Retired Israeli Veterans Warn Against Speech

[Purveyor]

Source: Washington Post

By Ruth Eglash and William Booth March 1 at 2:36 PM

TEL AVIV — Hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set off Sunday for Washington, a group of 180 retired Israeli generals and former top security officials warned that his upcoming address to a joint meeting of Congress on Iran’s nuclear program will cause more harm than good.

It will not only damage Israel’s special relationship with the United States, but also undermine military and intelligence ties, they said.

Rather than slowing down Iran’s nuclear project, the former security officials said, Netanyahu’s speech Tuesday will bring the Islamic republic closer to developing a nuclear bomb.

“When the Israeli prime minister argues that his speech will stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, he is not only misleading Israel — he is strengthening Iran,” Amnon Reshef, former head of the army’s armored corps, said at a news conference Sunday.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/israeli-security-veterans-speak-out-against-netanyahu-speech/2015/03/01/d6300530-c02c-11e4-a188-8e4971d37a8d_story.html

[bloomington-lib]

1. Shouldn't they have given the warning before he left to give the speech

[zentrum]

2. Good point.

It's like they want to have it both ways.

[libdem4life]

6. Politically, it would have not made sense. He was going anyway. This way they can be on the

record, message received in all related countries, and now we all await which Democrats will stay away. I have to think that was thought of in this message.

[the_sly_pig]

8. Yes. Pathetic.

*whispers* Let's all wait til he leaves before we say anything that way we won't have to face him.

Passive/aggressive and cowardly.

[RiverNoord]

10. Many, many Israelis in high places have done exactly that.

It was not something that many saw coming, apparently. One former head of the Mossad who served under Netanyahu was outspoken in major opposition from the start. The Israeli 'election commission' is actually set to time-delay broadcasts of his speech in Israel so that it can screen out any content it deems 'partisan' in nature - basically, if something he says appears to be 'election campaigning,' it gets cut.

Even extreme right-wingers have criticized the whole thing from the very beginning. The basic idea is that the US provides constant veto cover for Israel in the UNSC. Anything that could jeopardize that is considered very, very stupid.

Which means, of course, that it's probably a good thing in general for us. Something so strange and stupid could (unlikely, but...) start a snowball effect in public opinion, or at least just bring the snowball a little closer to the tipping point...

Or not - since the American electorate began treating incredibly crazy people like Sarah Palin, Ted Cruz, Gohmert, etc., as though the things they have to say actually have merit, and regarding 100% self-promoting liars in the 'entertainment' business like Limbaugh, Beck and O'Reilly as legitimate assessors of public affairs, it's hard to say if even Netanyahu running naked up and down Broadway, flapping his arms like wings, claiming that he's flying away from Iranian nukes would do anything for American public opinion regarding Israel. He'd probably just get a 'reality' show...

[libdem4life]

3. Now this is impressive news. Unintended consequences of Hutzpah, Hubris and Gotcha International

Faux Pas. Speaking of Faux, I'm sure they have some appearances lined up for their highly entertaining news shows. Maybe O'Reilly can interview him and compare war stories. At least Netanyahu's are real.

[procon]

4. Where there's smoke...

and 180 retired Israeli generals and former top security officials with insider knowledge have banded together to oppose Netanyahu, its difficult to ignore their warnings.

[Scootaloo]

7. It's not difficult at all, as Netanyahu will prove very thoroughly

[RiverNoord]

11. Sadly, unless President Obama's successor is very much a non-establishment candidate, which

is next to impossible, American-Israeli relations will just be 'reset' and the Obama administration's slow, very slow, progress toward some sort of sane foreign policy concerning Israel will simply evaporate.

[Scootaloo]

12. Maybe

I think it's coming to a point where US support or lack thereof is largely irrelevant. Even though US policy has been static since 1967, the situation has not been.

[RiverNoord]

13. You are probably right. Although a sudden, massive withdrawal of American military and UNSC support

which isn't going to happen, would be a very big deal. Israel's success in achieving massive colonization of the West Bank and Gaza, its considerable conventional military advantage in the region, and its nuclear arsenal, may have decided most matters already...

[Cryptoad]

5. Has anybody else noticed,,,

how much Bibi and Bohner favor? Are they kin?

[Thinkingabout]

9. His expertise helped Bush invade Iraq and has resulted in the domino effect in the ME.

To hear his expertise we could just waltz into Iraq and save the world, wrong, it fell apart.

[lark]

14. They all knew better

but didn't care. All that group cares about is all war all the time. They KNEW us going into Iraq would further destabilize the ME and that's their dream. Of course, they also thought we could steal the oil, but they were wrong on that front. Netanyahoo and Shrub both wanted to be war presidents and didn't care what they had to do to get there.

[Thinkingabout]

15. Do you think his "brilliant" advice will be much different this time?

His biggest war is the election in Israel, my hope they will elect someone else this time, he is very hard headed.

[lark]

20. He's a one trick pony.

His advice will be exactly the same - bomb, bomb, away and the results would be far worse than anything we experienced in Iraq.

I too am really hoping he loses and the center left will find enough partners to form a new government and take over from the ultra hawkish Likud.

[tomsaiditagain]

16. Kind of like Bush and his bunch of merry warmongers

Stand strong and pronounce to the world that you are the great and powerful. For without you and your comrades in arms nothing shall prosper and no peace shall be had.

For I am the great I am saith I, King Netanyahu the Yahoo!!

[The Blue Flower]

17. How does this play with the Jewish control of media and govt conspiracy crowd?

What I've been thinking is that Bibi is not doing American Jews any favor. The visual of him addressing a joint session of Congress would just validate those who think the Jews run the government.

[red dog 1]

18. K&R...Thanks for posting, Purveyor

This has got to affect Netanyahu's chances of remaining Prime Minister after the upcoming Israeli elections

[Cha]

19. K&R