When Will Israel Attack Iran?

                Major events between the Palestinians and Apartheid Israelis usually happen in a lame duck session of an outgoing US President, i.e. the time between the November election and the inaugural of a new President.   Should President Barack Obama lose his bid for a second term as US President in November of this year, recent history teaches us that something dramatic will happen in the Middle East.  There is a concern that during that time period Israel will strike Iran to preempt it from obtaining a nuclear facility capable of producing a nuclear bomb.

                The rhetoric coming out of the Apartheid Israeli government about the option to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities is at a high pitch tone.  While this saber rattling by Apartheid Israel is aimed to deflect its own atrocities against the Palestinians, it is hypocritical in that Israel has a history of opacity about its own nuclear reactor.   Nonetheless, Apartheid Israel is preparing the world public opinion for an attack against Iran. The question is not whether Apartheid Israel will attack Iran but rather when will it attack?

Apartheid Israel has a history of attacking Middle Eastern countries that are attempting to develop nuclear power.  On June 7, 1981, Apartheid Israel destroyed a nuclear reactor under construction 10.5 miles southeast of Baghdad, Iraq. On September 6, 2007, Apartheid Israel struck a nuclear reactor in the Deir ez-Zor region of Syria.  Syria denied that the nuclear reactor was designed for military purposes.   

The time between the outgoing and incoming US Presidents seems to be the timing when Israel will most likely attack Iran.  I say this because of several historical events which happened between these time frames.  

               

In 1980, the Iran Hostage Crisis did not end until the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan and the departure of President Jimmy Carter.  In 1988, secret events were undertaken by the United States to have the PLO recognize Israel during the time after the 1988 elections and the inaugural of President George Bush Sr.  In 2008, when President George W. Bush was leaving office and Americans elected Barack Obama as President-Elect, Apartheid Israel launched Operation Lead Cast against the Palestinians in Gaza.  The assault on Gaza did not end until two days before the inaugural of President Obama.

 

                These significant developments in the Middle East around a lame duck Presidency period leads me to conclude that should President Obama lose his bid for re-election in November, then it is highly likely that Apartheid Israel will attack Iran between the election and before the inaugural of the newly elected Republican.   If this happens, President Obama will not be in a position to do anything against Apartheid Israel that cannot be undone by an incoming President beholden to the Apartheid Israeli lobby.   Additionally, a President-Elect can then claim that what has been done by Israel is done and cannot then challenge Apartheid Israel but will instead have to deal with the fallout of the attack.

               

As noted above, Israel has had a history of vagueness about whether it has a nuclear reactor with enriched uranium capable of producing an atomic bomb.  It has never signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, neither has Pakistan or India though these countries are confirmed nuclear powers. Israel remains ambiguous about its nuclear capabilities.   

               

It is hypocritical for Israel to have a nuclear reactor, not be a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and then threaten to attack another country for trying to develop nuclear capability. It is believed that Apartheid Israel has between 75 to 400 nuclear weapons and has had them since 1967.

                While Iranian President  Mahmud Ahmadinejad has made statements calling for Israel’s destruction, it cannot be reasonable believed that he nor any Iranian leader will attack Apartheid Israel with a nuclear weapon.  Such an act would be contrary to the Muslim dogma of protecting the holy city of Jerusalem.  Any such attack will inevitable have a considerable fallout throughout the Middle East and will affect millions of Muslims including Iran itself.  Any such attack would be unrealistic from an offensive standpoint. 

               

Israel, on the other hand, is willing to take offensive measures against Iran as they have done so against Iraq and Syria.  While the fallout of the Iraq and Syria attacks was next to nothing, it may not be so with Iran.  Iran has one and a half more times the population of both Iraq and Syria.  Iran controls the Strait of Harmous of which 20% of the world’s oil supply flows.  Just the mere threat that the oil flow will be impeded by Iran has driven the price of a barrel of oil up. Having the oil supply actually interrupted will cause havoc with any already burdened world economy. 

Israel will attack Iran. The real question is whether anyone has the political will to stop Israel? 

No Negotiations with Apartheid Israel - Let it Self-Destruct!

            Hamas has called upon the Palestinian Authority to boycott talks with Apartheid Israel. I agree.

            I consider myself a moderate, having called for the recognition of Israel as early as 1980 during my college days.  I gave the Apartheid State of Israel every consideration but peace came to the doorsteps but it has never entered the door.

