Tonight begins Simchat Torah
here in Israel -- outside of Israel, it is Shemini Atzeret with Simchat Torah on
Friday.
Simchat Torah -- as its name
suggests -- is a holiday of celebration of/rejoicing in Torah. We dance
with the Torah in the course of seven rounds, or processions, around the
synagogue. And we complete the annual cycle of reading of the Torah, and begin
it again.
With this holiday, we end the
holiday season, and return to "normal," however this may be
defined.
To all celebrating, I wish a Chag
Sameach.
Credit:
judaism.about
I had said I would return to
Obama's speech to review what he says about Iran, and I will begin with
that.
The picture of Obama here, at the
UN podium, reflects a
typical pose:
Credit: AP/Andrew
Burton
While the position espoused by him
exemplifies typical Obama "nether-netherland" thinking. See for
yourself (with emphasis added):
"I don’t believe this difficult
history [between the US and Iran] can be overcome overnight – the suspicion runs
too deep. But I do believe that if we can resolve the issue of Iran’s
nuclear program, that can serve as a major step down a long road towards a
different relationship – one based on mutual interests and mutual
respect.
"Since I took office, I have made it clear – in letters to
the Supreme Leader in Iran and more recently to President Rouhani – that
America prefers to resolve our concerns over Iran’s nuclear program
peacefully, but that we are determined to prevent them from developing
a nuclear weapon. We are not seeking regime change, and we respect the
right of the Iranian people to access peaceful nuclear
energy...
"We are encouraged that President Rouhani received from the Iranian people a mandate to pursue a more moderate course. Given President Rouhani’s stated commitment to reach an agreement, I am directing John Kerry to pursue this effort with the Iranian government..."
That he posits the possibility of a relationship developing between Iran -- a renegade state that fosters terrorism world-wide and makes the killing in Syria possible -- and the US that is based on "mutual interests and mutual respect" is an indication of how high in the atmosphere he is floating and how little his words have genuine diplomatic import.
"We are encouraged that President Rouhani received from the Iranian people a mandate to pursue a more moderate course. Given President Rouhani’s stated commitment to reach an agreement, I am directing John Kerry to pursue this effort with the Iranian government..."
That he posits the possibility of a relationship developing between Iran -- a renegade state that fosters terrorism world-wide and makes the killing in Syria possible -- and the US that is based on "mutual interests and mutual respect" is an indication of how high in the atmosphere he is floating and how little his words have genuine diplomatic import.
He tiptoes. Of
course he doesn't mention "military option." Heaven forbid --
that wouldn't be friendly. But neither does he refer to
sanctions. He remains "positive," promising the Iranian leaders that
they won't be replaced and that they have the right to "access peaceful nuclear
energy" -- which is precisely what they claim they are doing.
All in all, this is worthless
as a serious, genuinely constructive position. Declaring himself ready to
pursue dialogue, he is too quick to substitute semblance for reality. Who
says that the Iranian people gave Rouhani a mandate to pursue a more moderate
course? Rouhani is not a moderate -- he is simply very skilled at acting
like one.
~~~~~~~~~~
However, in spite of
this upbeat outreach to Iran by Obama, the president ended up with egg on
his face. Big time.
First Rouhani gave his talk at the
UN. It made Obama's speech sound like an exercise in logic and
reasonableness. Consider (emphasis added):
"The recent elections in Iran
represent a clear, living example of the wise choice of hope, rationality and
moderation by the great people of Iran. The realization of democracy consistent
with religion and the peaceful transfer of executive power manifested that
Iran is the anchor of stability in an otherwise ocean of regional
instabilities. The firm belief of our people
and government in enduring
peace, stability, tranquility, peaceful resolution of disputes and
reliance on the ballot box as the basis of power, public acceptance and
legitimacy, has indeed played a key role in creating such a safe
environment...
"...there are new hopes; the hope of universal
acceptance by the people and the elite all across the globe of 'yes to peace and
no to war;' and the hope of preference of dialogue over conflict, and moderation
over extremism."
Yea, yea, yea...Anyone who chooses
to interpret this as a sign of genuine moderation in Iran is seriously
deluded.
In a nutshell:
Military threats to Iran
just won't do: "Militarism and the recourse to violent and military means
to subjugate others are failed examples of the perpetuation of old ways
in new
circumstances."
Neither will sanctions,
which he is ever so keen to have lifted, do: "Coercive
economic...policies and practices geared to the maintenance and preservation of
old superiorities and dominations..."
