|
26 July 2012 By Franklin Lamb
Two interpretations by the participants themselves, of
what significant international meetings achieved, the
first on 6/25/12 and the second five days later,
remind us about subjectivity in the eyes of the
beholders.
Post-event statements, whether following last
weekend's Geneva meeting on Syria which produced
markedly different interpretations of the final
communiqué language by the Russian and American
Foreign Ministers, Sergei Lavrov (that Syria's
President Bashar Assad need not necessarily
depart-depending on what the Syrian people decide) and
Hillary Clinton, (Assad's departure is absolutely
required) may have sent French, Russian and English
language interpreters looking for their thesaurus.
Similarly, vastly divergent Russian-Israeli
interpretations about what was agreed to during the 24
hour " just passing through" visit by Vladimir Putin
to Palestine and the Zionist lobby's touting of " a
new Israel-Russia bi-lateral alliance" suggests
serious wishful thinking by one side according to an
official at the Russian Embassy in Beirut with whom
this observer discussed last week's Putin visit. At a joint news conference after
their meeting, Mr. Netanyahu said he and Mr. Putin had
agreed that the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran
"presents a grave danger first of all to Israel, and
to the region and the world as a whole." Israel,
Netanyahu announced on 6/25/12, to raised eyebrows
from some among the 400 member visiting Russian
delegation, expects the once and likely future
superpower to support expanded sanctions against
Tehran, demand a halt to all uranium enrichment by
Iran, insist on the removal of all enriched uranium
from Iran and the dismantling of an underground
nuclear facility near the city of Qum. For Putin's part, he only
proffered that he and Netanyahu had discussed Syria
and the Iranian nuclear program and that the talks had
been "useful". During his short visit Putin
inaugurated a memorial in Netanya for Soviet troops
killed in World War II and presumably had others
motives given Russia's interest in Israel's defense
industry. In the last two years Russia has purchased
12 drones from different Israeli companies.
The newly inaugurated Russian president,
who has said he regarded the breakup of the Soviet
Union as a geopolitical catastrophe, defended the
Iranian people's right to use nuclear energy for
peaceful purposes but pointed out at the same time
that Iran should guarantee non-proliferation of
nuclear weapons, but in any case, the problem should
be solved peacefully, by way of talks. Israel's Prime Minister
repeatedly expressed reservations about Russia's role
in the long-stagnant Israeli-Palestinian "peace
process". He complained to Putin that Russia, a member
of the so-called quartet of Middle East peacemakers
has consistently sided with the Palestinians during
disputes. Netanyahu called on Putin to urge the
Palestinians to return to negotiations but received a
puzzled look from his guest as if Putin might have
been wondering why Israel has not suspended illegal
settlements expansion and land confiscations, as the
Palestinians and the international community have
demanded for over four decades. Undaunted, Netanyahu
appeared not to notice Putin's quizzical expression
while insisting that he was sure that the Russian
visit would improve ties in agriculture, science,
technology and space, "among other fields'. The Israeli Prime Ministers staff
explained that the Soviet Union had been hostile to
Israel and now relations should improve while Defense
Minister Ehud Barak said at an Independence Party
meeting that "Russia is a very important world power,
a country that played a very important role in Syria's
history in the past few years and that is why it will
play a key role in the shaping of post-Assad Syria."
Barak also stressed Russia's importance in "the
international effort vis-à-vis Iran in terms of
sanctions and diplomacy and his belief that Putin
understood that in dealing with Iran, Israel faces a
decision between "bombing or the bomb" and if Israel
doesn't attack, Iran will eventually obtain nuclear
weapons. Yet, according to Russian Embassy
discussions in Beirut, Putin repeatedly warned Israeli officials that the very
existence of Israel was at risk if it attacked Iran
and that Israel should not delude itself that Russia will
ever sanction an attack on Iran or that Russia will
get involved with Israel's attack in anyway. Putin
emphasized that Israel should think twice before
taking any action on Iran and should learn lessons
from the United States' experiences in Iraq and
Afghanistan. "Look what happened to America in
Afghanistan and Iraq," Putin said. "I told Obama also.
You don't need to jump to things too early; you don't
need to act before thinking. In Iraq there is a
pro-Iranian government after everything that happened
there. You need to think well before doing something
you'll be sorry about." Putin also told Netanyahu that
Russia will recognize a Palestinian state. Several high ranking Bush
administration officials, drawing salaries from US
taxpayers while serving Israel, and who pushed the US
to invade Afghanistan and Iraq are currently
attempting the same fate for Iran. Backed by the
Zionist lobby, they and the Russians are in agreement
that only US incompetence gave both countries to Iran
with more quite likely in the pipeline from the
Persian Gulf area.
