Israel To Demand Guarantee Obama Will Attack Iran – OpEd

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Israel in recent days has become a Hall of Mirrors in which wherever members of the war camp look in the media, they see an infinite regress of leaks and self-serving articles which promote the war narrative.  There are about eight main talking points for war and Haaretz features two or three articles every day focussing on one point or another.  Some of the articles are directly attributed to Ehud Barak, some contain arguments so clearly close to his own that you know he was the anonymous source.

Pull the string and I’ll wink at you
I’m your puppet
I’ll do funny things if you want me to
I’m your puppet
Oh, I’m yours to have and…you’ve got full control
Of your puppet

…I’ll have it snap your fingers and I’ll turn you some flips
I’m your puppet,
Oh darlin’
Listen, your every wish is my command
All you gotta do is wiggle your little hand
I’m your puppet…

Israel - United States Relations
Israel – United States Relations

Now comes even more an even deluded than normal set of declarations (Hebrew) concerning relations with the U.S. regarding Iran.  The new thinking is that if the U.S. will publicly commit to saying it will join Israel in attacking Iran before the next General Assembly meeting in the fall (which just so happens to fall on the eve of Yom Kippur), then Israel won’t attack Iran before the November elections by itself:

Bibi Netanyahu and Ehud Barak expect Barak Obama to declare that the U.S. would take military actions to stop Iran’s nuclear program at the UN General Assembly fall session or any other public forum before that date.  This presidential commitment would prevent an Israeli attack before the November elections.  Though neither the foreign ministry or prime minister’s offices would confirm this, other sources say preliminary efforts have begun with U.S. ambassador to the UN Susan Rice, who is extremely close to Obama, to coordinate such developments.

…According to a senior official in Jerusalem, if Obama does say the words Israel expects to hear, this would be a decisive contribution toward restoring Israel’s level of trust in the U.S.

It appears that Israel has had a major automobile accident and has a severe case of amnesia.  Instead of being a small country in the Middle East, Israel (or its leaders) appear to believe they are Obama’s brain .  All they have to do is propose action in Israel’s interest and it’s Obama’s obligation to assent.  Or in another metaphor, Obama is a mere robot and Bibi is Dr. Frankenstein his creator and programmer.  That appears to be something close to the relationship Sheldon Adelson has with Mitt Romney, so I suppose it isn’t too far-fetched that Bibi believes he could enjoy the same control of Obama.

Also, I suppose Israel has never heard of the term blackmail, because that’s what it’s proposing in case Obama refuses to issue such a declaration of intent to attack Iran.  It would never cross the mind of such narcissists as the prime minister and defense minister that telling the president of the most powerful nation on earth if he doesn’t do what Israel wants then Israel will do something the U.S. doesn’t want it to do.

But never fear, Israel will be understanding and flexible about receiving such a declaration, which it would prefer to hear now.  It understands that Obama may wish to wait till just before the elections to make it and not be prepared to do so today.  That would be quite satisfactory in the Israeli view.

There is one reason and one reason alone that Israel has taken leave of its senses in such a fashion: Obama has treated Israel like it’s a piece of fragile porcelain that could be broken with any more than the most delicate touch.  Instead of bellowing his objection to war against Iran, he whispers in Bibi’s ear.  This has led no less than Haaretz’s managing editor, Aluf Benn to infer that Obama really has no problem with an Iran attack.  If he did, Benn reasons, Obama would speak in tones previous presidents have managed to muster when they disagreed with Israel including Carter, the first President Bush and Clinton among them.  Obama has determined that only kid gloves will do for the Israelis, who interpret kid gloves as carte blanche for doing and saying whatever they like in the region.

Barack Obama is personally and directly responsible for the mess that has become the Middle East.  He is equally responsible for the next war, whether it’s in Iran, Syria, Lebanon or Gaza.  In the Middle East, inaction can be as devastating as bad action.

This article appeared at Tikun Olam

Richard Silverstein

Richard Silverstein is an author, journalist and blogger, with articles appearing in Haaretz, the Jewish Forward, Los Angeles Times, the Guardian’s Comment Is Free, Al Jazeera English, and Alternet. His work has also been in the Seattle Times, American Conservative Magazine, Beliefnet and Tikkun Magazine, where he is on the advisory board. Check out Silverstein's blog at Tikun Olam, one of the earliest liberal Jewish blogs, which he has maintained since February, 2003.

5 thoughts on “Israel To Demand Guarantee Obama Will Attack Iran – OpEd

  • August 15, 2012 at 6:21 am
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    Its the same miserable ‘all options on the table’ bs we’ve heard for 15 years. Its like babble from a guy ready to jump off a building.
    “I’m gunna do it.
    Look out.
    I’m serious.
    I swear to Gawd.
    Look out, I’ll do it.”

    Need to send Mel Gibson up to the top floor, grab Bibi and both jump down atop a Chucky Cheese Bouncehouse, Danny Glover waiting.

    Reply
  • August 15, 2012 at 7:50 am
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    One point that no one is prepared to consider is that this topic of Netanyahu pressuring Obama/USA to go to war with Iran is creating an anti-Israeli spirit in the US. It will have it play on the congressmen that Adelson has purchased and also Romney and Co. All indications are that Netanyahu feels he can drive Obama out of office and degrade or downsize anything the American Military has to say about the result of a false war with Iran. I do believe Israel is about to lose it friend America, of course they never trusted us anyway.

    Reply
  • August 15, 2012 at 12:53 pm
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    The addition of a future state (Iran) that recognizes patents, copyrights and shinny metals like gold as worth more than a human’s life, is the priority in Washington DC.They have carefully removed any suspition that there will ever be a religious, or truthful Jew that is not added to the terrorist list and secretly killed…or diagnosed as having schizophrenia and run around direct energy weapons so his brain can be reamed for inventions, etc.
    Just the usual stuff the Us has historically done…even before the 1st World War.
    Obama would be happy to, since he acts like he was reared in the Church of Christ…and Romney is a snap of the fingers since he thinks he’s the reincarnation of Reagan.
    Everyone have a pleasant day…
    Everyone could have let China and Russia end all the wars around the globe…but then the uS would have seriously had a depression.

    Reply
  • August 15, 2012 at 10:43 pm
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    It would come as a surprise to many to learn that Israel does not have the USA in its pocket.

    After all, did not Ariel Sharon tell us so? And what possible reason could anyone have to doubt his word?

    Reply

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