Exclusive: It was a typical day in the life of the mainstream U.S. news media. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu went on American TV and threatened war on Iran for its alleged pursuit of a nuclear weapon, while being spared any inconvenient questions about Israel’s very real and rogue nuclear arsenal, notes Robert Parry.
By Robert Parry
On CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, host Bob Schieffer devoted more than six minutes of a ten-minute interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the topic of Iran’s alleged pursuit of a nuclear weapon, with Netanyahu explicitly threatening to attack Iran if it crossed his personally drawn “red line” on the level of permitted refinement of nuclear fuel.
Nowhere during that interview or in the major news articles that I read about it was there any reference to Israel’s own rogue nuclear arsenal or how destabilizing it is for one religious state possessing nukes to threaten to attack another religious state lacking a single nuke. The imbalance in this nuclear equation is so breathtaking that you might have thought it would be at the center of a testy Q-and-A. Instead it was nowhere.
Netanyahu also was allowed to denounce Iran as “apocalyptic” without any question about Netanyahu’s own frequent references to Israel facing “existential” threats. Indeed, Israel’s attitude toward using nuclear weapons is sometimes called the “Samson Option,” recalling the Biblical hero who destroyed himself along with his enemies. So, again, you might have thought Schieffer would pounce on Netanyahu’s self-serving remark. But, nah!
In other words, it was a typical day in the life of mainstream U.S. journalism, a profession which purports to be “objective” meaning it should treat all parties to a dispute equally but, of course, isn’t.
An “objective” interview or article would have included at least some reference to Israel’s nuclear arsenal and the question of whether Israel has the unilateral right to wage war (or even threaten war) against another country, with the particular irony that Israel is accusing Iran of pursuing a course that Israel has already taken.
But it is expected now that “objective” U.S. journalists will avert their eyes from a reality that Israel would prefer not to mention. In the real world of U.S. journalism, “objectivity” means following the bias of the powers-that-be and framing issues within the conventional wisdom.
In the CBS interview, Netanyahu also was allowed to take a free shot at Iran and its president-elect, Hassan Rowhani, who was disparaged by Netanyahu as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” whose strategy is to “smile and build a bomb.”
Netanyahu was given free rein, too, to demand that President Barack Obama demonstrate “by action” that he stands with Israel in its military threat against Iran. Those demands “should be backed up with ratcheted sanctions,” Netanyahu said. “They have to know you’ll be prepared to take military action; that’s the only thing that will get their attention.”
(It might be noted here that the United States has lots and lots of nuclear weapons and indeed is the only nation to have actually used them in warfare against other human beings. Meanwhile, Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.)
Netanyahu seemed perturbed that the Obama administration is hoping to reach an accommodation with President-elect Rowhani that would involve Iran accepting new safeguards on its nuclear program in exchange for relaxed economic sanctions.
The New York Times reported that “a senior [Obama] administration official” told reporters on Friday that Rowhani’s more moderate tone suggested he was “going in a different direction” from his predecessors and might be interested in reaching a broad settlement with the West.
In the CBS interview, Netanyahu was signaling that any accommodation with Iran beyond one that would demand Iran’s total capitulation on its right to process uranium at all is unacceptable to him. The U.S. press corps then repeated Netanyahu’s hard-line remarks without any of that troublesome context regarding Israel’s possession of an undeclared nuclear arsenal, considered one of the world’s most sophisticated.
That the U.S. press corps routinely fails to provide that sort of context is clear evidence that the principle of “objectivity” is one that is selectively applied, which would seem to negate the very notion of “objectivity.”
Investigative reporter Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories for The Associated Press and Newsweek in the 1980s. You can buy his new book, America’s Stolen Narrative, either in print here or as an e-book (from Amazon and barnesandnoble.com). For a limited time, you also can order Robert Parry’s trilogy on the Bush Family and its connections to various right-wing operatives for only $34. The trilogy includes America’s Stolen Narrative. For details on this offer, click here.