            Apartheid Israel continues to delay any final status talks.  It never wants to discuss the status of Jerusalem, its borders and the right of return.  Why? Apartheid Israel delays peace because its internal politics does not allow it to accept peace.  Israel Is controlled by its minority, by the apartheid settler mentality, by the ultra-orthodox religious right wing fanatics.  The structure of Israel’s structure of government is that no one political party is capable of garnishing a clear majority in the Apartheid Knesset.  Therefore only coalition governments have governed Apartheid Israel, leaving each governing party to be at the mercy of the minority parties within the coalition.  

            With this governmental structure, Apartheid Israel is incapable of wanting peace!  Therefore, negotiations with Apartheid Israel are delusional.

            Apartheid Israel keeps demanding additional conditions upon the Palestinians that it knows the Palestinians will not accept.  After numerous demands upon the Palestinians, Apartheid Israel now wants the Palestinians to recognize it as a “Jewish State.”   Additionally, Apartheid Israel wants to restart negotiations without any preconditions.  It does not want to stop its illegal settlement building, does not want to negotiate the status of Jerusalem and does not want to discuss its borders.  It wants to leave these issues to final status talks that never materialize because it continues to put obstacles to those talks.

            With this mentality, Apartheid Israel is incapable of wanting peace! Therefore, negotiations with Apartheid Israel are delusional.

            Additionally, Apartheid Israel believes it can continue the status quo of its apartheid policies without any consequences.  Apartheid Israel rules two peoples with different discriminatory laws—apartheid.  Apartheid Israel builds by-pass roads for Jews only—apartheid.  Apartheid Israel builds a separation wall—apartheid.  Apartheid Israel has created Palestinian enclaves and ghettos and surrounded them with walls or electronic wired fences—apartheid.  Apartheid Israel cannot sustain these apartheid practices for long.

There are many indications that exposing the Apartheid State of Israel will be effective to change the status quo. The boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement is taking hold.  One good example is the bankruptcy of Agrexco, Apartheid Israel’s leading flower exporter, which was targeted for boycott by more than 20 organizations in Europe in 13 countries.  The Methodist Church had passed an “anti-Israel” motion demanding a boycott of goods from “illegal” settlements. Pension funds are divesting from companies that do business with Apartheid Israeli settlements. Cultural events are in Apartheid Israel are being boycotted.  Many musicians are boycotting Apartheid Israel. [1]

“The international campaign to boycott Ahava beauty products has recently won the support of a Dutch parliamentarian and an Israeli peace group. During the past few months, activists in Canada, the UK, Ireland, Israel, the United States and the Netherlands have campaigned against the sale of Ahava products because of the company’s complicity in the Israeli occupation.”[2]

With the growing BDS movement that will increase month by month, Apartheid Israel will not be able to sustain its apartheid practices.  Therefore, negotiations with Apartheid Israel are not necessary.  Israel will self-destruct.

There are other indications that Apartheid Israel will self-destruct.  The Apartheid Israeli has passed laws that allow Jewish communities to decide who they want to exclude from their community an obvious way to segregate Palestinians from Jews.  Public buses that transport ultra-Orthodox Jews make women sit in the back of the bus.  Apartheid Israel has passed laws that require loyalty oath to the “Jewish and democratic” state pitting the left and right political parties against each other. [3]

Therefore, when Hamas calls upon the Palestinian Authority to boycott negotiations with Apartheid Israel, there are many reasons why this advice should be accepted.   Negotiating with Apartheid Israel is a waste of time.  Let us let time bring Apartheid Israel to abandon the occupation.

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[1] IS BDS Working?  Giulio Meotti  August 31, 20111 http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4115718,00.html

[2] Boycott of Ahava Dead Sea products makes an impact Adri Nieuwhof The Electronic Intifada 

2 December 2009  http://electronicintifada.net/content/boycott-ahava-dead-sea-products-makes-impact/8563

[3] Israel approves loyalty oath, October 10, 2010 http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2010/10/2010101013028364300.html

Israel Reaction to Hamas Joining PLO Is Smoke & Mirrors

The Apartheid Israeli Prime Minister Spokesman Mark Regev’s reaction to Hamas joining the PLO is preposterous and duplicitous. Additionally, by saying that if Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas "embraces Hamas, if he walks toward Hamas, he is walking away from peace," the Apartheid Spokesman is continuing the game of stalling a final status talks and ultimately makes a one state solution the only viable solution.

