Stephen Walt: Iran Will Never Attack Israel. Iran: We're Totally Going To Attack Israel.
Stephen Walt, Apr. 28, 2009:
Iran has zero -- repeat, zero -- nuclear weapons today, and even if it were to acquire a few at some point in the future, it could not use them against nuclear-armed Israel without committing national suicide. Let me say that again: national suicide. And could someone please explain to Netanyahu that a group of devout Muslim clerics aren't likely to fire warheads at a land that contains the third holiest site in Islam?
Iranian Army General Commander Ataollah Salehi, speaking for the group of devout Muslim clerics who run Iran, May 4, 2009:
"I Do Not Think We Will Need More Than 11 Days to Wipe Israel Out Of Existence... Nothing can prevent Iranian missiles from targeting the heart of Israel, if Iran is subjected to a military strike by Israel. This was the response of the Iranian military commanders to the Israeli statements about a possible military strike against Iran, because of its insistence on obtaining nuclear energy. Yet an [Israeli] attack seems improbable to the Iranians, because Tel Aviv does not have the ability to go through a war with Tehran."
That was one day after Ahmadinejad made a nudge-wink observation that Israel is a "germ" that will soon be destroyed. He wasn't making any threats mind you. He was simply conveying his objective, level-headed sense for the course that international geopolitics is likely to take. And you can be sure of that, because he said so himself!
And that wasn't even the dumbest part of Walt's post. That part was when he cited NYT tool Roger Cohen as support for the argument that "there is no evidence that Ahmadinejad has any particular animus toward Iran's own Jewish community." The statement - and the column it came from - is of course a paradigm of slack jawed credulity. But whatever. Do you have a PhD? Do you work at the NYT? No you do not.
This isn't the first time that Walt has made a bad faith case that Israel's pathological enemies are just kidding about their genocidal boasts. But I liked the touch of condescension at the end of this one, where he instructed Netanyahu to let J-Street redraw Israel's borders. Because J-Street - they're pro-Israel.
References and previously after the jump...
References:
* The treason of the hawks [Walt]
* Ahmadinejad: Zionist regime will be uprooted [YNet]
* Iranian General-We Can Wipe Out Israel in 11 Days [Yid With Lid]
* Roger Cohen: Obama Should Sell Out Israel To Appease Iran [MR]
* Roger Cohen's Very Happy Visit with Iran's Jews [Jeffrey Goldberg]
* Walt's moral disneyland and other stupid academic tricks [Soccer Dad]
* Of Course: "Pro-Israel" J-Street Is More Anti-Israel Than Israel's Sworn Enemies, Equates Israeli Self-Defense With Hamas Violence [MR]
Previously:
* Israel And AIPAC: We'll Respond To Walt And Mearsheimer When Their Vicious Anti-Semitism Gets Sophisticated Or Relevant (Plus: MR Is Suspicious About Leftist Pro-Mearsheimer Enthusiasm)
* Brzezinski: Israeli Campaign Against Iran Will Detonate US-Israel Relations
* Iranian Regime Unleashes Cacophony Of Genocidal Threats Against Israel