Incontinent reader, the subject at hand has little to do with Arrow rockets or Bibi. It has more to do with the comings and goings of those Ronald Rumsfeld types who patrol the globe. They deliberately plan wars well in advance by instigating fear in the immediate neighbors of dependent or disenfranchised peoples such as Iran, North Korea or Israel. For example, strategizing to ensure that some hated group incur a possession, guaranteed to provoke anger, envy or covetousness along its sovereign borders. To wit, the commercial nuclear reactors at Kumho North Korea, Bushehr in Iran and Dimona in Israel. Nothing like adding specific ingredients, bomb factories, into a regional boiling cauldron with the intention of improving the likelihood of conflagration and thus, reap bottomless profits from warmongering or just the threat of conflict. The Rumsfeld types continue to use this familiar and old trick and they have successfully propped up old vestiges of several military industrial complexes left over from the second world war. Let’s all just stop falling for this stuff, eh?
The Iranians are not a stupid people, they know that if they used nuclear weapons it would be the end of Iran. They had a freely elected government, it nationalized the oil industry to control its resource so Britain and mainly the US removed the government and replaced it with the diabolical Shah whom many of the worlds elite liked to be photographed with. All this while thousands suffered in brutal prisons. That was a great source of the present day instability. The US also supplied Iran, via Israel, with weapons (Iran Contra do), while supplying arms to Iraq in the hopes each would weaken the other and US influence would be abetted. The people in the region might very well think poorly of the West and with good reason.
As for Borat, perhaps the constant dwelling on the atrocities of middle 1900s has destroyed his ability to empathize with strangers. How can you not think that the moving of 750,000 thousand Palestinians off their properties and places of work in 48 wouldn’t have repercussions is beyond me. And if you treat Muslims badly in that small area wouldn’t you expect Muslims around the world to be upset too. Borat, Jews aren’t the only people who have suffered in this world. Get on with life and seek what religion is really all about, doing good for those less well off than you. It will make your spirit shine believe me.
Arabs (25% of pop) in Israel do not have equality with Jews in Israel. They cannot live where they want, they cannot form voting blocs with one another, as MK they can be tossed out if something is considered anti Israeli or they meet someone Jews don’t consider appropriate, they do not get their share of infrastructure funds, there is employment bias, and racism from fundamental Jewish elements is becoming a problem and not only confined to the occupied territories.
In the Arab countries there was, sadly but not altogether unexpected, a backlash when partition was put forward. The Arabs never accepted the partition because the powers that be looked kindlier on the European stock than the Arab stock and gave the minority the most and best land. The Muslim backlash did dislodged some Jews, but many later left to go to this new country.
Much of life is reactionary, one does this to someone they retaliate and back and forth it goes. The Israeli problem is that not enough of them can see that and just assume the other is the perpetrator. One needs introspection as well as an outward view. And Jews are used and abused by those who want a Greater Israel. They attempt to instill fear in Jews and empathy in the rest of us. Some of it are lies. The Arab nations didn’t start the Six Day War, and the story that it was an Arab attempt to destroy Israel is false. There are plenty of references from Israeli politicians to Generals who support this little known fact. Some of the authors have been told to hush up. Why?
Maybe if Israel would stop their terrorist activities against the USA and other nations, things would improve?
From the murder of JFK, who told an aide that Israel would get the bomb over his dead body, to the treacherous attack on the USS Liberty to Israel’s role in the 9/11 FALSE FLAG, the USA is supporting a State of Hate that is sucking the lifeblood out of America.
Americans are sleeping right now, and you’d best hope they stay that way, because when we get awoken, we tend to lash out violently against those who have stabbed us in the back.
P.S. You already deleted this once, so this tells me you, Mr. Parry, are part of the problem.
You won’t allow any substantial truths to illuminate your world, not as long as it might expose your Israeli buds.
No wonder you can’t get anyone to donate to your blog, people are getting wise to Zionist fronts like this blog.
Adios, and you won’t have to worry about little ol’ me again.
“Gentileman, start your delete buttons!”
Borat, Typical old argument using the size of Israeli land to compare how disadvantaged it is against those mighty Arabs. However, after further thought, I do see your argument and can almost see throughout history how you are justified in land mass of a nation defining its strength and ability to fight- so I guess you are probably pretty accurate in your assessment. My apologies in advance sir.
