There’s a theme I see coming from Israel and friends of Israel that I find puzzling. Consider this nonsense from Mort Zuckerman, where he lays into Secretary Clinton for critizing Israel’s interference in Gazan reconstruction (emphasis mine).
“I am very surprised, frankly, at this statement from the United States government and from the secretary of state,” said Mortimer Zuckerman, publisher of the New York Daily News and member of the NYC Jewish Community Relations Council. … “I don’t believe that we should be in a position at this point to do anything to strengthen Hamas,” Zuckerman said. “We surely know what Hamas stands for as I say they are the forward battalions of Iran.”
On the surface, it’s impossible to know what Zuckerman means when he says that Hamas is a forward battalion of Iran. Hamas is an indigenous Palestinian organization. It’s membership is nearly 100% Sunni Muslim, although I am sure it has a few Shi’ite and Christian members. It does not share the goals of the Shi’ite Islamic Revolution of Ayatollah Khomeini. The only reason Hamas has any relationship with Iran at all is because Iran is willing to sell them arms and give them some financial support and military training.
Now, consider this exchange in an interview with Netanyahu adviser, Dore Gold:
Q – What do you think the priorities are in … dealing with the security issue that arises out of Gaza and then the political issue of having a substantial part of the Palestinian electorate … supporting a party that is not prepared to talk peace?
A – Gaza poses a very real problem. It’s a Mediterranean beachhead now for the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is supplying arms to Hamas, which is giving money to Hamas, and which is training Hamas operatives in military camps outside of Tehran run by the Revolutionary Guards.
But, again, Hamas is not acting as a proxy for Iran because their ambitions are for themselves and the Palestinian people, not for Iran’s brand of Islam nor for Iran’s regional political ambitions. Iran doesn’t have a beachhead in Gaza. What they have is street cred as one of the only governments in the Middle East willing to support armed resistance to the Israeli government. But the Israelis are continuously talking nonsense. Consider this recent performance by Israeli president Shimon Peres:
“The Iranian leadership’s grand design is to convert the Middle East into one religious bloc,” President Shimon Peres said Wednesday during his address to the British Parliament.
“The Iranian leadership is obsessed with its quest for regional religious domination. This quest is supported by long range missiles, enriched uranium and fanatic incitement – all fueled by the excessive price of oil,” he said.
“The Iranian leadership’s grand design is to convert the Middle East from a region of nations into one religious bloc. They attempt to impose their version on everyone. Whoever disagrees is deemed a heretic and is doomed to disappear.”
If this were true, why would Hamas have anything to do with Iran? Sunni Muslims, as a rule, have no interest in being forced to convert to the Shi’a creed. Even less so are they interested in being ‘disappeared’ if they refuse to convert. Hamas accepts aid from Iran because no aid is on offer from Egypt or Jordan, since they have made peace with Israel. But President Peres has no shame in lying to the British Parliament.
And consider Netanyahu’s performance after he was tapped by Peres to form an Israeli government.
Binyamin Netanyahu described Iran as the greatest threat that Israel has ever faced and failed to mention stalled talks with the Palestinians after he was asked to be the country’s new Prime Minister today.
In a speech made outside the residence of President Shimon Peres, the Likud leader said that protecting Israel would be his greatest responsibility as leader, and condemned “formidable” challenges posed by the Islamic Republic.
However, he did not once mention the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process or a two-state solution throughout his address, omissions that will cause concern within an Obama administration determined to advance the peace process.
It should be obvious that Israel is trying to use some super-hyped threat from Iran to avoid even discussing the Palestinian peace process. I can understand that Israel doesn’t want to deal with a nuclear-armed Iran. But suggesting that Iran is a bigger threat than the combined Arab armies that invaded and nearly overran Israel during the Yom Kippur War and then arguing that Iran is on a mission to forcibly convert the Sunni Arab world to Imami Shi’ism is an insult to everyone’s intelligence. Hamas receives aid from Iran, but they are not out to do Iran’s bidding. Iran is run by an unsavory government, but they have no territorial ambitions, they have no intention of starting a nuclear war with Israel, and their religious ambitions, whatever they may be, are nothing compared to their interests in commerce and security for their own people.
Iran gains influence by aiding the Palestinian resistance. Nothing more. Hamas is not a proxy for Iran.
