For the past 27 years, Israel has been trying to free Jonathan Pollard, a civilian American Naval intelligence Analyst. Both US and Israel have kept him under a plea agreement. Years back, Jonathan found out about an undeclared intelligence embargo continuing in US under which Israel was not provided information regarding vital details about Syrian, Iraqi, Libyan and Iranian nuclear weapons/ capabilities. Under his ideological sense, Jonathan felt it was his prime duty to deliver these vital informations to Israel that granted him citizenship later in 1995. But he had to pay a huge price for it. He still suffers life sentence as has become another abstract and unheard demand for Israeli PM Netanyahu.
Benjamin Netanyahu, who still awaits a response from Obama administration, however understands that US can not be considered ‘ignorant’ or pressurized by Israel. For the past several months, both these political leaders have been going through a bind. The tension between them became clearer when US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta disclosed the nascent plans of Israel regarding an attack on Iran in April. In a quite intelligent manner, Netanyahu has shifted the entire focus of Israel’s concern from Palestine to Iran. He wants US to start the war as America leads in terms of weapons, ballistic missiles, grenades and of course, nuclear power. That is exactly why Netanyahu is more concerned of destroying Iran’s nuclear ‘capability’ rather than its ‘intentions‘. Israeli leaders want to operate a unilateral military action against Iran, which perhaps would not include alarming US before they do attack.
“Iran and IAEA’
Currently, Iran, like other countries, eg- Brazil, Japan, Argentina does have a right to enrich uranium as the NPT signatory. Under the IAEA scrutiny, Tehran needs to be transparent about its experiments and once it satisfies IAEA, it can enrich uranium and follow the peaceful fuel cycle nuclear energy programme. In spite of knowing all of this, Israel is threatened that Iran aims to wipe it out from the world’s map, as Iranian President had once confessed. President Ahmedanijad does not even accept that Holocaust under Hitler ever happened in world’s history and literally loathes the entire ‘Zionist identity’. Though, Ayatollah Khameini, the Supreme Leader continues to state that having nuclear power is a sin and non-Islamic, at the end of the day, he has the power to operate them.
‘Parliamentary elections in Iran’
In the meanwhile, 9th Majlis (Parliamentary elections) took place last Friday in Iran. US and Israel had believed that the ‘crippling sanctions’ would frustrate the Iranian citizens against thire government and the elections would not be able to preserve its sanctity. Interestingly, 65% of the 48 million people came to cast their vote. Hence, it definitely comes as a slap for the Zionist controlled governments (ZGOs) who are suspected to cause protests against the President in 2009 Green Revolution. Iran also suffers from fractured political presentation. Firstly, it does not have political parties and secondly, the distance between President Ahmedanijad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameini is increasing day by day, as they both see each other with mutual distrust and suspicion. But that does not pose a lot of threat because the values of kinship in Middle East are different. The famous saying , ‘ Me against my brother, me and my brother against my cousin, me and my brother and my cousin against the outsider.’
‘Obama’s dilemma’
In any case, when President Obama addressed the AIPAC annual convention yesterday, he said exactly what any diplomatic leader would utter. He talked about ‘loose talk of war’, did not define the ‘red lines‘ and declared that US would not follow the policy of ‘containment.’ Before the entire political drama was unfolding, it was definitely expected that whatever Obama would say, might make a point, a difference. Unfortunately, it did not. Everything from praising Israeli President Simon Peres and his Jewish identity to claiming that ‘Israel’s security is sacrosanct and non-negotiable’, felt like a well mugged speech. In fact, President Obama called President Peres for receiving the ‘Presidential Medal of Freedom’ which is the highest Civilian honour by the White House.
Undoubtedly, President Obama is acting as a ‘duck President‘ right now. The reason is, he wants to secure his second term. In 2008, he won by 78% of Jewish votes. Thus, this year, he is trying his level best to secure votes from Jewish populations in Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Nevada. Though, as the US president and Commander in Chief of the army, he is the strongest man, in fact, a dictator in his own merit. But he cannot take a nasty stand with AIPAC, the pro Israel lobby in America. Well, not only would his presidency be threatened, he can even be assassinated.
Thus, as President Obama still states that any war on Iran would be a mere distraction and exploit the peace, Israel definitely has other plans. But it needs to remember that its not Syria or Iraq that are developing nuclear power and hence, it can easily destroy it. Its Iran and definitely, whatever might be the pattern of bombardment used, a huge price would have to be paid by both these three countries.
shubhdachaudhary 