by Philip Giraldi for the American Conservative
The Benny Morris op-ed in the NYT last Friday should provide convincing evidence that Israel really really really wants an attack against Iran sooner rather than later. Morris is close to the Israeli government and his case that Iran must be bombed soon and with maximum conventional weaponry to avoid using nukes later was clearly intended to push the United States to do the attacking. The likelihood that Dick Cheney is almost certainly supportive of a US pre-emptive strike and might well be pulling strings behind the scenes, possibly without the knowledge of the Great Decider, makes the next several months particularly significant if a war is to be avoided.
Some intel types are beginning to express concerns that the Israelis might do something completely crazy to get the US involved. There are a number of possible “false flag” scenarios in which the Israelis could insert a commando team in the Persian Gulf or use some of their people inside Iraq to stage an incident that they will make to look Iranian, either by employing Iranian weapons or by leaving a communications footprint that points to Tehran’s involvement.
Those who argue that Israel would never do such a thing should think again. Israel is willing to behave with complete ruthlessness towards the US if they feel that the stakes are high enough, witness the attack on the USS Liberty and the bombing of the US Consulate in Alexandria in the 1950s. If they now believe that Iran is a threat that must be eliminated it is not implausible to assume that they will stop at nothing to get the the United States to do it for them, particularly as their air force is only able to damage the Iranian nuclear program, not destroy it.
Just google “Lavon affair” for a peek. One can guess the answer if the question was asked “To preserve the Jewish character of the Israeli state, what is forbidden in terms of deception toward the US and war that may take a large number of innocent lives?”. The neocon answer: nothing is off the table. This question skirts the question of mass murder of Israelis, but this is not the real issue here. Greater Israel, from Jordan to the sea, with Palestinians essentially gone, powerless like American Indians on isolated reservations, no regional strategic enemies like Iran to back Hezbollah and guerrilla movements in the territories,That’s the dream, and demographic realities give Israel not much time left to do it. Hezbollah will teach the Hammas and the resistance not to kneel, and nobody has ever defeated a gurilla movement backed by an neighboring industrial rich and determined state- Iran. This is why Iran must be crushed. From the air, like Serbia, by the US, over a period of weeks, Iran could be taught, like Serbia, the cost of resistance. Electricity grid, road and bridges, factories, water, sewage treatment, all millitary facilities, TV and communication facilities. railroads, oil and refineries- all wrecked. Many Iranians, like many Serbs, would see their dream of western Prosperity challenged if did not genuflect, and like Serbia, maybe they would.– maybe not. We may see. The media in the US is ready for this. The only thing that can stop it is a loss of nerve by Bush. I am betting it will happen.
In the long run Zionist Israel is doomed. Demographic, the decline of America and the rising power of China will see to it. Nowhere is it written that the Arab states will always be ruled by the pathetic collection of dictators and princes that are in place today. Eventually the Islamic world will modernise as China has done.
The question is will Zion be peacefully dismantled or will there be a bloodbath. The US is doing Israel no favours by allowing its Zionist establishment to continue along this path.
As to an attack on Iran, I don’t think it will happen. The US military and intelligence services are dead against and neither Wall Street nor the corporations want a catastrophic conflict in the Gulf that would force oil prices through the ceiling, especially given the parlous state of the US economy.
I believe the saner half of the American ruling class will prevail. However with lunatics like Cheney on the scene nothing can be ruled out.
so when they asked Obama, if negotiations regarding enrichment fail what will we do, and he says “all options are on the table”, what do you think he means? Bush even more so. So when Israel held the dress rehearsal earlier in the summer, with aircraft, and helicopters to pick up downed airmen, and the US and the rest of the international community said nothing, what do you suppose Israel took away from that, (and the raid on Syria earlier). Who could stop Bush. Congress will not. We like to think our institutions are too robust to allow on man to go to war, but as commander in chief, If Israel starts it, and Bush can say he has to keep the Straits of Hormuz open, who will keep him from picking a fight with an Iran who has just been bombed by Israel with approval of the US to use the airspace required to do this. After the bullets start flying, nobody in the country, not the media, not any politician, (maybe Ron Paul) will say a word against it. No, I’m afraid there is nothing to stop it except if George Bush loses his nerve.
I completely agree with the reasoning of Peter Saker and the likely scenario for the highly probable attack. Israel will be the trigger, it will start the attack. The US will then join and expand the attack.
As far as the American public is concerned, there is less opposition to a war against Iran than was against the invasion of Iraq. Americans have not forgotten about the “hostage crisis” in Tehran.
Millions were in the streets, worldwide, opposing the attack on Iraq (before it took place) and it did happen. We don’t see comparable opposition to an attack on Iran. The politicos are taking note of this fact.