Opinion Editorials, March 2012

I was not impressed at all with the Israeli Prime Minister Benji Netanyahu’s address to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee [AIPAC] Annual Policy Conference.

Netanyahu came to Washington for two reasons: (A), Secure presidential pardon for the convicted Jewish spy, Johnaton Pollard and (B), enlist U.S. comittment to bomb Iran. While US mainstream news media gave his rhetoric about Iran extensive coverage, non mentioned about his request of Pollard’s release, whom Natenyahu visited in 2002. The release of Pollard was reported by Israeli daily Ynet. Pollard was a civilian intelligence analyst before being convicted of spying for Israel and who is serving a life sentence.

According to 16 US intelligence agencies and IAEA inspectors, Iran has no nukes, but Israel does. Iran has signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and Israel (with nuclear weapons) refuses to sign and refuses to allow AEIA inspectors into their nuclear facility.

This begs the question, why is it Iran–and not Israel–that is being subjected to strangling sanctions? Iran has never threatened Israel, America, or any of its neighbors, whereas Israel is threatening to bomb Iran every day and has a long history of attacking and invading many Arab countries. Israel is now making life a hell on earth for Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem as I write this. Where is the outrage, threats of sanctions and the calls for Israel to adhere to the rules of civilized nations?

Thankfully, this time president Obama stood his ground and showed this arrogant and ungrateful guest some back bone. Netanyahoo (by all appearances) left America empty-handed . He did however succeeded, as Dr. Hassan El-Najjar, the editor of Aljazeerah.info put it, “Netanyahu succeeded to put the illegal Jewish settlements and the theft of Palestinian lands on the back burner.”

If I had to rate Benji’s barking–heretofore known as his ‘speech’ at the AIPAC conference, it deserves about a 3 out of 10. Dull, boorish, and completely uninspired. He was so overconfident in his actions, yet the words he spoke were plainly unconvincing. In general, it was a bad performance, and even from this experienced dramatist.

I believe his demeanor throughout his speech will damage his likeability even amongst the faithful crowds at these AIPAC soirees. He showed us an ego that even the great hall couldn’t contain, the two body guards only reinforced that notion. The way he leaned on the podium and held those 2 letters aloft, revealed a sloppy and overconfident speaker. I will give him credit for begging for assistance without really needing to say it, as all the Congress know what he came for and will certainly appease AIPAC.

Then the section about walking like a duck and quacking like a duck, and pushing the audience to engage in the final ‘it must be a duck’ was very tacky and strange for a supposed statesman. He seemed intoxicated with power. No one should support a man like this, in truth, because he is only a deluded beggar with nuclear weapons, pushing a foreign state to sacrifice their citizens for war. This isn’t about their survival, it’s about the Clean Break strategy that has been implemented decades ago. Many doubt the seriousness of Netanyahu since those who make threats usually do not plan to excute or even are unable to.

His real objective is to request the American war machine to do his bidding through his congressional proxies. If this is the type of speech that excites the Pro-Israel crowd, they are a sad lot indeed.

AIPAC speaks only for Israel, not for Jews and not for America. AIPAC calls for war and not for diplomacy-one more war for Israel. A dirty and disastrous war for all. A war that neither they nor their children will be fighting. Red-blooded Americans should be screaming; no more dirty wars for Israel.

Mahmoud El-Yousseph

Retired USAF Veteran

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