info@maki.org.il
The fear of war against Iran and its harsh consequences increase daily. Public expressions of opposition to this unnecessary war are being heard louder and louder. They include vigils, petitions, online campaigns, and critical articles published in nearly all the newspapers.
A particularly noteworthy article was published by author David Grossman in "Ha'aretz" (August 3) in which he wrote: "The question is why ministers and senior members of security forces – those serving today, not only those who have left their positions – don’t stand up and say what they want to say? Why don’t they stand up now, while there is still the opportunity, and declare unequivocally – we will not cooperate with this megalomaniac delirium?"
The signers of this statement do not categorically reject an attack against Iran, but warn that Israel is trying to drag the United States into a war whose price will be many victims. The letter refers to the research conducted by the operations branch of the Israel Air Force which established that an attack would put back Iran’s nuclear program only one year, at the very most. In this case, they argued, every Israeli action will depend on a follow-up operation, lead by the United States, to complete the job.
"Netanyahu’s remarks about an 'independent Israeli action' are an intentional misleading of the public. The current situation obliges Israel to reach the highest level of cooperation and trust with the United States, but Netanyahu has achieved precisely the opposite, and his radical and provocative policy has damaged the Israel’s strategic security at a particularly critical moment," the wrote.
The authors of this statement contend that "Netanyahu cannot be allowed to make victims of hundreds of thousands of Israeli troops and civilians, in the hope, mind you only the hope, that he will succeed in dragging the U.S to war at the cost of their personal sacrifice." Rather, they maintain, that "the attempt to drag the United States to war at the expense of Israeli victims is liable to endanger our strategic alliance with the United States, and even to jeopardize the very existence of this alliance."
Any expression of opposition to war with Iran is a positive thing, and constitutes yet one more stop sign placed by the public before this pyromaniac government. But the question remains: Should we oppose war only because it’s liable to be uncoordinated with the imperialistic superpower? Or, in other words: Is it possible to "bear yet another war," but, please, first coordinate things with Obama? Also, the Labor Party Chairperson, Shelly Yechimovich, opposes "an attack not coordinated with the United States."
It is noteworthy that U.S. commentators maintain that in discussions conducted by the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, it would have been possible to reach an agreement with Iran. But Obama continues to prevent an agreement, because he fears that such an agreement will be used against him in the election campaign.
On the other hand, an Israeli attack before the elections is liable to embroil him in a dilemma: If he would not intervene, his opponents would say that he neglected Israel, but if he would intervene – they’d say that he unnecessarily got the United States involved in yet another war. Therefore, President Obama prefers, at this stage, that Israel only keep waving the threat of attack so that, during the campaign, he need only give support to these threats.
In light of this debate, it is vital to emphasize the only principled position capable of ensuring the safety and security of all the peoples of the region: the disarming of Israel and all Mid-Eastern states from weapons of mass destruction, and the signing of the International Convention on Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
But, at the same time, warning must be made about the atmosphere being fostered to encourage assaulting Iran, a position that the government has done so much to cultivate. This atmosphere is exploited by the government to divert the public’s attention from budgetary cuts against social programs, while increasing the amount of tax revenue wasted on the settlements and inflating the defense budget. In the shadow of the debate on the attack against Iran and nuclear weapons, for a moment it’s even possible to forget that the government is increasing the burden of taxes on most of the public. There is nothing more precious human life – but Netanyahu's government, in its making more expensive the basic commodities of life, is turning this truth into a sad joke.
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