After all look at how the Giant island of Britain was able to crush the tiny country of France and take on the little country called India, as well as conquer the puny Ottoman empire, and that little area called North America. That gigantic island of Britain conquered and colonized most of the known world- no way they couldve done that if they werent so large compared to their neighbors.
Just like that teeny itsy bitsy country called China that got its ass kicked by their gargantuan island neighbors of the Japanese Empire.
Or that teeny little area called Carthage, or Gaul, or Germania that was crushed by the massive metroplis of Rome.
Borat, my apologies to you for not seeing initially that the teeny size of Israel makes it susceptible to their mighty neighbors. Just because the Israelis have the 4th most powerful and well equipped army in the world and are the largest per capita arms dealer across our peaceful little planet- should by no means carry any weight- just simply look at how small the land they sit on. Itsy bitsy and frail little country like so many others throughout history. Shame on me for not seeing your wisdom.
What are the chances that the “arab world” could do anything to threaten Israel, other than with a hail of stones on the shields of their oppressors? Maybe a rocket that lands in the desert and kills an Israeli goat? Israel is trying to establish a state of absolute security in which no Jew ever gets injured or killed by an “arab” at the expense of having to kill and injure thousands of them, and subjugate millions of them. What a great example.
Another point that is never made in US media is the resemblance of Israel and Pakistan. Both states were created in the 1940s around a religious identity and both regard their neighbors as threats to their very existence. It is no coincidence that both have developed nuclear weapons and it is possible to conceive of a chain of events which could lead either to use nuclear weapons first if the nation’s existence appeared to be at risk. Iran, on the other hand, is an ancient nation whose continued existence is as certain as that of,say, France. Iran’s objective in obtaining such weapons is, like that of France under DeGaulle, more a matter of national prestige than national paranoia. While I deplore the Iranian nuclear program, it is impossible to conceive of a chain of events in which Tehran would initiate the use of such weapons. Iran is never going to be driven out of existence. The same cannot be said of Israel or Pakistan and that is what makes their nuclear arsenals so dangerous.
Video and Transcript:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Iran’s nuclear program
BOB SCHIEFFER: And now to the big story overseas, the Middle East, where instability in Cairo, the still raging civil war in Syria, and the continued push for nuclear weapons in Iran has left Israel right in the middle. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joins us this morning from Jerusalem. Prime Minister, thank you so much. We’ll get to Egypt and Syria in a minute. But I want to start with Iran this morning because you said last September that Iran would have the capability to build a nuclear weapon by this summer. It is summer, are they there yet?
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: I said if they continue to enrich at the same rate they will get there. They have taken heed of the red line that I sketched out at the U.N. They’re still approaching it and they’re approach after the Iranian elections. They’re building ICBMs to reach American — the American mainland within a few years. They’re pursuing an alternate route of plutonium, that is enriched uranium to build a nuclear bomb. One route, plutonium. Another route, ICBMs, intercontinental ballistic missiles to reach you. They don’t need these missiles to reach us, they already have missiles that can reach us. They’re doing that after the election. So they haven’t yet reached it but they’re getting closer to it. And they have to be stopped.
BOB SCHIEFFER: There are reports in Israel, and our sources confirm, Prime Minister, that you want the United States to harden its position on Iran immediately and convey to the new government there that if Iran does not halt the nuclear program, its regime will not survive.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: I think the important thing is what the U.S. has said. They said the words won’t influence us, what really counts is what the Iranians do. And what they have to do is stop their nuclear program. They have to stop all enrichment of nuclear material, to take out enriched uranium, to dismantle the illegal — and shut down the illegal nuclear facility in Qom. These are the right demands and those should be back up with ratcheted sanctions. You should ratchet up the sanctions and make it clear to Iran that they won’t get away with it. And if sanctions don’t work then they have to know that you’ll be prepared to take military action. That’s the only thing that will get their attention.
BOB SCHIEFFER: Well, do you believe that the United States, there are reports that you feel the United States has been too patient, a little too tolerant in dealing with the Iranians. Are you asking the United States to take a harder line?
