Bren exposed his true colours by omitting much relevance. Israel prefered an unwarranted, widely condemned, and failed attack on the soverign nation of Lebanon rather than negotiating with Hezbollah at the time of Goldwasser and Regev becoming POW's. They were taken in the disputed Shaba Fields. Israel in that onslaught slaughtered thousands of innocent inhabitants of South Lebanon and left behind thousands of unexploded cluster bombs.

These Israeli apologists and propagandists are fighting yesterdays wars. The strategic situation in the mid east has moved on dramatically and Iran now holds the upper hand.

Recently the Iranians showed they had rockets that could reach and accurately target Israel. Now whether Iran has Nuclear Weapons or not is no longer relevant. The fact is if they have them they can deliver them to Israel if they wish. Like Israel I expect they'll play the 'neither confirm nor deny' game. Another poster has already said there is rumour Iran has obtained redundant Cold War warheads. That's likely.

The Yanks must have had a fit when they realised the Iranians have those delivery systems. The last thing they would want would be a nuclear war in the mid east. They have huge troop concentrations in Irans neighbours and would be immediate targets. A huge part of their military would be wiped out and they'd be hard pressed to replace them ... for the immediate defence of the US. The US would be in great peril of attack.

The only loser in a mideast Nuclear War would be Israel. Oh sure Iran would be decimated but so would Israel... leaving Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Saudia Arabia, Iraq and any other like minded nation to dominate the region and I think they might just ensure Israel is never rebuilt.

Game over.

I think the recent moves for peace in the region merely show an awakening to these new realities.

One hopes it is not to late for Israel and that commonsense at last prevails.

The Iranians are probably hoping for an Israeli attack. Any memorial built post nuclear war would then probably mention the Jewish instigated holocaust.

A truly terrifying thought Keith but one that isn’t beyond the realms of possibility. One wonders if
• Either side is now seriously contemplating a first strike option, they both have the same ridiculous attitude of the end justifies the means.
• Has Iran passed on the bombs (technology) to other Gulf States?

Back to the point.
Bren enough of the loaded language and spin, already.
I wish that Israel and its acolytes would stop trying to involve others in their self created problems. Face up to reality, be a nation and solve the issues in the only sensible way… Negotiate properly. The world is more than ready to help with this but not while it remains a self perpetuating obscenity. A game of Brinkmanship that has no winners and renders the situation akin to a tinder box with both sides behaving like psychologically disturbed children playing with matchese

Keith is exposing his true colours by refusing to address the point.

Hezbollah's kidnap of Israeli forces inside Israel was merely a continuation of their ongoing war against Israel. You say why didn’t Israel negotiate? Before the war Hezbollah would have used the negotiations as propaganda to pump up their supporters and raise more money and terrorists for their fight. Their terms for the recent swap show just how unwilling they are to negotiate. For two dead men, Israel had to hand over hundreds of dead Hezbollah and five live terrorists. This just shows the disdain for which Hezbollah holds its own people, who would have been left to rot, if the Israelis had suggested a 1 for 1 swap.

So Keith, Are you going to apologize for Samir Kuntar? Are you going to make excuses for his behaviour? How about the Joyous celebrations of Hezbollah when they received this vile piece of garbage home.

Surely this single incident illustrates the difference between Israel and its enemies. Kuntar kills the father and smashes the skull of the four year old child, …. And is arrested. Yes that’s right those Israeli Nazis arrested him for it, and put him in jail. I would have shot him on the spot if I’d seen him do it. In any country with capital punishment he would have been executed.BTW, when exactly did Hezbollah murder their two prisoners.

I notice with interest Keith’s relish at the prospect that Iran might do Israel some damage. Keith isn’t remotely interested in peace, as you can gather from his support for the Islamo fascist orgainsations, coupled with his desire to see Israel destroyed.

You are the worst kind of racist Keith because you can’t admit it.

>> “The Iranians are probably hoping for an Israeli attack. Any memorial built post nuclear war would then probably mention the Jewish instigated holocaust.”

For those barbarians that you support it would be the first holocaust, because they deny the other one. How about you Keith, do you deny the holocaust as well?

Paul.L
There is a difference between having a long perspective than misusing a single incident and extrapolating from there. This author’s use of stock standard propaganda techniques as made infamous by Goebbels calls into the integrity of the issues raised.

In Sales terms it is a combination of reduction to the ridiculous and Corralling (or isolating an issue that can be manipulated to show the desired perspective.) Truth in issues is when they are viewed in the context of the whole.
Neither side is blameless and pursuing blame in this fashion is pointless.

Neither Keith or me accept the original premise of the article thus the structure built on it is likewise dubious. Just because we agree with the florid, argumentative stance and intent of the author doesn’t make either of us racist.
Your criticism displays you as someone with an agenda and an unwillingness to look for a solution.

PaulL

Get stuffed.

I think that posters such as Keith underestimate the likely reaction of any US government if Iran attacked Israel or US forces in the middle east, particularly with nuclear weapons. I would imagine that they would use Iran as an terrible example, and by the time they finished pumping nuclear warheads into the country the whole place would glow. Any objections from other countries would be ignored.

This is not a pleasant outlook, but quite possible in the terrible decades that lie ahead.

If the attack did not use nuclear weapons we could see a replay of the bombing of Serbia in 1999, when no troops at all were used, and the country's infrastructure was systematically destroyed. In the case of Iran we could also see the US seizing the offshore Iranian oil wells in the Persian Gulf, and sucking them dry as fast as possible. Hopefully, this will cause the Iranians not to attack.