Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Getty Images
As many of you know, AIPAC is holding its annual conference this weekend at the Washington D.C. Convention Center. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to be the keynote speaker on Monday.
Sure to be on his agenda is Iran's nuclear program with the ultimate fate of Israel hanging in the balance. Of course this is pure fabrication. Israel has nuclear weapons and the capability to defend itself. Meanwhile, Iran presents no threat, imminent or otherwise, to Israel.
According to ALL U.S. intelligence agencies, Iran ceased developing a nuclear bomb capability in 2003. It's a member of the nuclear non proliferation treaty and has regular inspections by the IAEA which has found no evidence of Iran developing a nuclear bomb.
No matter; Iran remains Israel's primary pre-occupation with an apparent intent to act unilaterally and attack Iran's nuclear facilities.
Thus the distinct possibility of Israel bombing Iran is of primary concern and the AIPAC conference, sure to be a catalyst beating the war drum in favor of an Israeli strike, makes the situation even more ominous.
It may be to no avail, but we the people in the U.S. need to voice our complete rejection of AIPAC's disastrous views and help steer President Obama, in his upcoming meeting with Netanyahu, to make it clear in no uncertain terms, he and we do not support Israel's bombing Iran.
Israel and Netanyahu may be acting duplicitously, calculating this presidential election season gives the president no other political option but to ultimately side with Israel if it does attack Iran and that it would be political suicide in the next election if he didn't support Israel.
And unless Obama goes against his nature, which is to avoid and not take political risks, and calculates his political future depends on his ultimate support of Israel, even when an attack on Iran would cause an unnecessary conflagration with dire consequences, it may all be fait accompli.
The current situation feels a lot like the winter of 2002-2003 when Bush was demonizing Saddam Hussein and Iraq. People in the U.S. and around the world demonstrated against a war with Iraq but it was to no avail. Bush had already made the decision to invade Iraq and did so in March 2003.
But the circumstances of a war with Iran are much more dire, with the consequences hardly be expected to be confined within that country, as it was with Iraq.
Iran will undoubtedly retaliate. Iraq will side with Iran and attack the remaining American installations. The Strait of Hormuz will likely be blocked and the American carrier groups operating in the Persian Gulf would possibly be attacked. Israel would probably suffer direct retaliation by Iranian conventional missiles. Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza could take direct action against Israel. World oil prices would probably soar bringing with it a renewed worldwide recession.
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