As the G7 issues a statement declaring that Israel has a “right to defend itself”, you have a right to ask if you are losing your mind. Israel launched an unprovoked onslaught on Iran. Its excuse – that Tehran may acquire a nuclear weapon – renders its attack illegal under the UN charter, which forbids wars justified by the claim of a future threat.

“Iran is the principal source of regional instability and terror,” declares the G7 statement. Even though Donald Trump’s intelligence chief testified three months ago that the US intelligence community “continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon”. Even though it’s Israel that actually possesses nuclear weapons, while refusing to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and refusing International Atomic Energy Agency inspections. Even though, as progress was being made in nuclear talks between Iran and the US, Israel targeted Iran’s chief negotiator and proceeded to exterminate scientists, including their families, alongside countless other civilians, including children, an athlete, a teacher, a pilates instructor. Even though Israel’s leader is subject to an arrest warrant, accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity. And even though Israel has erased Gaza in a genocidal frenzy, and subjected the illegally occupied and colonised West Bank to an escalating pogrom, attacked southern Lebanon and Beirut, and invaded and occupied Syria. No country in the Middle East is as great a source of regional instability and terror as Israel: it’s not even close.

Let’s keep it civil, Beeple.

  • flatbield@beehaw.org
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    6 hours ago

    And of course I would disagree regarding nuclear weapons if it can be prevented by whatever means. What route that needs to take I have no idea. People act like war with Iran is like a new thing. Iran has been waging war with the west both directly and indirectly for 50 years. It is not surprising that Israel and the west in general might respond to this in some way at their own time and place.

    Their drone, missile, and nuclear programs are of specific concern. The cost of missile defense and drone defense in particular is more costly then the missiles and drones. Plus it is never 100% which means nukes are an even bigger issue. So there is a concerning trajectory combined with long history of experience with Iran and their stated intent.

    Ironically it is Iran after all that decided to turn up the temperature at this point in time by supporting the Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthi’s, and a half a dozen groups across the middle east, then stupidly launching their own direct attacks on Israel. Moreover they have been directly supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine which has huge implications. Not surprising this might come back to bite them.

    So I am not excited about US involvement, but people should not be surprised either. It will be interesting what the US does. Trump is a weak and largely incompetent president, and the US is quite strongly isolationist at the moment. Frankly the general incompetence of the current administration probably makes a hot war more likely. History has shown too that Republicans in power tends to make that more likely too.

    • Amnesigenic@lemmy.ml
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      5 hours ago

      You are either delusional/historically and politically illiterate or straight up evil and deliberately lying, the US has no ethical justification for our ongoing hostility towards Iran or our involvement in the middle east in general, it is and has always been about money, oil opium and the needs of the military industrial complex