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Israel/Palestine
Related: About this forumNYT columnist: Bibi, don't attack Iran
Roger Cohen says Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities before US elections would 'stymie' Obama; adds 'choosing between US and Iran is a no-brainer'http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4176689,00.html
<snip>
"New York Times columnist Roger Cohen urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from attacking Iran "this spring or summer" if he cares about his "dysfunctional relationship" with US President Barack Obama.
In an article published in the American daily on Monday, Cohen said a US ambassador in Europe was recently asked by an Israeli counterpart what could be done to improve the "lousy relations" between Netanyahu and Obama. He replied: Every once in a while, say thank you.
According to the senior columnist, the American ambassador added, Maybe, once in a while, ask the president if theres anything you can do for him. And above all stay out of our election-year politics.
Cohen said the sharp reply "reflects Obamas fury at several things: the way Netanyahu has gone over his head to a Republican-dominated Congress where he is a darling; Netanyahus ingratitude for solid US support, including the veto of an anti-settlements resolution at the United Nations last year and opposition to the unilateral Palestinian pursuit of statehood; the delaying tactics of Netanyahu reflecting his conviction Obama is likely a one-term president; and Netanyahus refusal to pause a second time in settlement building for the sake of peace negotiations."
The op-ed states that Netanyahu is "tempted to bomb Iran in the next several months to set back its opaque nuclear program and - despite a call from Obama last Thursday and messages from Defense Secretary Leon Panetta - has declined to reassure the United States that he will not."
Dont Do It, Bibi
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/17/opinion/cohen-dont-do-it-bibi.html
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NYT columnist: Bibi, don't attack Iran (Original Post)
Scurrilous
Jan 2012
OP
aranthus
(3,385 posts)1. I thought this paragraph offered far better reasons for not bombing than merely pissing off Obama.
Heres the bottom line: an Israeli attack unites Iran in fury, locks in the Islamic Republic for a generation, cements the Syrian regime, radicalizes the Arab world at a moment of delicate transition, ignites Hezbollah on the Lebanese border, boosts Hamas, endangers U.S. troops in the region, sparks terrorism, propels oil skyward, triggers a possible regional war, offers a lifeline to Iran just as Europe is about to stop buying its oil, adds a Persian to the Arab vendetta against Israel, and may at best set back Irans nuclear ambitions a couple of years.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)2. And that's if thiings go very well ... nt