Israel must negotiate directly with Washington, secure defense guarantees and prepare for the risks of a potential deal that could strengthen Iran and its proxies.
Each time Israel took out an Islamic/Arab nuclear program they did it against the wishes of the American President. Bibi must do the same thing if Trump has indeed gone soft and is merely bloviating. We should know in the next few weeks. What puzzles me aside from the American reticence is why would Putin want a nuclear armed Islamic fanatic state in his neighborhood?
President Trump talks a big game but is in fact a deer in the headlights. Mr. President you do have the cards but you don’t know how to play your hand. This is the problem on so many fronts including Iran.
Exactly correct. "There'll be hell to pay if Hamas doesn't release all the hostages by the time I'm inaugurated" Trump is a B.S. artist. He repeated that line two other times.
I distrusted him after he turned on Ukraine. There’s a strong isolationist wing amongst his supporters. See also the accidentally exposed Signal chat with various people saying the US shouldn’t attack the Houthis.
The problem with Iran is twofold. The first, of course, is the threat of nuclear weapons. The second part of the problem, as dangerous as the first, is the propagation and subsidizing of radical religious ideology worldwide.
Millions of refugees are starving in refugee camps in the Sudan because of fighting which is, to a material degree (though not entirely), religion-based. Tens of thousands of non-Muslims are being physically abused and/or murdered in Africa and in South Asia. Many of Europe’s historically most stable communities are coming apart at the seams owing to immigrants who, encouraged to a material extent by Iranian rhetoric, are hostile to the host cultures.
Decades of Iran’s divisive rhetoric and its funding of subversive movements has created instability around the globe that is as much or more a threat to humanity’s well-being as is nuclear proliferation. While the problems caused by Iran’s poisonous cultural influence will not end with the elimination of the Iranian regime, those problems will, if the Iranian regime falls, start to trend in the direction they need to trend, that is, down.
I agree, but I am curious as to how the vacuum is filled when the theocratic Islamic Republic regime collapses. Will the Iranians fall into the orbits of either Russia or China? Can Turkey, with the support of other Sunni Muslims, step in to provide stability? What is Saudi Arabia's role in all of this? The last regime change was chaotic and bloody. Is there any reason to believe the next will be different?
It's now evident, if it wasn't earlier that Trump is a malignant narcissist. It's all about him and he will turn on anyone who doesn't bow down to kiss his feet. Look at the way he treats his friends with the preposterous imposition of tariffs.
Do you know Trump? A friend of mine knows him quite well. His mouth leads him astray. I thought he was quite good during his first administration. However, I don't attach to anyone in the political world except to the extent of their policies. If you think Trump is being rational on the foreign policy front, that's fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Any 'deal' Trump and the US makes with the largest state sponsor of terror (Iran) should ensure that Iran isn't enriched by selling their oil, cannot keep funding Hamas/Hezbollah and must NOT be allowed to produce nuclear weapons-grade uranium. Anything else allows Iran to de-stabilize its region and threaten Israel. If a 'deal' can't be negotiated, Israel must be able to defend itself or protect itself---just as in 1981 at Osirak.
That’s a great deal so long as the US strictly enforces it. What happens when the Dems get back in power and decide to relax enforcement or bail on enforcement altogether? The Osiris option is always on the table, but it must be executed flawlessly.
Agreed. The Dems could act exactly as you described it, but hopefully an ironclad agreement will not be adjustable and no military options will be necessary.
So ironic. After all those hundreds of millions the Adelsons alone invested in Trump, much less his other rich Jewish backers, it turns out that Bibi is as helpless against Trump as a mere Republican in Congress--or Zelensky. As Trump likes to say, Bibi doesn't have the cards. Israel has nowhere else to turn, so no more wagging the American dog while Trump is in power. Thank God. Every American should check out Col. Lawrence Wilkinson's You Tube video on what a disaster for Israel and America a war with Iran would be. Wilkinson was merely Colin Powell's Chief of Staff during Desert Storm. He's as expert on war as anyone on earth. The last thing Trump plans to be is hated like W during the last neocon adventure for Israel in Iraq.
