Since day one of Israel’s existence, its number one foreign policy objective has been to provoke a war between the United States and the Arab world. Only in this way, the Israelis concluded, can Israel be guaranteed in the form desired, that of course being an aggressive expansionist state.
When in 1954 the US and Egypt were having some friendly talks, Israel responded by bombing US facilities in Egypt, with a goal that Egyptians be blamed. This failed as the Israelis were caught and this became known in Israel as the Lavon Affair.
Later, Israel managed to make the US a partner in crime and US troops were sent into Lebanon to relieve Israeli troops and to guarantee an Israeli-installed regime in Beirut. The invasion itself had been green-lighted by the neocon-infested Reagan Administration, neocons whose devotion to Israel is legendary. Eventually, this US involvement in a war on behalf of Israel led to the Marine barracks bombing, causing US outrage at Arabs and cries for revenge.
In 1991, the US destroyed Iraq as Israel wanted in order to maintain a regional WMD monopoly. Saddam had to be destroyed as he said on April 1 1990, “If they attack us, fire will eat half of Israel”, and as GW Bush and the rest of the Christian right say, “He who curses them (the Israelis) shall be cursed”.
Finally, on September 11 2001, Benjamin Netanyahu famously said “It’s very good” when asked to describe the shocking and grim events. Indeed it was to him, it was the culmination of 50 years of Israeli policy, a very satisfying result.