Hamas won the 2006 Palestinian Parliamentary “democratic” elections which were supervised by former President Jimmy Carter. After the democratic countries of the US, European Union and several Western states refused to recognize the results of the “democratic” elections by withholding aid to the Palestinian Authority, President Mahmoud Abbas declared a state of emergency, then appointed Salem Fayyad  as the new Prime Minister replacing Hamas leader Ismail Haniya.  Clashes ensued between Fatah and Hamas forces and Hamas took control of Gaza while Fatah took control of the West Bank.   Palestinians were dismayed as these clashes played right into the divide and conquer policy to Apartheid Israel.

Since then several attempts at reconciliation were made culminating in a final agreement signed earlier this year by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal. Palestinians were elated at the final reconciliation of these two leading Palestinian parties as many believed the clash between them set the Palestinian aspirations back for years. The agreement allows Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other parties to join the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).   Apartheid Israel has long warned Abbas not to reconcile with Hamas.

Palestinians, on the other hand, welcome this reconciliation and hope that this renewed Palestinian unity can now focus on confronting the Apartheid State of Israel, whether in negotiations or on the ground.  

The Apartheid State of Israel’s statements that it will not negotiate with a Palestinian government which includes Hamas cannot be taken seriously as no party in a conflict can dictate who can and cannot be part of other party’s government or delegation.   Palestinian leadership has not and cannot tell the Apartheid State of Israel that they will not negotiate with it unless they remove the Shas party within their coalition government. 

The Shas Party, whose spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yousef calls for the annihilation of the Palestinians, does not want peace with the Palestinians and wants to continue to build illegal settlements in the West Bank, the land upon which Palestinians desire to create a State of Palestine. With 11 seats—just 9 % of the Israeli Knesset, it wields tremendous power—enough to pressure the Apharteid-in-Chief BiBi Netanyahu into concessions it favors.  

By the same token, Apartheid Israel cannot tell Palestinians that Hamas cannot be in a Palestinian government.  Allowing Apartheid Israel to dictate to the PA who can be in the Palestinian government is preposterous and duplicitous when the likes of the Shas Party is its government.

            Apartheid Israel’s position on the reconciliation of Hamas and Fatah is another smoke and mirrors argument meant to continue the conflict and continue the real truth, i.e. Israel wants to continue its illegal land grabs and continue its settlement expansion policy.  This is just a furtherance of Apartheid Israel’s policy of obstructing peace as it has no plans to discuss final settlement negotiations—always wanting to discuss interim agreements and to leave discussions on Jerusalem, the right of return and border issues to much later dates that never materialize

By the same measure, Israel continues to place obstacles to negotiations, such as continuing to build settlements during negotiations that should lead to the dismantling of those settlements and by its insistence that it be recognized as a Jewish State. These are just another set of preconditions after other conditions have been met.

Originally, the PLO was asked to recognize the State of Israel and renounce violence.  The PLO did.  Next the Palestinian Authority was asked to reign in the “extremists” with limited resources and it did.  The PA was then asked to be democratic and hold elections.  It did but the results were not adhered to because the Apartheid Israeli government would not negotiate with the winner of the Parliamentary elections—Hamas. Next the Apartheid-in-Chief Netanyahu came up with a clever demand of wanting the Palestinians to recognize Apartheid Israel as a Jewish State.

Now Apartheid Israel has renewed its objections to Hamas being a part of a Palestinian government or even the PLO. This is the latest smoke and mirrors argument that Apartheid Israel uses to delay, delay and delay.

The delay Apartheid Israel is causing works to its detriment. The birthrates of Palestinians visa vie Israeli apartheids will make the population of Palestinians a majority soon.  Then, the “Jewish State” which segregates Palestinians from Jews through its Apartheid Wall and builds Jews only roadways and controls military check points that confine Palestinians in enclaves and ghettos will find it hard not to be called an Apartheid State: a political system that separates the different peoples living under its control and gives privileges to those of the Jewish religion.

By continuing the smoke and mirrors arguments all Apartheid Israel is doing is delaying the inevitable: a one state solution. 


