Israel, Iran and Our Unsettling Global Future

Israel, Iran and Our Unsettling Global Future

www.huffingtonpost.com

In the wake of last Tuesday's announcement that Israel has launched "Ofek 9", a spy satellite which will, among other things, be able to keep an eye on the expanding Iranian nuclear program, it is clear that Israeli-Iranian tensions have reached an all-time high.

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Related News Links:
swampland.blogs.time.com

Basically the article discusses about the tension between USA, Israel and Iran. The author of the article, grandson of ex- President of American Jewish Congress Robert. K Lifton shares the piece written by him

"Leaders of the World Nations,

In the first century CE, the people of Israel saw their temple destroyed by the Romans and in later years many Jews were forced into exile from their homeland. During the years in the Diaspora, we Jews were driven out of country after country and suffered continuing assaults physically and economically as well as on our religion. This culminated in the Nazi plan to destroy the Jewish people, resulting in the horrors of the Holocaust and the murder of six million Jews in Europe. We survivors vowed to ourselves and other Jews throughout the world: Never again will we allow such attacks to decimate the Jewish population!

In 1948, this body voted to establish a Jewish homeland in our historic land of Israel and the nation of Israel was born. Despite attacks on our fledgling nation in 1948 and wars with the surrounding Arab countries in 1967 and 1973, the Jewish people built a great nation. We made our arid land green by developing advanced agricultural technology that is also helping large parts of the world. Without oil or other natural resources, we developed commerce and industry that created increasing prosperity for our people. We made great contributions in science and health to be shared by the other nations represented here today.

Uptill here the article discusses about the history of Jews and mildly touches the topic of creation of Israel. Though one thing I noticed when Robert K Lifton mentioned they developed Israel without natural resource or oil he forgot to mention the billions of dollars donated by allover the world, specially Germany which is still paying repartition of WWII, yearly economic aid from USA which only stopped few years ago but the military aid still continues...funds from other countries such as UK, France etc.

We brought to Israel millions of Jews who were forced to leave Arab lands with nothing but their lives or who left the former Soviet Union and other countries to find a place where they would be treated with dignity and respect. Despite the hardship of absorbing so many people in a small country, we managed to settle them, find them homes and jobs and send their children to school. We promised those new citizens a safe and secure haven in Israel.

I'm not sure if I am correct but which Arab land forced Jews out of their country? How are Israeli Jews living in dignity and respect when even till today Ethopian Jews/ African Jews face daily racism from European Jews..upto the state that European Jews dont like to send their kids to study in same school as Ethopian Jews.

During all those years since 1948 we have sought to make peace with our Arab neighbors. Under Prime Minister Menachem Begun, we signed a peace agreement with Egypt at Camp David. We gave back the Sinai Peninsula, even with its valuable property, and moved thousands of our citizens from their homes in settlements.

If thousand of settlements are moved then how does one explain the Settlements being built in West Bank and even the recent approval of 2 days ago of building new settlement? Why do Israeli settlers burn olive trees, bulldoze houses in West Bank? How is it peace when a whole area is blocked by high wall and noone is allowed in or out, materials are restricted?

Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin made peace with King Hussein of Jordan. He signed the Oslo Agreement with Yasser Arafat representing the beginning of a peace process between our two people.

Interesting Mr. Lifton brings up the point of Yitzak Rabin. Isn't he the same Prime Minister who was assassinated by ultra right wing Zionist party member for trying to make peace.

Prime Minister Ehud Barak, with the intense efforts of President Bill Clinton, tried to bring about a peace agreement with the Palestinians at Camp David, but to no avail.

And whoose fault was that?

Israel's Camp David proposal, which was never set forth in writing, denied the Palestinian state viability and independence by dividing Palestinian territory into four separate cantons entirely surrounded, and therefore controlled, by Israel. The Camp David proposal also denied Palestinians control over their own borders, airspace and water resources while legitimizing and expanding illegal Israeli colonies in Palestinian territory. Israel's Camp David proposal presented a 're-packaging' of military occupation, not an end to military occupation.

Source: www.mediamonitors.net...

Prime Minister Barak withdrew our troops from Lebanon but that only brought an attack on us from Hezbollah that forced us into a war we did not seek.

If the Israel did not seek war why was Lebanon invaded in first place? Why were Lebanese citizens uprooted from their original homes in Israel?

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon pulled our troops out of the Gaza Strip, but that resulted in control of Gaza falling into the hands of Hamas, a terrorist organization that has vowed to destroy the state of Israel. That move brought no peace but only multiple attacks and missiles that rained down on our citizens from Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists.

I will not even touch this as it has been explained numerous times, no point in repeating!

Nevertheless, we still support a two state solution with the Palestinians with secure and defensible borders.

