Israeli Apologist Exaggerates Iranian Threat to United States

Americans benefit by understanding a few simple dynamics in the historic conflict between Palestine and Israel.

(EUGENE, Ore.) - Iran and Iraq have much in common, including having fought a devastating war-- against each other-- through the 1980s. Neither has been a threat to wage war against the United States, though one might not blame them for harboring warlike thoughts, because the U.S. armed both during their war.

Despite efforts of Israeli propaganda to create a fear of Iran in Americans-- reflected in a syndicated Los Angeles Times commentary of late April-- there is little justification for such concern. The article by Israeli historian, Benny Morris, chooses to focus on Iran as a potential nuclear threat. It is an extension of contrived Israel paranoia we've previously read from him.

Maybe Israel is threatened because its stockpile of atomic weapons builds fear and enmity among all other Middle Eastern nations. But for the U.S. to be targeted is an empty threat built up through propaganda by apologists for Israel who want it to seem our safety is at stake.

We've heard it before. In the lead-up to the 2002 invasion of Iraq, neocons (remember them?) at Israel's behest urged the U.S. make a pre-emptive attack on Iraq because it supposedly had "weapons of mass destruction" (WMD) that threatened the U.S. Their main voices, self-proclaimed Zionists, were Paul Wolfowitz and Richard Perle, who used a once-respected military leader, Colin Powell, to unwittingly advance that lie for our government before the United Nations.

Now the issue is the potential for having WMD, as Morris proclaims, in nuclear weapons being developed by Iran. What is ignored by news media which help him feed that fear is the fact that most of the world knows that one Middle East nation, Israel, already has a stockpile of many atomic bombs, long used like hundreds of U.S. bombs to intimidate other nations.

Should it be any wonder then that many question where the U.S. and Israel gain the right to say others-- and which others-- ought to be prevented from having nukes? We claim we want to stop proliferation of nuclear weapons. If we were serious about halting the spread of nuclear bombs, we long ago would have heeded advice of the father of the bomb, our Robert Oppenheimer. After fathering the bomb in the Manhattan Project, he sought to prevent a nuclear arms race.

Arrogance-- how else can one describe it?-- saw us instead choose to strut our nuclear dominance until others like Russia developed their bombs, or some, like Israel, have had secrets funneled from us. Israel's nuclear identity fits in with what happened on 9/11. Osama Bin Laden, generally recognized as mastermind of the attack on the Twin Towers and Pentagon, is reported to have said from the start: "We did this because of United States support for Israel's destruction of Palestine." While the weapons brutalizing Palestine have not been nuclear, Bin Laden and other Arab leaders know Israel's atomic power-- and its threat to use it-- come with full approval from the U.S.

Morris complains that ineffective sanctions by the West mean "Iran will continue on its deadly course." He then makes the contradictory statement that President Obama's "prohibition against an Israeli pre-emptive strike is immoral." Such a strike, he admits, "might harm U.S. interests." He believes it could hurt our access to oil supplies, but doubts "it would cause direct attacks on U.S. installations, troops or vessels."

How easily he forgets when Israel herself attacked our ship, the U.S.S. Liberty, off Sinai in 1967, killing 34 American sailors and injuring 177. When rescue planes were sent from a carrier, President Lyndon Johnson ordered them back rather than "embarrass an ally." That was the clearest example of how neocons in the service of Israel control our Middle East behavior.

Morris wrote: "I take it personally that Iran's president wants to murder me, my family and my people." It is about time Americans begin taking it personally and seriously when Israeli promoters of war encourage us to shed our blood to advance the aims of another nation.

George Beres has been a resident of Eugene, Oregon, since moving here from Chicago (Evanston) in 1976. He was manager of the Speakers Bureau before retirement. George is a Journalism graduate of Northwestern University. Carrying on the journalistic tradition, his two sons are television newsmen in Nashville, Tennessee, and Madison, Wisconsin.

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Louise O'Brien May 16, 2010 4:14 pm (Pacific time)

Great article. I am sick of the way Jewish people keep telling lies about Iran in their attempt to get America to go to war with Iran. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are already going to cost the American tax payer three trillion dollars. America can not afford another war.

Peace Nick May 16, 2010 9:18 am (Pacific time)

A well written and intelligent article. As a Canadian I am personally disgusted by our current government's position and blind support for Israel as well. In fact I believe that in some ways we have become more Pro-Israel than the US administration if that is possible.

Michael Hess May 15, 2010 5:44 pm (Pacific time)

A Proud American, Are you just one of the usual trolls or will you answer some real questions about your misguided diatribe? And if you are such a proud American, why do you not post with your real name as I do with the courage of your convictions on display for your family, your friends, your community, and your mama?

