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Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Time for an honest debate on Israel's policies

The setting up of a new group 'Independent Jewish Voices' to challenge the sometimes uncritically pro-Israel stance of official Jewish organisations, like The Board of Deputies, is a welcome step.
Many Jews around the world were sickened by Israel's bombardment of Lebanon last year (but not, incidentally, Stephen Pollard, who opposed the ceasefire) and by the country's continued ill-treatment of the Palestinians and were horrified that organisations which claim to speak for them refused to condemn the atrocities.

But any frank and honest discussion of Israeli policies should not be confined to the issues of Lebanon and Palestine, but should also cover the role leading political figures in Israel played in egging on the war with Iraq, and the part the country and its more fanatical supporters are playing in the current propaganda offensive against Iran. Make no mistake, a US/Israeli strike on Iran, which neo-conservatives such as Douglas Murray have called for, will lead to thousands of casualties and have grave repercussions for the peace and security, not just of the Middle East, but the whole world.

For the good of Jews, Arabs, Iranians, Americans and all the world's peoples, we must not allow it to happen.

UPDATE:
On the subject of the propaganda war against Iran, and the hysterical reaction to President Chirac's rare moment of honesty on the Iranian 'threat', here's a great piece from Diana Johnstone in Counterpunch.
http://www.counterpunch.org/

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