(  © Copyright, Fadi Zanayed.  Publication or distribution of this material is allowed provided its content is not altered and the source and its author are cited.)

Romancing The Stone Option

Returning to the stone was one of the options I suggested in a recent article in which I explain how Palestinians should attain parity with Israelis. I stated that Israelis need to understand the consequences of the failure of the peace talks; that if Israel perceived failure was a return to the status quo, it would have no incentive to negotiate in good faith. Some of my readers told me that they totally agree with my parity argument but cannot agree with my advocacy of the stone option.

Let me try to explain my point by telling a story about this dog I had. I was  married to a woman who  had 4 year old spoiled dog.  In her eyes, this dog can do nothing wrong and had a free reign in the house.  The dog hated to take walks to do her business, especially if it is raining.   During these rebellious mornings I insisted that the dog go with me for a walk, however, the dog does the #1 but not the #2 business because she wants to hurry back home.   Consequently, the dog completes her business in the house later that morning.

After I scold the dog at the place she left her waste, I take the dog to her kennel and put her in “time out” for a period to emphasize that her behavior is not acceptable thus breaking the routine that my ex-wife established by cleaning up after the dog with no consequences.  I tried to teach the dog that this is unacceptable behavior and that such bad behavior has consequences.   

The point of this example is not to compare Israel’s behavior to that of a dog and I apologize if anyone perceives it as such.  My intent is to show that everyone must be responsible for their bad behavior.  Good and bad consequences are attached to all forms of behavior.   

Unfortunately, Israelis have had a free reign in their actions visa vie the Palestinians without any consequences to their bad behaviors.   It is as if Israel can do whatever it wants in the West Bank and Gaza without any retribution.   Although international law states that an occupier cannot seize occupied land, Israel has been doing so since 1967 and it seems nothing can stop them; not the United Nations, not European leaders and not even a sitting US President.  Israelis are acting like a spoiled child as Thomas Friedman of the NY Times has eloquently stated recently.

Like a child throwing a tantrum at a store, Israel now wants incentives from the US to do what it should have done.  Israel and the US are now negotiating an incentive package to be paid for by US taxpayers so as to sway the hard line members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition partners to accept a limited settlement freeze.  In other words, Israel is being rewarded for its bad behavior—building illegal settlements that the entire world, except Israel, says are an obstacle to peace. Like a bad parent, the US is going to cave in to the misbehaving Israel.  

In the realm of negotiations with the Palestinians, I have argued in other articles that Palestinians have acted like children by capitulating to Israeli demands while only receiving limited authority in limited areas, all the while, Israel is confiscating more and more Palestinian land from what limited land that Palestinians want to establish a State upon.   There has not been parity between Palestinians and Israelis in negotiations and consequently, Israel always and in all ways has unfairly interjected conditions, built an apartheid wall, restricted the movement of people and commerce through humiliating and excessive checkpoints, uprooted olive groves and demoralized Palestinians by imprisoning them in Gaza without an adequate supply of food, medicine and water—all this, without any accountability.

I have argued that Palestinians in order to achieve parity with Israelis must stop acting like children, must unify, must show Israelis the benefits of successful peace talks and must show them the consequences of the failure of peace talks.  

Keeping the stone option on the table against the Israelis is similar to the US keeping “all options open” visa vie its negotiations with Iran over its nuclear agenda.  Iran is being made to understand that the consequence of its attempt to acquire a nuclear weapon is a possible military strike. Even Israel is talking about striking Iran’s nuclear facilities if the US will not. 

While the global pressure of the boycott, disinvestment and sanctions (BDS) and the non-violent movements are exposing Israel for what it truly is, an apartheid government, the option of the stone will keep Israel in check and impress on the Israeli society on a daily basis that there are consequences to its government’s brutal and reprehensive occupation policy.  Opposing the occupation is an internationally recognized right of the occupied.

Palestinians cannot expect the Israeli government, which gives disproportionate amount of power to its minority parties who, in turn, control the mindset of the majority in Israel, to change.  As stated earlier, Israel is not persuaded by the UN, Europe or President Obama.  More needs to be done to pressure Israel. 

Israelis need to be motivated to change—if not with economic pressures then with the consequences of the stone.   

(  © Copyright, Fadi Zanayed.  Publication or distribution of this material is allowed provided its content is not altered and the source and its author are cited.)