Osotan; May 15, 2010 6:41 pm (Pacific time)

A proud American?, a racist narrow mind, just like the present administration run by the wisdom of wall street, bush, obama, clinton, reid,biden, mcain and the shadows pulling their strings. We've been lied to and sold out by the likes of you. Why don't you get an implanted RFID chip so you'll know where you are? The government wants you to. I want you to so I'll know where you are and stay away. Why aren't you in Afghanistan or Iraq? You need to see what's going on in Palestine too, but far be it from me to advise a proud American. I am surprised you can read the article, though your comment indicates otherwise. Have a sh*tty day! Thank you very much.

A proud American May 15, 2010 2:24 pm (Pacific time)

George Beres is nothing but a leftist Obama loving Anti Semite. This story is so slanted towards those who would love to see Israel disappear that it is unimaginable how anyone can take in what the author has written and agree with it. One word - DISGUSTING. Mr. Beres, why don't you go and move to Iran or Gaza - that's where you and your opinions belong.

Editor: Are you equally disgusted by the hateful nature of Israeli military policy? A fast growing group throughout the world is coming out of the dark and realizing what Israel has done to the Palestinians. It has taken more than six decades, but people in western countries are finally growing the courage to speak honestly about it. There is not a soul in our ranks who is an anti-Semite, and if you took the time to look the term up in any dictionary, you would know that a Semite is any Arab or Jew, therefore the term holds no water. Yet there are those who hate Jews in the world and they are a dangerous lot. They are the Nazi's, the KKK and so on. They are mindless morons who are also, like you, highly ignorant of the ways of the world, and also highly lacking in the ability to define the terms "fairness" or "equality". Don't try to sell your false perception of hate around here buddy, you will only invite an onslaught of comments that will in turn, educate others like yourself, I guess either way you are playing into our hand, the hand of awareness.

Finally, a friend sent this list last night that does a good job of encompassing the current situation:

ACTS OF THE NAZI'S PERPETUATED BY ZIONISTS/ISRAELI'S IN PALESTINE AND LEBANON

1. RACIST IDEOLOGY

2.RACIST LAWS (ONE EG. JEWS COULD NOT MARRY GENTILES)

3. ETHNIC CLEANSING

4.BOOK BURNING- DESTRUCTION OF CULTURE-IDENTITY- PROPERTY (VICTIM BILLED)

5.FORCED SALES OF PROPERTY-POSSESSIONS

6.PASSES-IDENTIFICATION BY ETHNICITY/RELIGION

7.FORCED LABOUR

8.THE FENCING/WALLING IN OF GHETTOS

9.TARGETING CIVILIAN POPULATIONS

10.THEFTS OF LAND,HOUSES, BUSINESSES,GOODS..

11.RAPE OF WOMEN AND MEN

12.TORTURE OF ADULTS AND CHILDREN

13.CONCENTRATION CAMPS

14.EXPERIMENTATION ,"SCIENTIFIC" ON UNWILLING HUMANS, ARAB AND JEWS

15.STARVATION

16.DESTRUCTION/DEFILEMENT OF PLACES OF WORSHIP

17.DESTRUCTION OF GRAVE YARDS

18.DEATH MARCHES

19.INCINERATION OF MURDERED

20.THE MURDERS OF MEN WOMEN AND CHILDREN

21.COHERSION, FORSE USED TO CREATE COLLABORATORS,SPIES

22.THE IDENTIFICATION OF RESISTANCE AS TERRORISM

Soraya May 15, 2010 1:11 pm (Pacific time)

Great article,what an intelligent man!

Anonymous May 15, 2010 10:24 am (Pacific time)

The facts on Iran: 1. As a signatory to the NNPT, Iran's nuclear program is under the constant scrutiny of the IAEA. 2. Iran is not being "defiant"; Iran is doing precisely what the NNPT membership allows it to do: enrich uranium to the level necessary to fuel a power plant, for which Russia is providing the technical support. 3. All of the IAEA inspections of Iran's nuclear program to date have demonstrated that no nuclear material has gone missing, nor has any nuclear material been enriched beyond the degree necessary to fuel a power plant. The plant the U.S. said they discovered? Iran told the world about the plant 6 months before it would have been operational, per NPPT rules. 4. Therefore, to date, Iran is in total compliance with the rules and regulations of the NNPT. 5. Israel, however, which does have nuclear weapons, refuses to join the NNPT or have its nuclear sites inspected. 6. Although under the Syminton Amendment, it is illegal, under US law, for the US to provide any financial or military aid to any country with a nuclear program, the US still shells out 3 billion dollars annually to Israel. It not about nukes, its not about a threat to israel, its the rotchchild banking system against the middle east banking system, same as it ever was.

Vic May 15, 2010 8:07 am (Pacific time)

Great, well-written article ! Thank you, George !

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