A rogue nuclear-armed Iran is not simply a threat to Israel but to the entire world. A nationalistic approach to an international threat is doomed to failure.
The first Iranian Nuclear Pact was NOT led by President Obama, but was a UN Security Council agreement. "United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 was a 20 July 2015 resolution endorsing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the nuclear program of Iran. It sets out an inspection process and schedule while also preparing for the removal of United Nations sanctions against Iran. The 15 nations on the Security Council unanimously endorsed the resolution, which had been negotiated by the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—plus Germany, the European Union, and Iran." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_2231
Yes, President Trump did 'veto' the agreement in his first administration, undoing the cooperation of a broad coalition of nations backed by the UN. An 'eye for an eye' unilateral Israeli confrontation will only harden the hardliners of both countries and further polarize and destabilize the Middle East. Rather than adding to the instability of the region, how about considering forging a stabilizing coalition with Sunni Arab nations, who are also terrorized by Iranian Shiites, to pressure Iran into compliance? Israel is making enemies worldwide rather than making friends in its region. With "friends" like Trump, Israel will quickly lose any remaining friends and meager goodwill it once had. Israel has its domestic existential crisis to deal with first. Let the UN Security Council do its job.
It's my understanding that the alliance between Israel and other Arab nations has already been happening pretty successfully, with a few bumps along the way. The Abraham Accords was the first and there have been others. Trump was instrumental in these accomplishments.
You are correct that the Sunni nations hate Iran for their meddling. More deaths are Muslim on Muslim.
Yes, sometimes even a blind squirrel can find an acorn. OK, the cornerstone of the foundation has been laid, the rest is up to whatever adults there are in the room. You’re fledged now. Go out and spread your wings.
And how well did the UNFIL enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1701 in southern Lebanon. NOT AT ALL! Past is prologue. The UN is worthless and does not give a Tinker’s damn for Israel or the Jews.
The International Criminal Court believes it is a gross violations of international law and basic human rights. People smarter than me consider it beyond the realm of Marxist socialism. I tend to agree.
The "International Criminal Court"? A court made up of UN international criminals. You must be a great fan of the UN. Then you are an enemy of the USA and of Western Civilization.
Are you aware that the U.S. and Western powers founded the UN after the devastation of two world wars? Are you aware that the UN is headquartered in the USA? Are you aware that the ICC is not part of the UN?
"The ICC is an independent international organisation, and is not part of the United Nations system. Its seat is at The Hague in the Netherlands."
Jews live all over the world. If you mean Israelis, they are a multicultural ethnic mix that must learn to coexist domestically and internationally as well.
While there is a nation of Israel, there is no cohesive, functional state of Palestine, even after 78 years since the partitioning. The Palestine Arabs have a chronic Nazi problem they have not acknowledged and atoned for. This is the elephant in the room and the reason they are shunned by both Israelis and fellow Arabs. https://johnhardman.substack.com/p/hitlers-grand-mufti
Yes, I hold them to the same standard, but I also recognize they have a deep hole to crawl out of. No, they do not get a free pass, and the illusion of a two-state solution is dangerously absurd. Apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and genocide are not viable solutions. What would you suggest instead?
Bull dude Softman.. you are totally blind to what Israel faces on a daily basis..The freaking Middle East is the Middle East. If there was a Nobel prize for hate it would always be won by Muslim countries… Israel has accomplished more for the world in its short existence than all the Arab countries in a thousand years.. but they are good at multiplying.. something the West is already learning the hard way.
The” Art of the Deal” master is going to get schooled by these clever Monster Persians who are masters at playing the long game, especially with Dr. Wingit who thinks his gut is smarter than Iran’s 3500 year old geopolitics. If Witkoff thinks he can get a Win/Win out of these lying Nazis he’s delusional.
"The real one is: what can Israel do now that an Israeli military option appears definitively off the table,"
I would say "temporarily," rather than "definitively." Yes, I don't think that Trump relishes killing people, or even attacking facilities. But let's not forget the fates of Qasem Soleimani and of the Islamic State, brought about by decisive action by President Trump.