On the contrary the Likud party )current governing party of Israel) has refused a two state solution. source: www.knesset.gov.il...

The greatest concern to us is the government of Iran, which has vowed to destroy Israel and wipe us from the face of the earth.

Thank you but has been refuted Mr. Lifton.

Iran is well along in its program of developing nuclear weapons, including missiles that can readily reach our major cities.

On the contrary there has been no proof that Iran is making nuclear weapons. Well sir, if you have nuclear weapons that can reach Iran's major cities what's the problem in opposition having too? It ensures MAD(mutual assured destruction).

The world has attempted to dissuade Iran from this course. It has cajoled and threatened. Under the leadership of the United States, the UN Security Council has imposed ever stronger sanctions against Iran to stop its development of nuclear weapons. But the government of Iran has scoffed at these efforts and committed itself to continue its nuclear program.

Yes and they are full within their rights to do so as signatory to N.P.T which I may add has not been signed by Israel nor has ever been allowed to inspect.

In the past, when Arab states that threatened us attempted to develop nuclear weapons, we took action to stop that development. We reserve the right to take action against Iran to bring a halt to its efforts. But more than that, we want to make our position totally clear. Until now, we have followed a policy of what political analysts termed "nuclear ambiguity" about our own capabilities. Now, we are prepared to announce that, in fact, we have a substantial nuclear weapon capability of every size and variety. Israel has committed that we will not be the first nation to use nuclear weapons and we will adhere to that commitment. But we want to make it completely understood by both the government and the people of Iran that a full array of our weapons is pointed at Iran from a multitude of resources. If the Iranians develop nuclear weapons and if any weapon from any source, whether Iran, or its satellites -- Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria or any other source -- strikes any part of our land we will launch a massive attack on Iran. The safest way for Iran to assure that this does not happen is to renounce the development of nuclear weapons and stop their efforts to produce such weapons. But if Iran refuses to halt its nuclear weapon development, we will hold it responsible for the use of any nuclear weapons against the state of Israel. We understand the gravity of what we are announcing today. We are sad that at this time in our history we still must take such a course. Yet, our land is a center of the Jewish people, their culture and their heritage. This time, we are publicly avowing before the whole world of nations that never again will we allow any nation or group to threaten the survival of our people without paying the maximum penalty of its own survival. Thank you."

First please provide solid proof that Iran is building nuclear weapon untill then all your reasonings are mute. You are well within your right to start war with any country you wish but kindly keep United States out of it. We are simply tired of being pawn.

A Time article documents clearly expressed concern by Centcom Four Star General David Petraeus about Israel’s ambitions against Iran:

Israel is clearly in the wrong and, according to the Petraeus briefing, it is hurting American foreign policy in the region. In fact, Israel is doubly wrong: its non-stop lobbying for war with Iran is also exceedingly dangerous (the US Joint Chiefs of Staff have unanimously counseled against war with Iran). The fact that David Petraeus, a hero to many on the right, is concerned about Israel's intransigence should give AIPAC and the neocons pause. It won't, but it should.

Read more: swampland.blogs.time.com...

A comment I would like to add here
"Let's forget for a second that bad Israeli Intelligence about WMD’s in Iraq contributed, at minimum, to US military involvement there, death of 4,400 US servicemen and close to $1 trillion in US taxpayers money. An Israeli aggression on Iran could not be more contradictory to US interest serving to, at minimum:

1-Undermine US efforts to resolve the Iran conflict through peaceful initiatives and sanctions.
2-Put US Nationals throughout the Middle East and Islamic territories in harm’s way.
3-Serve as the best tool yet for terror organizations such as Al Qaeda to draft militants aimed at destruction of US interest and inflicting harm to its Citizens. "

www.huffingtonpost.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I will come later and check replies if any. Any comments or feedback is appreciated.

This isn't breaking news. Alternative or otherwise. News would be fact checked and stripped of opinion and emotion. It would report the facts and the history surrounding the facts and tend more to ask questions rather than make pronouncements.

This is opinion, pure and simple. And a quite biased one at that. What's going on with Iran has nothing to do with anything he's "concerned" about but it certainly does give him the opportunity to vent about what he is concerned about. Poor guy's been brainwashed. But it's a very interesting glimpse into just how powerful their propaganda machine of Israel really is.

[edit on 26-6-2010 by ~Lucidity]

There should be some mention of the Irgun and the Stern Gang

Excellent read 4est don't listen to the mossad disinfo agents I'm glad you're bringing the unbiased truth out into the air. We will not go out without a fight.

Iran has cancelled the planned aid flotilla from its shores to gaza strip.....
i read it on twitter.....heheheh

Iran has cancelled the planned aid flotilla from its shores to gaza strip.....
i read it on twitter.....heheheh