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: I think we’ve spoken many times, President Obama and I, about the need to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons. I know that is the U.S. policy. What is important is to convey to them, especially after the elections, that that policy will not change and that it will be backed up by increasingly forceful sanctions and military action. Now mind you, there is a new president in Iran, he believes — he’s criticizing his predecessor for being a wolf in wolf’s clothing. His strategy is, be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Smile and build a bomb. He brags about the fact that he talked to the Europeans while completing a nuclear conversion plan in Isfahan. So I think they can’t be allowed to get away with it. They’re getting closer and closer to the bomb and they have to be told in no uncertain terms that that will not be allowed to happen. I think it’s important to understand that we cannot allow it to happen. You know, our clocks are ticking in a different pace. We’re closer than the United States. We’re more vulnerable. And therefore we’ll have to address this question of how to stop Iran, perhaps before the United States does. But as the prime minister of Israel, I’m determined to do whatever is necessary to defend my country, the one and only Jewish state, from a regime that threatens us with renewed annihilation.
BOB SCHIEFFER: Well, the United States has said that we won’t tolerate a nuclear Iran. What else can we say?
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: I think it’s very important to make clear to them that you won’t allow them to have this weapon and to demonstrate that by action. That is, you can also make clear that the nuclear option which is — the military option which is on the table is truly on the table. The Iranians take note of that. Right now my sense is in the international community as a whole that because so many things are happening in the Middle East, things are happening, as you say, in Syria, in Egypt, with the Palestinians, there are many important issues that we have to deal with. And I have a sense that there’s no sense of urgency. And yet on Iran — and yet Iran is the most important, the most urgent matter of all. You should just talk to many of the leaders in this region and they will tell you that. Because all the problems that we have, however important, will be dwarfed by this messianic, apocalyptic, extreme regime that would have atomic bombs. It would make a terrible — a catastrophic change for the world and for the United States, of course, for my country as well. So I think we have our eyes fixed on Iran. They have to know that we’re serious. They have to know that there won’t be an alternative route that they could reach the bomb if they think that, and they think we’ll let them do it, if they think that Israel will let them do it, they’re sorely mistaken.
BOB SCHIEFFER: Well, what — how close are they right now? Are they within a month? Are they within six months of having the capability? How close do you think they are?
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: They’re closer. The most difficult thing in making a bomb is making the fissile nuclear material that is at the heart of the bomb. That is really the 90 percent of the effort, if I have to just put a thumb’s rule on it. And they’re getting closer. They have now about 190 kilos out of the 250 kilos of 20 percent enriched uranium. They had six, seven months — eight months ago about 110 kilos. So they’re edging up to the red line. They haven’t closed — they haven’t crossed it yet. They’re also building faster centrifuges that will enable them to jump the line, so to speak, at a much faster rate, that is within a few weeks, once they get to that critical mass of 250 kilos.
BOB SCHIEFFER: When…
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: They’re not there yet. They’re getting closer. They should be — they should understand that they are not going to be allowed to cross it.
BOB SCHIEFFER: When will you make a decision on whether to attack Iran, because you have said, this will not stand?
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: Well, I can tell you I won’t wait until it’s too late.
BOB SCHIEFFER: All right. I guess we’ll leave it there. Let’s talk a little bit about Egypt. You were worried when the Muslim Brotherhood came to power in Egypt and installed Morsi as president. He’s now gone. Are you happy about that?
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: Well, look, we’ve been concerned with one thing. That is the maintenance of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty. It’s been — it’s been the cornerstone of peace between us and our neighbors, and it’s also been the cornerstone of stability in the Middle East. And our concern, through changing administrations — first Mubarak changed; Morsi came; now Morsi went, and we will see what develops in Egypt. Our concern throughout has been maintain the peace treaty. That was and remains my principal concern.
BOB SCHIEFFER: The United States — some here are saying we ought to cut off military aid to this interim government now until they have a democracy there. Do you think we should?
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: Look, that’s an internal American decision. But, again, our concern is the peace treaty with Egypt. One of the foundations of that peace treaty was the U.S. aid given to Egypt.
