Stephen Lendman: Promoting War, Spurning Peace

US and Israeli agendas need enemies. Both pursue rogue state policies. They defy international laws and conventions, applying rule of law standards to others, not themselves. Their interests alone matter, no matter the toll on others. When enemies don't exist, they're invented. Fear stirs public "angst". Major media scoundrels spread it. Propaganda substitutes for truth and full disclosure. America's had no enemies since WW II. Israel's had none since the 1973 Yom Kippur war. However, you'd never know it from regular spurious claims. Haaretz writer Amos Harel reported the latest in his February 2 article titled, Some 200,000 missiles aimed consistently at Israel, top IDF officer says, "saying Military Intelligence chief Aviv Kochavi alleged "a more hostile, more Islamic, more sensitive Middle East, one more attuned to public sentiment, less controlled by the regimes, and less susceptible to international influence," despite no evidence whatever proving it. In fact, clear evidence suggests the opposite. Since regional uprisings began a year ago, some names and faces changed, nothing else. Policies remain the same. Regime abuses and indifference to public need continue in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Bahrein, and elsewhere, despite public anger and calls for change. Kochavi stoked fear with lies, alleging 200,000 missiles target Israel. Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas are blamed. Iran's alleged nuclear threat further escalates tensions, despite no evidence one exists. Nonetheless, he said, if Ayatollah Khomenei "issues a command to achieve a first nuclear explosive device, we estimate it would take another year before that's achieved."