"Impunity is Fueling Israel’s Spiraling Aggression"

I was on “Flashpoints” last night with Dennis Bernstein, as was John Steinbach and Anita Borrows.

Mohammad Marandi was on with @sabbysabs from Iran —

I just put this out via accuracy.org —

"Impunity is Fueling Israel’s Spiraling Aggression"

After threatening that "Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" Trump was questioned about the U.S. Director of National Intelligence stating that the assessment of the intelligence community is that "Iran is not building a nuclear weapon." He said "I don't care." The Libertarian Institute reports: "Trump Attacks Tucker Carlson Over Opposition to Iran War, Says He Decides What ‘America First’ Means."

A War Powers Resolution was just introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie who said "This is not our war. Even if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution." He is supported by Rep. Ro Khanna and others. Sen. Tim Kaine introduced a resolution Monday. [I imagine that Francis Boyle would consider this weak tea and call for impeachment; we have a regular pattern of members of Congress saying the president is launching an unconstitutional war, but not using the obvious constitutional remedy, impeachment — see piece from last year.]

The Arms Control Association states: "The illegal attack by Israel, a nuclear-armed state, against the Iranian leadership and nuclear sites may somewhat delay but cannot prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and is likely to have the opposite effect." Press TV reports: "Iran vows to ‘break the back’ of Zionist regime; says new missiles being used."

AFP is now confirming that sirens have gone off at Dimona, the center of Israel's nuclear weapons arsenal. But AFP just describes Dimona as "a town that is home to a nuclear power plant."

Middle East Eye reports: "Bush’s decision heralded eight years of conflict in Iraq, killed at least 655,000 people, according to The Lancet, spawned an extreme group of Takfiri militants in the Islamic State group and brought a major state to the verge of collapse from which it has yet to recover 14 years on. Trump’s decision could yet prove to be more calamitous."

Al Jazeera reports: "Israel bombs Iran’s state TV after threatening it would ‘disappear’" -- see a bloodied Iranian journalist report outside the burning building. Al Jazeera offers live updates: Iran has struck a Mossad office in Tel Aviv and Trump claims "we now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran.”

The Guardian reports: "Zadie Smith and Ian McEwan among 380 writers and groups to call Gaza war ‘genocide.’"

Common Dreams reports: "'The Never-Ending Hunger Games of Gaza': IDF Kills 70+ Palestinians Trying to Get Food Aid."

The New Statesman writes in "Impunity is fueling Israel’s spiraling aggression" that "Israel attacked Iran not out of fear but out of hubris. ... This is the overwhelming lesson Israel has drawn from the past 20 months amid its intensifying onslaught on Gaza: there is no limit to what the world will let it get away with. Now, as it bombs its sixth neighbouring state or occupied territory in less than two years, there should be no doubt that impunity is the lifeblood of Israel’s far-right government, and the fuel driving its spiraling aggression. Until it runs up against firm international resistance, it will not cease in its campaign to militarily re-engineer the entire region."

Available for interviews:

JENNIFER LOEWENSTEIN, sarinj111@gmail.com
Loewenstein is former associate director of Middle Eastern Studies and senior lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has lived in and reported extensively on the Mideast.