Arab and Islamophobe, Ruthie Blum, former senior
editor at the Jerusalem Post, and author of "To Hell
in a Handbasket: Carter, Obama, and the ‘Arab Spring',
claims that President Obama and the American taxpayers
have betrayed Israel. Ruthie, writing
in the current issue of Israel Hayom explains that
"Since the minute that Barack Obama became president
of the United States nearly four years ago, it was
clear that the Jewish state was being tossed aside
like an unappreciated, loyal, long-time wife for a far
more alluring, utterly inappropriate, and dangerous
lover. Indeed, Obama has not hidden the hots he has
always had for the Islamic world; nor has he been the
least bit discreet about his attraction to its more
anti-Western elements. It is the height of tragic
irony that, in the absence of its previous protection
by its adulterous spouse, America, the Israeli
government has nowhere to turn but to Russia. Netanyahu's staff, which sent her
piece to US Zionist lobby outfits, reportedly sees, as
their boss does, Israel's very existence at stake, and
he's prepared for Israel to go it alone or link with
Russia because he's "unwilling to entrust the survival
of the Jewish state to America." Meanwhile, during a talk-show
when Ruthie finally gave him a chance to get a word in
edgewise, Israeli journalist and TV show host, Dan
Margalit, announced that: "In a time when the
Arab-Left-anti-Semitic axis is doing its utmost to
delegitimize and marginalize Israel, Putin's visit has
the power to counter dozens of evil-hearted artists
and musicians who boycott Israel. If such visits were
the norm, Israel would have laid the red carpet at
Ben-Gurion International Airport and welcomed U.S.
President Barack Obama by now, but he is
understandably not trusted here while Romney is plus
if Mitt is elected President he promised his first
trip will be to Israel. Obama has never come once
since he became President." The Obama administration, but not
apparently the Congress, was taken aback and issued a
statement from Ben LaBolt, an Obama campaign
spokesman: "Governor Romney has said he would do the
opposite of what President Obama has done in our
relations with Israel. Now he must specify how — does
that mean he would reverse President Obama's policies
of sending Israel the largest security assistance
packages in history? Does it mean he would let Israel
stand alone at the United Nations, or that he would
stop funding the Iron Dome system? Does it mean he
would abandon the coalition working together to
confront Iran's nuclear ambitions?" Netanyahu advisor Benny Goldberg
explained Israel's seemingly awkward overtures to
Russia as realpolitik. "Look, it's like the coming
Mitt Romney visit. We will welcome him as we well as
Obama if he decides to visit. After all, in the US
Congress we seek support from both sides of the aisle
so it's logical that we want the same relationship
with Moscow as we have with Washington." So much for the Obama
administration's fantasy of the US-Israel special, one
of a kind devoted, legendary, eternal, rock solid,
unbreakable, forever and ever iron-clad bond and
indivisible alliance which gives America a reliable,
democratic strategic Gemini-twins like partnership
with America and her very generous, if uninformed,
taxpayers. Some cynical Congressional
staffers have commented that Israel already has the US
government in its back pocket and that Congress will
guarantee that it remains so; therefore Israel has
nothing to lose by intimating to the Russians that
will discard the US at least to the extent of
promoting Russian interests in the region. After all,
as is well known in the White House, Israel sold to
the USSR, through a third party, stolen top secret
specialized code-word compartmented (TS/SCI)
intelligence via Jonathan Pollard, which from his KGB
tenure Putin presumably has direct knowledge of." Goldberg also explained recently
that in the past it was only logic that dictated
switching Israeli acceptance of the "keeping the Golan
Heights quiet Alawi Shia regime in Syria" which at the
time made sense given the concomitant danger from
Sunni Islamists, including the Muslim Brotherhood,
Hamas, and Islamic Jihad. But now Israel has switched
its support for a Sunni regime in Syria that it hopes
will confront Iran and Hezbollah. Realpolitik also
dictates that if the Sunnis fail to topple Assad
Israel can live with that also because it believes
that Israel's annexation of the Golan will not be
challenged with more than words. There is little conflict between
Russia's and Israel's interests because neither
country is as powerful as it would like to be in the
region. Russia has few of the options it had during
the Cold War and Israel has little influence in the
outcome in Syria or in Egypt. On the other hand, Russia and
Israel do have some complementary interests. One
example is Azerbaijan where Russian is a major weapons
provider for the regime and the Israelis are also
selling it large amounts of weapons. The CIA suspects
it has set up a base from which to spy on, and,
according to rumors, prepare to attack Iran.
Apparently Russia does not feel threatened by Israeli
involvement in Azerbaijan or that both are there, and
each operate in ways that would appear to be in
conflict but don't, according to Stratford's George
Freeman. There are also some bilateral
interests on an economic and a strategic level,
because Russia is looking for new partners in the
area. In addition, both Russia and
Israel have benefited enormously from U.S. "terrorism
wars" in the Islamic world. It is not just that these
wars alienate Muslims, which is beneficial to Israel,
but they also help the Russians due to the
debilitating human and economic cost for America. As the US staggers, and with
Russia and China practicing shrewd Middle East
politics, one imagines that Israeli leaders might be
recalling the days and reasons that the Zionist
colonial enterprise dumped England for America
following World War II. Franklin Lamb is doing
research in Beirut and is reachable c/o fplamb@gmail.com |
Add Comments