Monday PM Netanyahu provided a fascinating glimpse into a psychotic tribal mind. A clown who sits on a huge pile of WMD, an arsenal of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons designed to kill millions, is crying foul, complaining that another state in the region may attempt to equip itself with similar weapons as a means of deterrence. Netanyahu’s performance looked like a raging toddler pointing to another toddler’s nappies while his own pampers are dripping from every direction.
Israel is widely believed to be the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East. Israel has never allowed any international body into its nuclear and other WMD facilities.
The international community was unimpressed by Bibi’s absurd theatrics. A senior European diplomat told Reuters: “We knew all of this and what especially stands out is that Netanyahu doesn’t speak of any recorded violations of the 2015 Iran deal.” It does not take a genius to gather that if Iran stored its 1999–2003 nuclear research archive in an unprotected warehouse, it didn’t regard the information as a strategic or sensitive asset.
Why are Netanyahu and the Israelis horrified by the Iranian nuclear project? Most likely, projection. Israel operates as the regional bully. Its relationship with its neighbours is defined by crude violence and abuse. It is only human and natural for abusers to assume that their victims are as violently inclined as they themselves are. The Israelis tend to attribute their own violent traits to the Palestinians, to the Iranians and to Muslims in general. This psychological tendency is called projection. It is a vicious cycle, the more abusive you are, the more haunted you are by the notion that your victims may be as malevolent as you have been.
Jesus Christ identified this psychological trait in his fellow Hebrews and counseled them on how to counter this barbarian tendency. Instead of believing their neighbors evil, he told them to Love their neighbor and turn the other cheek. It didn’t take long before Jesus was nailed to the cross. But his message has remained with much of humanity. I would like to believe that when the Bibis of the world find their path towards compassion the Jewish State will be redeemed and matured. I don’t hold my breath for that to happen anytime soon.
Gilad Atzmon is an Israeli jazz musician, author and political activist. His new book, “Being in Time: A Post-Political Manifesto,” may be ordered from amazon.com or amazon.co.uk.
One can only hope that the sacrifices made by the martyred and maimed demonstrators in Gaza will finally manage to dissipate the cloud of media-propagated worship of the Israeli rogue state and finally reveal to all its fascist evil.