Attacking Iran – A Digest
JVL introduction
Israel’s unprovoked, illegal attack on Iran and the follow-up action from the US has generated a huge amount of analysis and comment from all points on the political spectrum. From the left, we see considerable agreement on many aspects of the crisis the world now faces.
- Trump’s nuclear negotiations with Iran were a sham giving Israel cover to start a war that it and US neocons had planned for years, pushing the fate of Palestinians off the agenda once again.
- The motivation is to make Israel the undisputed hegemonic power in the Middle East, and the only one armed with nuclear weapons.
- Israel cannot destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities without US firepower, and it’s uncertain that they can even achieve it together.
- Iran is bound to respond by forging ahead with attempts to develop nuclear weapons. It is aware that every non-nuclear-armed regime that the US and Israel wanted to destroy has been destroyed, eg; Iraq, Syria, Libya.
- However objectionable the theocratic regime in Tehran may be, a deadly military assault backed by western imperialist powers does not serve the interests of the Iranian people and is not supported by them.
What follows is a selection of valuable articles, starting with the most recent.
Readers may also be interested in a series of special briefings organised by Jewish Voice for Peace accessible via this link.
NWI
Where is Israel’s US-backed war on Iran taking us?
Netanyahu’s Iran gamble pays off, at least for himself
The Israeli prime minister’s political future seems secure, but his country faces a war of attrition with Tehran
Iranians View U.S. Strikes on Key Nuclear Sites as “Act of War”
Any Goodman interviews Iranian scholars who have taken part in the country’s previous nuclear negotiations. “Iranians see the United States as the aggressor, as helping the Israeli regime slaughter Iranians,” says University of Tehran professor Mohammad Marandi. They are not likely to regard Trump and Netanyahu as their saviours from an unsavoury regime.
Democracy Now, June 23
The US-Israeli War of Aggression against Iran
In a rare interview following her firing by Yale, blacklisted Iranian scholar Helyeh Doutaghi discusses the U.S.-Israeli agenda and how Iran will confront the possibility of a wider war.
By Jeremy Scahill, Dropsite News, June 23.
Ex-Israeli Peace Negotiator Slams U.S. Bombing of Iran, Says Israel Seeks Chaos in Middle East
“Netanyahu’s purpose was to drag Trump in,” Daniel Levy, a former Israeli peace negotiator, says of the U.S. attack on Iran. “The danger now is that, having brought the U.S. into this, Israel will seek to go further up the escalatory ladder,” says Levy. “It wants the chaos.”
Democracy Now, June 23
History is Watching: Will the War on Iran Legitimize Israel?
When the British Prime Minister justifies the American-Israeli aggression against Iran by citing Britain’s alliance with both countries, he is saying much more than that. His statement also implies that Britain does not regard the Palestinians as allies.
By Ilan Pappe, Palestine Chronicle, June 23
The Israel-Iran conflict may be about to reach a dangerous new level
The idea of a depopulated and then resettled Gaza and a ‘rebalanced’ West Bank may be little more than a far-right pipedream, but must be taken seriously, especially when you look at Israel’s other war aims – military dominance of neighbouring countries, destroying Iran’s nuclear programme and terminating its regime.
By Paul Rogers, OpenDemocracy, June 20
With Iran war as pretext, Israel suffocates the West Bank
After striking Tehran, the army closed hundreds of gates to seal Palestinians inside towns and strand them on roads — proof of annexation in all but name.
Why Israel’s Regime Change War on Iran Could Trigger Its Own Demise
Israel has launched an unprovoked illegal war of aggression against Iran. The original goal was likely to trigger a battle that could be contained, but now it appears as if the goal is an attempted regime change operation. If the US-Israeli alliance truly seeks to destroy Iran, an unimaginable situation is afoot.
Analysis By Robert Inlakesh, Palestine Chronicle, June 18
Good intro – but I am sick to death of those who qualify everything they say and maintain their political purity by first distancing themselves from Iran’s ‘theocratic regime’. This is about right and wrong under international law and Iran is the victim here. Our Government fails to even acknowledge Israel’s illegal attack on Iran and then with astonishing chutzpah maintains Israel ‘has a right to defend itself’ as if it is the victim.
This reminds me of Iraq where the liberal left always began by saying ‘I don’t like Sadam Hussein’ but….
Enough of these qualifications. This is about western imperialism using its stooge in the Middle East to maintain local supremacy. It has failed in round one but it will be back. In case you haven’t noticed ‘the bitch is on heat again’. Read Brookings Institute paper 2009 ‘Which Path to Persia’….it’s all in there.