Peace With Iran
Yakov M. Rabkin, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Montréal, answers key questions regarding the US/Israel-Iran peace negotiations.
[Text by Yakov M. Rabkin]
What support is there in Israel for a possible agreement between the United States and Iran?
Israel is not interested in a peaceful solution. Its goal is to establish control over the region and thus eliminate any prospect of granting political rights to the Palestinians. That has been Israel’s policy since its founding. Iran is the only major country in West Asia that concretely and consistently supports Palestinian resistance. Therefore, Israel is doing everything it — and the United States — can to weaken Iran and strip it of its status of regional power. For many years, Israel has carried out subversion against Iran, assassinated Iranian scientists and military commanders, and tried by every means to discredit Iran internationally. Since Iran has no intention of surrendering and is showing strategic initiative that even Donald Trump’s regime is forced to take into account, Israel risks being left alone against a country that the United States has been unable to defeat.
Has Netanyahu managed to turn the current conflicts — in Gaza, Lebanon, and against Iran — into an electoral advantage?
Not really. While Israeli society largely supports aggression against Iran, Lebanon, and the Palestinians, it is divided over Netanyahu. Many blame him for the failure of the security system in October 2023. Moreover, Israel has not achieved any of its stated goals: disarming Hamas, neutralizing Hezbollah, and, above all, defeating Iran, even in alliance with the United States. What then has the Israeli government achieved? The genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, the massacres of Palestinians in the West Bank, and, of course, the destruction of thousands of Iranian citizens. All of this has drastically undermined support for Israel in Western countries, without which it may not survive. As the majority of Americans now condemn Israel, quite a few Israelis recall the prime minister’s boast from several years ago: “I know what America is. America is a thing that can be moved very easily, moved in the direction we want. They will not get in our way.”
Can Tel Aviv sabotage the negotiations?
Without a doubt. Israel has a powerful lobby in the United States, whose effectiveness is not yet affected by public opinion. Just recently, it demonstrated its strength during the Republican Party primaries in the state of Kentucky. Pro-Israel forces invested an unprecedented amount of money to secure the defeat of a candidate who dared to criticize Israel. That victory could, of course, prove to be Pyrrhic, but for now experienced Israeli influence agents such as Senators Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham continue to carry considerable political weight. And Israel itself may attack Beirut again, thereby undermining the possible – so far hypothetical - agreement between Iran and the United States. And for Iran, any peaceful settlement must include Lebanon.
Yakov M. Rabkin is professor emeritus of history at the University of Montreal. His recent books are Israel in Palestine and Zionism Decoded in 101 Quotes.
We are beating around the bush really.
There is a country that in 2026, openly practices apartheid and mass murder, wages unending wars of agression, invades and occupies its neighbours, ropes other countries in, and sabotages peace. Currently all this is resulting on ongoing murders and the destruction of the global economy and well being.
And the response to all this, from the governments and media of the neocolonial countries, is: " Israel has a right to exist". What's more they all in unison villify and destroy any country that resists and defends it's territory and people from the agression of this genocidal apartheid regime that the German chancellor openly decribes as doing the "dirty work" of the west.
Moreover this Osrael was new created, in living lifetimes of many still with us, by…the west. If it is a Frankebstein, well we know who made it, except not by mistake but entirely on purpose. By colonial action.
Now either some of us are geniuses by understanding that this means the western raison etre is mass murder, genocide and theft of others land and wealth, with "Israel" as it's real face....or we have a case of mass denial of the blindingly obvious.
Perhaps its time to focus more on deconstructing why the west is built around mass murder and theft, instead of treating "Israel" as a curious aberration and rogue actor.
If we want peace and nonvoilence in this world, the mission andexistece of this bloc called the west needs to be questioned. Because it’s bloc idebtity that seems aimed at only divisiveness and violence. We are billions of people on this planet in hundreds of countries. What is the purpose of claiming thete is a “west” that is different and special? Is this not whete the dehumanization and setup for violence begins?
Now, if you'd just stop using the euphemism "Israel Lobby" and call it out properly as the Jewish Mob, we might get somewhere.