In the last couple of years I've tended to skip most of the Israeli /Palestinian diaries because they become to acerbic and vilifying to give credence to either side and I'm sure any comment I would make will piss off one or both of the “combatants”. I have began to consider the Israeli / Iran pissing contest in the same way – it's a no win argument .
There may be a, however, new revelation that could dry up some of that piss .
..beyond the Koswiggle
I've always been somewhat conflicted about Israel. I have a great deal of respect and feeling of kinship for the people of Israel but feel the government of Israel to be fucked up. Feelings not unlike those I have about my own country. But, to say anything that would disparage the Israeli government is viewed by to many American Jews as anti-Semitic
However, a recent article by Peter Beinart in The Daily Beast has me reconsidering the position that the leadership of Mossad and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have taken concerning the saber rattling against Iran by Netanyahu and the right wing elements.
So perhaps American Jews should start noticing that an astonishing number of Israel’s top soldiers and spies are warning against bombing Iran. It began last summer, when Meir Dagan, fresh from a highly successful, eight-year stint as head of the Mossad, called attacking Iran “the stupidest thing I have ever heard.” He noted that while in office, he had joined with Yuval Diskin, director of the Shin Bet, and Gabi Ashkenazi, chief of staff of the Israeli Defense Fund, to block this “dangerous adventure.”
Since then, a throng of current and former security officials have issued similar warnings. In December, Dagan’s successor at Mossad, Tamir Pardo, suggested that an Iranian nuclear weapon was not an existential threat. This month, another former Mossad chief, Efraim Halevy, declared that “it is not in the power of Iran to destroy the state of Israel.” Former IDF chief of staff Dan Halutz added that “Iran poses a serious threat but not an existential threat” and that bombing would mean “taking upon ourselves a task that is bigger than us.”
[...]
Almost every week, Israeli security officials say things about Iran’s nuclear program that, if Barack Obama said them, would get him labeled anti-Israel by American Jewish activists and the GOP.
I seems to me that any discussions with Netanyahu on anything outside of what to have for lunch is an exercise in futility (personally I wouldn't give him the lunch exception) It seem obvious he doesn't listen to those whose principle concern is the security of the nation or any of the cooler heads in the country - but then, neither did GW Bush or Dick Cheney and that turned out so well for us.