Israel – Iran; why the connection?

We continually here that Iran is the biggest threat to Israel’s national security. Whenever we talk about Iran in the U.S., or whenever U.S. diplomats talk with Iran, Israel is always on the table? Why? Well, we’re told it’s because Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a Holocaust denier (which he is), that a “nuclear Iran” would result in Israel’s annihilation (which it well might), etc. Here’s the problem: we’re ignoring what it is that keeps Iran in this position. Ahmadinejad is indeed a crazy dude, in my opinion unfit to lead a country, and has demonstrated his disrespect for the Iranian people in this last election. But there’s a larger pattern: crazy dictators have been fine with us for a long time. Israel’s hardline foreign policy stance and refusal to engage in meaningful diplomacy when it needs to has historically driven people away from it. Netanyahu’s denial of Arab’s right of return, and ignoring of their connection to the land, is, frankly, biblical and archaic. I’ve said this before, but I still think the issue is at the core of Israel’s identity; as a religious state, Israel is in a position to claim divine right to the land. No wonder people like Ahmadinejad adopt a polarizing stance against Israel. Israel maintains that it is the most legitimate entity in that region. That’s no way to approach peace, or even dialogue about peace. That’s something that Israel needs to stop if it wants to call for negotiations “without preconditions”.

Netanyahu’s speech shows that he’s capable of more of the same. Obama’s pressure on him is having an effect; Netanyah actually said the phrase “Palestinian state”. But there’s a long way to go. As citizens of the U.S., we need to demand that the Obama administration continue direct and tough diplomacy with Israel.