"Fanning fear and phobia around
the emergence of new actors on the world scene" is also unacceptable
state behavior.
"the strategic violence, which is
manifested in the efforts to deprive regional players from their natural domain
of action, containment policies, regime change from outside, and the efforts
towards redrawing of political borders and frontiers, is extremely dangerous and
provocative." Translation: you have no right to try to affect who we are or what
we do.
And, of course, Israel, which
practices "structural violence against the people of Palestinian," is
evil: "Apartheid as a concept can hardly describe the crimes and the
institutionalized aggression against the innocent Palestinian
people."
Nu? What else would we
expect?
But there is also another
manifestation of "structural violence" seen in "Unjust sanctions...[which] are
intrinsically inhumane and against peace.."
Iran is a peaceful nation: "Iran’s
nuclear program...must pursue exclusively peaceful purposes. I declare
here, openly and unambiguously, that, notwithstanding the positions of others,
this has been, and will always be, the objective of the Islamic Republic of
Iran...
"I listened carefully to the
statement made by President Obama today at the General Assembly. Commensurate
with the political will of the leadership in the United States and
hoping that they will refrain from following the short-sighted interest
of warmongering pressure groups, we can arrive at a framework to manage
our differences. To this end, equality, mutual respect, and the recognized
principles of international law should govern the interactions. Of course, we
expect to hear a consistent voice from Washington.
"...in the name of the
Islamic Republic of Iran I propose, as a starting step, the consideration by the
United Nations of the project: “the World Against Violence and Extremism.
(WAVE)"
~~~~~~~~~~
So, this is what Obama got from Rouhani: a demand that
the US back off and change her ways, that she start acting "peacefully" and with
respect towards an Iran that has rights.
Nowhere with nothing, of course. Let us hope
that Obama doesn't rush to seek a reduction in sanctions and otherwise
attempt to mollify Rouhani, in the belief that this will lead to good dialogue.
~~~~~~~~~~
Perhaps he will not. Because already his
hope for informal dialogue has been dashed. What has been revealed is that
the US had offered a one-on-one meeting between Obama and Rouhani in New York,
and Rouhani had "spurned it."
"One opportunity previously considered likely for such
a meeting went by unfulfilled Tuesday afternoon when a number of heads of state
gathered for the traditional lunch hosted by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
Obama milled around for a number of minutes before sitting at his table,
but the Iranian delegation, including Rouhani, proved to be no-shows for the
event."
~~~~~~~~~~
Prime Minister Netanyahu had instructed the Israeli
delegation at the UN to absent itself from Rouhani's speech because "As the
Prime Minister of Israel, the state of the Jewish people, I could not allow the
Israeli delegation to be part of a cynical public relations ploy by a regime
that denies the Holocaust and calls for our destruction."
You might want to see his comments on Rouhani's speech
(emphasis added):
"Any rational person
understands that Iran, one of the most oil-rich nations, is not investing
capital in ballistic missiles and underground nuclear facilities in order to
produce electricity.
"As expected, this was a cynical speech that was full of hypocrisy...
"This is exactly Iran's strategy – to talk and play for time in order to advance its ability to achieve nuclear weapons.
http://imra.org.il/story.php3?id=61963
Earlier, on the opening of the UN session, the Prime Minister's office had also put this out:
"Iran thinks that soothing words and token actions will enable it to continue on its path to the bomb. Like North Korea before it, Iran will try to remove sanctions by offering cosmetic concessions, while preserving its ability to rapidly build a nuclear weapon at a time of its choosing."
"Israel would welcome a genuine diplomatic solution that truly dismantles Iran's capacity to develop nuclear weapons. But we will not be fooled by half-measures that merely provide a smokescreen for Iran's continual pursuit of nuclear weapons. And the world should not be fooled either."
http://www.pmo.gov.il/English/MediaCenter/Spokesman/Pages/spokeGenUN240913.aspx
Netanyahu is right, is right, is right. The question is, who will listen? We still have his own speech at the UN coming...
~~~~~~~~~~
Please note Netanyahu's reference to dismantling of Iran's capacity to develop nuclear weapons. Simply getting Iran to stop, when the capacity to start again still exists, would be sorely insufficient.
This is something I will want to return to, and monitor. It is a vastly complex subject -- the question of what has to be dismantled -- or removed from the country -- in order to render Iran unable to pursue nuclear capacity.