BOB SCHIEFFER: Had you talked to people in this interim government? Can you deal with them? Do you trust them?
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: We maintain contacts with — formal contacts with the Egyptian government throughout the last two years, and including now. And the important thing from our point of view is not merely to maintain the peace but also stabilize the Sinai peninsula, which is Egyptian territory that is adjacent to our southern border, the Negev. It’s been fraying there. There are a lot of terrorists. There are jihadists. There’s Al Qaida, Hamas, you name it. They’re all over the place. And our — our concern is to prevent attacks against our territory and against our city, our southern city of Eilat. We’ve been doing that and will continue to do that. So our main concern in our contacts with the Egyptian government is to make sure that the peace is preserved and that terror is prevented. And this remains uppermost in my mind.
BOB SCHIEFFER: Reports this morning that…
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: Well, not uppermost, Bob; uppermost in my mind — uppermost in my mind — uppermost in my mind is preventing the greatest terror of all. And that is that the radical Islamist regime in Iran gets the weapons of ultimate terror, nuclear weapons. That has to be prevented for the sake of peace, world peace, not only our survival but your vital interests. And I think the flow of history will judge us if we’re able or unable to prevent this catastrophe.
BOB SCHIEFFER: Let me ask you just one question on the Syrian civil war. Reports this morning that Israel carried out an attack in Syria this month that targeted advanced anti-ship cruise missiles sold to the Syrian government by Russia — can you tell us anything about that?
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: Oh, God, every time something happens in the Middle East, Israel is accused. Most often, it’s accused — and I’m not in the habit of saying what we did or we didn’t do. I’ll tell you what my policy is. My policy is to prevent the transfer of dangerous weapons to Hezbollah and other terror groups, Hezbollah in Lebanon and other terror groups as well. And we stand by that policy.
BOB SCHIEFFER: All right. Well, Mr. Prime Minister, thank you so much for joining us this morning. Wish you the best, ….
CBS – Face The Nation
Host Bob Schieffer interviews Benjamin Netanyahu
July 14, 2013
Transcript:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3460_162-57593674/face-the-nation-transcripts-july-14-2013-zimmerman-verdict-netanyahu-kelly-diaz-balart-and-durbin
(Flash Video)
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3460_162-57593657/iran-closer-and-closer-to-the-bomb-netanyahu-says
The UN has been passing multiple resolutions every year since the early 70s condemning Israel’s actions against Palestinians. The resolutions typically pass 193 to 2, the two of course being US and Israel.
Now if you are completely ludicrous and say that 160 of these nations are Islamic or Muslim majority, why do the other 33 independent nations still vote to condemn Israel’s terrorism?
Sometimes you just can’t win. Sorry, you are defending some of the worst possible crimes against humans. Quite similar to the genocide committed by colonists against Native Americans. The colonists also claimed some religious justification for doing their killing and aggression.
I was looking for someone else to comment on the elemental hypocrisy of this, as well as the extreme propaganda by corporate media. Thank you for pointing it out.
It would also be great to find video of Netanyahu or any US representative actually being asked about this.
Nobody interviews the Arabs who actually live under the Israel nuke threat.
Why not?
An item on “Israeli nuclear capabilities and threat†has been on the agenda of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency since 1987 and the Conference has adopted resolutions calling upon Israel to place its nuclear installations under Agency safeguards.
The policies of Israeli Governments have obstructed the peace process in the Middle East and thwarted all initiatives to free the region of the Middle East of weapons of mass destruction, and in particular of nuclear weapons.
Adoption of the resolution entitled “Israeli nuclear capabilities†(GC(53)/RES/17) by the fiftythird session of the IAEA General Conference has highlighted the international community’s concern about the Israeli nuclear capabilities, and it called upon Israel to accede to the NPT and place all its nuclear facilities under comprehensive Agency safeguards. Also, the resolution urged the Director General to work with the concerned States towards achieving that end and to submit a report to the Board of Governors and the General Conference at its fifty-fourth session on the implementation of this resolution.
http://www.iaea.org/About/Policy/GC/GC55/GC55Documents/English/gc55-1-add1_en.pdf
The French helped build Dimona, but I’m not sure if they knew about the undergrounds labs for enrichment. When the building was inspected once, the underground room was hidden so inspectors never knew.
