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Israel as a Historic Mistake
The original sin of Israel's birth has scarred it for life and it remains incapable of finding an identity that would meet basic democratic norms. Its neighbourhood in West Asia has had no option but to accept its truculent presence.All international law has to be rewritten, if necessary, to ensure Israel's state of exceptional nationhood. The United States' nuclear deal with Iran signals that the burden of carrying this exceptionalism is becoming too heavy to bear.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reaction to the 14 July agreement involving Iran and six world powers plus the European Union (EU), was brusque and bitter. It was a “historic mistake,” he said, rewarding clandestine nuclear activities and imposing no penalty on Iran’s hostile and aggressive behaviour. Israel would not be obligated in any manner by the deal and would have the world know it had the means to defend itself. There were no surprises there.
Nor were there any in the subsequent spectacle of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a powerful lobby that wields enormous financial clout, stepping up with vows to kill the deal in the United States (US) Congress. Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, prohibitive favourite for the Democratic nomination to the White House next year, felt compelled to defend the deal by loyalty to a president she had served. But that was done in an undertone. The louder motif in her first reaction was a declaration of loyalty to the AIPAC cause.
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