As Ilan Berman, vice president of the American Foreign Policy Council, points out:
"...the potential for compromise is decidedly murky. Mr. Rouhani, via intermediaries, may have floated the idea of a meaningful step forward (in the form of the closure of one of its uranium enrichment facilities, the pilot enrichment plant at Fordo). But, experts point out that this is hardly decisive, insofar as the regime already has sufficient quantities of low- and medium-enriched uranium and working centrifuges to make possible the development of weapons-grade fissile material."
On September 23, immediately prior to Rouhani's speech at the UN, Iran held its annual military parade, attended by Rouhani. Various messages were featured in that parade:
"While in English the Iranians wrote 'Down with America,' in Persian and Arabic, the Iranians wrote, 'Death to America'...
"The parade included a line of missile transports carrying Shahab-3 missiles, which have a 1,300 kilometer range that can reach both Israel and American bases in the Persian Gulf...
Finally, under Rouhani's presidency, Iran's military parade contained a blatant statement calling for Israel's destruction. On the lead vehicle of a line of trucks transporting Shahab-3 missiles, there appears a banner that reads: 'Esraail baayad az beyn beravad' - "Israel Should Cease to Exist"...
~~~~~~~~~~
"As expected, this was a cynical speech that was full of hypocrisy...
"This is exactly Iran's strategy – to talk and play for time in order to advance its ability to achieve nuclear weapons.
http://imra.org.il/story.php3?id=61963
Earlier, on the opening of the UN session, the Prime Minister's office had also put this out:
"Iran thinks that soothing words and token actions will enable it to continue on its path to the bomb. Like North Korea before it, Iran will try to remove sanctions by offering cosmetic concessions, while preserving its ability to rapidly build a nuclear weapon at a time of its choosing."
"Israel would welcome a genuine diplomatic solution that truly dismantles Iran's capacity to develop nuclear weapons. But we will not be fooled by half-measures that merely provide a smokescreen for Iran's continual pursuit of nuclear weapons. And the world should not be fooled either."
http://www.pmo.gov.il/English/MediaCenter/Spokesman/Pages/spokeGenUN240913.aspx
Netanyahu is right, is right, is right. The question is, who will listen? We still have his own speech at the UN coming...
~~~~~~~~~~
Please note Netanyahu's reference to dismantling of Iran's capacity to develop nuclear weapons. Simply getting Iran to stop, when the capacity to start again still exists, would be sorely insufficient.
This is something I will want to return to, and monitor. It is a vastly complex subject -- the question of what has to be dismantled -- or removed from the country -- in order to render Iran unable to pursue nuclear capacity.
As Ilan Berman, vice president of the American Foreign Policy Council, points out:
"...the potential for compromise is decidedly murky. Mr. Rouhani, via intermediaries, may have floated the idea of a meaningful step forward (in the form of the closure of one of its uranium enrichment facilities, the pilot enrichment plant at Fordo). But, experts point out that this is hardly decisive, insofar as the regime already has sufficient quantities of low- and medium-enriched uranium and working centrifuges to make possible the development of weapons-grade fissile material."
In
addition, Iran is developing an alternate means of going nuclear via the heavy
water facility it is building at Arak.
~~~~~~~~~~
We are reminded again, by the
Jerusalem Center of Public Affairs, that anything less than a very big stick
brandished at Iran is going to be useless or
counterproductive: On September 23, immediately prior to Rouhani's speech at the UN, Iran held its annual military parade, attended by Rouhani. Various messages were featured in that parade:
"While in English the Iranians wrote 'Down with America,' in Persian and Arabic, the Iranians wrote, 'Death to America'...
"The parade included a line of missile transports carrying Shahab-3 missiles, which have a 1,300 kilometer range that can reach both Israel and American bases in the Persian Gulf...
Finally, under Rouhani's presidency, Iran's military parade contained a blatant statement calling for Israel's destruction. On the lead vehicle of a line of trucks transporting Shahab-3 missiles, there appears a banner that reads: 'Esraail baayad az beyn beravad' - "Israel Should Cease to Exist"...
"Reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency last
year, especially in May 2012, contained information that Iran was seeking to
remove the conventional warhead from a Shahab-3 missile and replace it with a
spherical nuclear device."
http://jcpa.org/article/charm-offensive-hostile-iranian-messages-eve-rouhanis-un-visit/~~~~~~~~~~
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Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by Arlene Kushner,
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