A deal with those who have a questionable moral code is no deal. The "West" can subdue Iran and create a peaceful Middle East. It has been done. It only takes will and a confidence in our culture of freedom. Take care.
My sense is that the Middle East is done with Western colonialism and wants to determine its future. I am not sure of your definition of "subdue," but witnessing the track record in Israel, it might look a lot like 'genocide.'
The memory of colonialism can only be healed by practicing self-determination. Nations like individuals must learn to walk before they can run. All we can do is rears good behavior and punish the bad. In the meantime, unrestricted arms sales in the region are probably not a good idea.
The region was under Ottoman imperialism for 350 years and another 50 years or more of European rule. It will take a while to learn the basic skills of self-government but nobody can do it for them. Syria is a good test case. I suggest forming a coalition of wealthy Arab states to finance basic infrastructure projects and police potential hot spots of anarchy and violence such as Yemen.
Let BRICS step in and carry the load. How Israel fits into the emerging power structure as it severs its dependence on the West is the question it should be asking.
They, the Muslim Arabs before Islam, were once a prosperous trading people(Saracens). Now they have no respect for life or other cultures. Us, the "West" do have a culture that respects life for the most part. We should strive for a peaceful intercoarse with the world but also defend our free way of life. Take care.
Wow. That is what you get out of my wanting to defend ourselves? Name calling? Shame on you. We have no common reference points to continue this conversation. You do not know me. Take care.
Each time Israel took out an Islamic/Arab nuclear program they did it against the wishes of the American President. Bibi must do the same thing if Trump has indeed gone soft and is merely bloviating. We should know in the next few weeks. What puzzles me aside from the American reticence is why would Putin want a nuclear armed Islamic fanatic state in his neighborhood?
President Trump talks a big game but is in fact a deer in the headlights. Mr. President you do have the cards but you don’t know how to play your hand. This is the problem on so many fronts including Iran.
Exactly correct. "There'll be hell to pay if Hamas doesn't release all the hostages by the time I'm inaugurated" Trump is a B.S. artist. He repeated that line two other times.
I distrusted him after he turned on Ukraine. There’s a strong isolationist wing amongst his supporters. See also the accidentally exposed Signal chat with various people saying the US shouldn’t attack the Houthis.
You have a short memory.
Sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
The problem with Iran is twofold. The first, of course, is the threat of nuclear weapons. The second part of the problem, as dangerous as the first, is the propagation and subsidizing of radical religious ideology worldwide.
Millions of refugees are starving in refugee camps in the Sudan because of fighting which is, to a material degree (though not entirely), religion-based. Tens of thousands of non-Muslims are being physically abused and/or murdered in Africa and in South Asia. Many of Europe’s historically most stable communities are coming apart at the seams owing to immigrants who, encouraged to a material extent by Iranian rhetoric, are hostile to the host cultures.
Decades of Iran’s divisive rhetoric and its funding of subversive movements has created instability around the globe that is as much or more a threat to humanity’s well-being as is nuclear proliferation. While the problems caused by Iran’s poisonous cultural influence will not end with the elimination of the Iranian regime, those problems will, if the Iranian regime falls, start to trend in the direction they need to trend, that is, down.
I agree, but I am curious as to how the vacuum is filled when the theocratic Islamic Republic regime collapses. Will the Iranians fall into the orbits of either Russia or China? Can Turkey, with the support of other Sunni Muslims, step in to provide stability? What is Saudi Arabia's role in all of this? The last regime change was chaotic and bloody. Is there any reason to believe the next will be different?
You can never ever trust Trump !!
The Trump legacy may very well be, “stupid is as stupid does”.
You do not remember all of the things that uniquely Trump did for Israel?
I do remember, but it’s not Dayenu!
It's now evident, if it wasn't earlier that Trump is a malignant narcissist. It's all about him and he will turn on anyone who doesn't bow down to kiss his feet. Look at the way he treats his friends with the preposterous imposition of tariffs.
A very short-sighted view.
