Public Comment

Netanyahu’s uncharm offensive

By Jagjit Singh
Friday October 04, 2013 - 04:40:00 PM

Benjamin Netanyahu used his usual toxic mix of sarcasm and combative words to denigrate Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani. Unlike Israel, Iran has not preemptively waged war for the past 4oo years. 

We should not sabotage new diplomatic openings which offer the best chance to establish a new relationship since the 1979 Iranian revolution which propelled American-Iranian relations into a deep freeze. Iran has ample reason for mistrusting Israeli and US intentions. According to declassified CIA documents, the US played a major role in overthrowing the highly popular democratically elected Iranian government of Mosaddeq in 1953. The Shah of Iran replaced Mosaddeq and launched a reign of terror to neutralize his opponents. The US also played a major role enabling Saddam Hussein to slaughter thousands of Iranians using chemical weapons. 

Israeli terrorists have also launched numerous attacks assassinating Iranian nuclear scientists. 

Netanyahu’s diatribes and threats to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities have fueled much of the anger and emboldened Iran’s hardliners. Likewise, economic sanctions have hurt ordinary Iranians just as they did in Iraq which led to the death of 500,000 men, women and children which elicited a belated apology from Secretary of State, Madeline Albright. 

Could anyone blame Iran from developing effective deterrents to potential attacks? 

Spinning rods might enrich uranium but would undoubtedly impoverish the Iranian people. Furthermore, Iran is prone to devastating earthquakes which render bomb making less appealing. Enough of Netanyahu’s redling, huffing and puffing. Let’s respond positively to Rouhani’s olive branch and give peace a chance.