Kissinger powwows with Jewish leaders on Iranian threat to Israel

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In a meeting last week in New York, one of a series of meetings on planning the future of the Jewish people, former U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger took part. Kissinger had accepted an invitation from the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute to be one of a group of leaders tasked with setting strategic goals for improving the situation of the Jewish people. Last week's discussion centered on the Iranian threat to Israel.

Participants agreed that one serious problem generated by the Iranian leadership's comments and Tehran's ability to ignore international pressure and continue its nuclear program is the resurrection of a debate within the Arab world about Israel's very existence. In the early 1990s, it seemed that the Arabs had made peace with Israel's existence, even if they had not all decided to embark on a peace process. But now, the idea of a Middle East without Israel seems to have been rekindled. One participant in the meeting said that Kissinger considers this very dangerous.

The participants also agreed that the broadest possible international coalition must be formed to curb Iran's plans. Among other things, they discussed the idea that Sunni regimes, also concerned by Iran, might become allies on this matter. One participant called the prevailing atmosphere "very serious, even gloomy."

The meeting was attended by leaders of several major U.S. Jewish organizations, including David Harris of the American Jewish Committee, AIPAC's Howard Kohr, Malcolm Hoenlein of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Abe Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League and Morley Levine from Hadassah. It was also attended Dennis Ross, the former Clinton administration special envoy to the Middle East; former Canadian justice minister Irwin Cotler; Brandeis University President Jehuda Reinharz; Israeli Cabinet Secretary Israel Maimon, representing the Israeli government; Yitzhak Molcho, who was formerly Benjamin Netanyahu's political advisor. The Jewish People Policy Planning Institute was represented by Dr. Yehezkel Dror, Institute Director General Avinoam Bar-Yosef and former Israeli Foreign Ministry director general Avi Gil.

Haaretz

[madrchsod]

1. everything is gloomy when dr strangelove is in the room

the war criminal henry advising these people? it says an awful lot about the people who would would sit in the same room with him

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2. He is not a guy I'd want advising me. nt

[breakaleg]

3. This line struck me as odd...

"Participants agreed that one serious problem generated by the Iranian leadership's comments and Tehran's ability to ignore international pressure ..."

As if Israel yeilds to international pressure itself.

[bemildred]

4. That is a weird sentence.

And somewhat of a non sequitur. I inferred it to be a variation on the "Iran will be emboldened if we do not intimidate it" idea. It is correct in a way, the US has precipitated the rise of Iran with its folly in Iraq, and far from drawing the lesson that the policy being pursued is flawed, efforts are being made to find a way to continue it further and to camoflage its failure with the aura of success.

[breakaleg]

5. I think the bigger lesson to be learned here is that interferance

from the outside into another country's internal politics, is not a good thing. If you look around the globe to countries in which the US tried to further parties or armies they thought were favorable to the US, and where those countries are now, that should be compelling enough for the US to butt out.

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6. Yep.

One rarely makes it pay to be meddling too closely in other people's business.

[oblivious]

7. "...the broadest possible international coalition must be formed to curb Iran's plans"

This, of course, assumes they know what Iran's plans are. It sounds like their assumptions are as follows:

1. Iran wants nuclear weapons
2. Iran wants to attack Israel

Groupspeak ensures that no one at the meeting challenges these assumptions.

[bemildred]

8. They can get at least the US, Israel, the Marianas, and Palau.

Unless those last two go underwater first.

[IntiRaymi]

9. Why does this prick have such sway over the USA?

This escapes me.
Who voted him in? What is his platform? Whose interests is he representing?