Do you know Trump? A friend of mine knows him quite well. His mouth leads him astray. I thought he was quite good during his first administration. However, I don't attach to anyone in the political world except to the extent of their policies. If you think Trump is being rational on the foreign policy front, that's fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Any 'deal' Trump and the US makes with the largest state sponsor of terror (Iran) should ensure that Iran isn't enriched by selling their oil, cannot keep funding Hamas/Hezbollah and must NOT be allowed to produce nuclear weapons-grade uranium. Anything else allows Iran to de-stabilize its region and threaten Israel. If a 'deal' can't be negotiated, Israel must be able to defend itself or protect itself---just as in 1981 at Osirak.
That’s a great deal so long as the US strictly enforces it. What happens when the Dems get back in power and decide to relax enforcement or bail on enforcement altogether? The Osiris option is always on the table, but it must be executed flawlessly.
Agreed. The Dems could act exactly as you described it, but hopefully an ironclad agreement will not be adjustable and no military options will be necessary.
This is what happens when you put aall your eggs in the Trump basket - you get f*cked!
So ironic. After all those hundreds of millions the Adelsons alone invested in Trump, much less his other rich Jewish backers, it turns out that Bibi is as helpless against Trump as a mere Republican in Congress--or Zelensky. As Trump likes to say, Bibi doesn't have the cards. Israel has nowhere else to turn, so no more wagging the American dog while Trump is in power. Thank God. Every American should check out Col. Lawrence Wilkinson's You Tube video on what a disaster for Israel and America a war with Iran would be. Wilkinson was merely Colin Powell's Chief of Staff during Desert Storm. He's as expert on war as anyone on earth. The last thing Trump plans to be is hated like W during the last neocon adventure for Israel in Iraq.
A rogue nuclear-armed Iran is not simply a threat to Israel but to the entire world. A nationalistic approach to an international threat is doomed to failure.
The first Iranian Nuclear Pact was NOT led by President Obama, but was a UN Security Council agreement. "United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 was a 20 July 2015 resolution endorsing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the nuclear program of Iran. It sets out an inspection process and schedule while also preparing for the removal of United Nations sanctions against Iran. The 15 nations on the Security Council unanimously endorsed the resolution, which had been negotiated by the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—plus Germany, the European Union, and Iran." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_2231
Yes, President Trump did 'veto' the agreement in his first administration, undoing the cooperation of a broad coalition of nations backed by the UN. An 'eye for an eye' unilateral Israeli confrontation will only harden the hardliners of both countries and further polarize and destabilize the Middle East. Rather than adding to the instability of the region, how about considering forging a stabilizing coalition with Sunni Arab nations, who are also terrorized by Iranian Shiites, to pressure Iran into compliance? Israel is making enemies worldwide rather than making friends in its region. With "friends" like Trump, Israel will quickly lose any remaining friends and meager goodwill it once had. Israel has its domestic existential crisis to deal with first. Let the UN Security Council do its job.
It's my understanding that the alliance between Israel and other Arab nations has already been happening pretty successfully, with a few bumps along the way. The Abraham Accords was the first and there have been others. Trump was instrumental in these accomplishments.
You are correct that the Sunni nations hate Iran for their meddling. More deaths are Muslim on Muslim.
Yes, sometimes even a blind squirrel can find an acorn. OK, the cornerstone of the foundation has been laid, the rest is up to whatever adults there are in the room. You’re fledged now. Go out and spread your wings.
And how well did the UNFIL enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1701 in southern Lebanon. NOT AT ALL! Past is prologue. The UN is worthless and does not give a Tinker’s damn for Israel or the Jews.
News flash… hardly anyone gives a tinker’s damn about Israel anymore. Karma is a bitch.
It is not "karma," it is far left progressivism and its Marxist "social justice" ideology.
The International Criminal Court believes it is a gross violations of international law and basic human rights. People smarter than me consider it beyond the realm of Marxist socialism. I tend to agree.
Everyone is smarter than you Abdul Hardman.. perhaps your real problem is your name should be Abdul flaccidman.😱
The "International Criminal Court"? A court made up of UN international criminals. You must be a great fan of the UN. Then you are an enemy of the USA and of Western Civilization.