France wanted freer inspections and refused to sell Israel any more yellow cake until Dimona was opened up. Israel instead secretly contracted for 80 to 100 tons from Argentina. Canadian intelligence picked up on it, perhaps because they were watching the mining business in Canada’s interest. There was a tiff between the US and Canada over Dimona so Canada rather than informing the US, told British intelligence who inturn, after calculating that in less than 2 yrs Israel would have a bomb, told the US in late 1964. Many documents on the matter have recently been released.
Borat, Arafat never said that they would destroy Israel. All this claptrap about the Arab nations wanting to destroy Israel and push Jews into the sea is Zionist propaganda. Arafat put his life on the line by recognizing Israel on the 67 line for the West Bank and Gaza to become the Palestinian Nation with East Jerusalem as the capital. One of your cohorts left him high and dry when they shot Rabin, the Israeli PM whom Arafat trusted. In time that left Israel in a dilemma. Here we are telling everyone there is nobody we can talk to and Arafat has put everything we asked for on the table. That eventually lead to Israel supporting Hamas to undermine Arafat and the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, the Sabra and Shatila massacres, and lucky for Arafat, a rescue aided by the US which saved his life and helped him escape to Tunis. Israel occupied Lebanon up to the Litani river, land considered by the fanatical Zionists as part of Greater Israel and of course that escapade helped create Hizbolah, another Arab group seeking the rights that should be protected by functioning international law just as Arafat had wanted.
The 1967 war was a spat between Syria and Israel over water. Israel had unilaterally diverted an international water source. Egypt had just crawled out of their Viet Nam, the civil war in Yeman (had lost 26,000 soldiers) and was in no position to fight, and there is lot’s of documentation to show that Israel pushed for the war. Johnson unlike Eisenhower or Kennedy was very pro Israel, so it was an opportune time to move on Zionist expansion hopes. Johnson had given permission to take on Egypt, but not Syria. That lead to the Israeli attacks on the Liberty, the American intelligence vessel. They didn’t want it to get out early that they were attacking Syria. To make facts on the ground they used American secrets that Jonathan Pollard provided to buy immigrants from Russia to settle the occupied territory.
Doesn’t any of that bother you Borat? The treatment of North American natives, South Africans and Palestinians bothers me.
Our benighted mainstream media mavens all should read two books by Avner Cohen: Israel and the Bomb, and Worst-Kept Secret. These books give a comprehensive history of Israel’s development of nuclear weapons and how Israel’s policy of nonacknowledgement of possessing nuclear weapons has negatively affected Israeli democracy and society – from the time of Ben-Gurion to the present day. In his writing, Cohen shows how the Nixon administration also made a deal with PM Golda Meir not to acknowledge Israel’s having nuclear weapons – a deal kept by every President and PM since then. Just goes to prove what I.F. Stone said about all governments being liars and not to believe any of them.
Israel’s policy of nonacknowledgement of possessing nuclear weapons has negatively affected Israeli democracy and society
The function of the US mainstream media is to promote US government policy, and if its effect on Israel is negative, that is of no concern.
Dan Rather, an iconic US journalist:
— from Norman Solomon’s “War Made Easy” — How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death.
Bob- you hit the nail on the head……again. Bibi’s still raising the specter of Iranian nuclear weapons, except now in conjunction with Iranian missiles, while Israel is not only testing its Arrow defense system, but also its Jericho long range missiles that can carry nuclear warheads. (See:
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-tests-ballistic-missile-arrow-defense-system-against-long-range-rockets.premium-1.535715). It’s yet another combination of fear mongering, threats, and smoke screen. Let’s hope that the Administration can keep Netanyahu leashed, even as he keeps barking- or otherwise put the damn bastard out of his (and our) misery. We need to engage Iran in a positive way. It would be in everyone’s interest, including Israel
(sans Bibi).
Incontinent reader, I responded you your comments but got bumped down the page. Elmerfudzie