence” products to the United States – up dramatically from $270m in 1999. In 2006, Israel exported $3.4bn in defence products – well over a billion more than it received in American military aid. That makes Israel the fourth largest arms dealer in the world, overtaking Britain.
Much of this growth has been in the so-called homeland security sector. Before 9/11 homeland security barely existed as an industry. By the end of this year, Israeli exports in the sector will reach $1.2bn, an increase of 20%. The key products and services are hi-tech fences, unmanned drones, biometric IDs, video and audio surveillance gear, air passenger profiling and prisoner interrogation systems – precisely the tools and technologies Israel has used to lock in the occupied territories.
Israel Defence & Security Report 2008
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."thx oui…as l suspected.
yer good!
also be interesting to be a fly on the wall in the policy sessions that deal with this supposition:
interesting take on the matter, eh.
for starters, Iran is not the only country renting tankers to store crude…many hundreds of tankers are loaded with oil..parked on the ocean with no place to go..no refining capacity. That leads some to dismiss the supply/demand theory for high oil prices. The rate of oil price increase y / y does not match the demand.
In the case of Iran they’re likely storing for other eventualities.
But the unstable U.S. economy – financial meltdown – is contributing to the PTB’s panic.
Translation the U.S. is broke…as in the unthinkable – already set in motion, the great depression II somewhere along 2010 or defaulting on our debts or both.
Trillions in OTC derivatives to unwind…hit with a body blow – high oil prices driven by traders looking to offset losses. No practical solution.
We’re only in the second inning of the financial crisis.
Worthy of a read is this essay: capital punishment…end of illusions
two bankrupt entities to bail out the economy. Adding to the woes, the big money center banks are in the red with a strained consumer no longer in shape to drive the economy. High oil prices is in need of a miracle reduction to the $60/bbl level. People can’t borrow money to buy gas to get to work.
A housing bust and high oil prices not a good mix.
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George Bush and Tony Blair offer their decision for preemptive war on behalve of a communication with the almighty father. Bush often refers to the Iraq war in similarities to World War II: appeasement, D-day, Churchill, bringing democracy, mission accomplished, total victory and rebuilding a nation. So, at what stage will OBL commit suicide in his underground bunker?
Der Spiegel interview with Zbigniew Brzezinski (2006)The errors committed by the Bush administration in its war on terror, the disastrous campaign in Iraq, and the risks of a global uprising against inequality.
SPIEGEL: Dr. Brzezinski, President Bush compares the dangers of terrorism with the dangers of the Cold War. He has even spoken repeatedly of a “nation at war” and will only accept “complete victory.” Is he right or is he using exaggerated rhetoric?
Brzezinski: He is fundamentally wrong. Whether that is deliberate demagoguery or simply historical ignorance, I do not know …
Blog comments from article in The American Interest
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."