Are you aware that the U.S. and Western powers founded the UN after the devastation of two world wars? Are you aware that the UN is headquartered in the USA? Are you aware that the ICC is not part of the UN?
"The ICC is an independent international organisation, and is not part of the United Nations system. Its seat is at The Hague in the Netherlands."
https://www.icc-cpi.int/sites/default/files/ICCAtAGlanceEng.pdf
You forgot to include the Jews, or do you believe that should they not live in their ancestral homeland?
Jews live all over the world. If you mean Israelis, they are a multicultural ethnic mix that must learn to coexist domestically and internationally as well.
By your logic the Palestinians should be held to the same standard or do they get a pass?
While there is a nation of Israel, there is no cohesive, functional state of Palestine, even after 78 years since the partitioning. The Palestine Arabs have a chronic Nazi problem they have not acknowledged and atoned for. This is the elephant in the room and the reason they are shunned by both Israelis and fellow Arabs. https://johnhardman.substack.com/p/hitlers-grand-mufti
Yes, I hold them to the same standard, but I also recognize they have a deep hole to crawl out of. No, they do not get a free pass, and the illusion of a two-state solution is dangerously absurd. Apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and genocide are not viable solutions. What would you suggest instead?
Bull dude Softman.. you are totally blind to what Israel faces on a daily basis..The freaking Middle East is the Middle East. If there was a Nobel prize for hate it would always be won by Muslim countries… Israel has accomplished more for the world in its short existence than all the Arab countries in a thousand years.. but they are good at multiplying.. something the West is already learning the hard way.
I'm not sure the Democrats wouldn't oppose a similar deal JUST because it was negotiated by Trump. Don't underestimate their hypocrisy.
It is incredible that throughout the world China is presenting itself as the more reliable partner.
China is trumping Trump.
A real-time example of why Israel can’t and shouldn’t trust Donald Trump.
The” Art of the Deal” master is going to get schooled by these clever Monster Persians who are masters at playing the long game, especially with Dr. Wingit who thinks his gut is smarter than Iran’s 3500 year old geopolitics. If Witkoff thinks he can get a Win/Win out of these lying Nazis he’s delusional.
"The real one is: what can Israel do now that an Israeli military option appears definitively off the table,"
I would say "temporarily," rather than "definitively." Yes, I don't think that Trump relishes killing people, or even attacking facilities. But let's not forget the fates of Qasem Soleimani and of the Islamic State, brought about by decisive action by President Trump.
A deal with those who have a questionable moral code is no deal. The "West" can subdue Iran and create a peaceful Middle East. It has been done. It only takes will and a confidence in our culture of freedom. Take care.
My sense is that the Middle East is done with Western colonialism and wants to determine its future. I am not sure of your definition of "subdue," but witnessing the track record in Israel, it might look a lot like 'genocide.'
Convince them to leave us alone.
Who is “them” and who is “us”?
The memory of colonialism can only be healed by practicing self-determination. Nations like individuals must learn to walk before they can run. All we can do is rears good behavior and punish the bad. In the meantime, unrestricted arms sales in the region are probably not a good idea.
The region was under Ottoman imperialism for 350 years and another 50 years or more of European rule. It will take a while to learn the basic skills of self-government but nobody can do it for them. Syria is a good test case. I suggest forming a coalition of wealthy Arab states to finance basic infrastructure projects and police potential hot spots of anarchy and violence such as Yemen.
Let BRICS step in and carry the load. How Israel fits into the emerging power structure as it severs its dependence on the West is the question it should be asking.
They, the Muslim Arabs before Islam, were once a prosperous trading people(Saracens). Now they have no respect for life or other cultures. Us, the "West" do have a culture that respects life for the most part. We should strive for a peaceful intercoarse with the world but also defend our free way of life. Take care.
So, your solution is simply genocide of all Muslims as incorrigibles? That is a bit too much hardcore Nazi for modern-day tastes…
Wow. That is what you get out of my wanting to defend ourselves? Name calling? Shame on you. We have no common reference points to continue this conversation. You do not know me. Take care.