Sheldon Richman: No to AIPAC, No to Israel!!

Those who hoped President Obama might bring a new approach to foreign policy have been repeatedly disappointed. On Sunday, Obama had a chance to partially redeem himself. He failed. Speaking at the conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), he declared, "I have said that when it comes to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, I will take no options off the table, and I mean what I say. That includes all elements of American power." All elements? That includes nuclear weapons. It is hardly an exaggeration to say this week's AIPAC conference in Washington DC, has but one agenda item: Goading Obama into confronting Iran even more than he already has. The coalition comprising Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israel lobby, and Congress's dominant pro-Israel caucus will pull out all the stops in this effort. The Republican presidential candidates, except Ron Paul, will add fuel to the fire while hoping that Obama leaves some room for them to out-warmonger him. When I say all the stops will be pulled out, I mean it. Netanyahu said, "Seventy years after the Holocaust, many in the world are silent in the face of Iran's pledges to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. This is a day in which the leaders of the world must commit not to allow another genocide." But American and Israeli intelligence agree that Iran has not decided to make a nuclear weapon. Twice US intelligence has concluded that Iran scrapped its nascent program in 2003. It is a signer of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), meaning inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency are on the scene. They have repeatedly certified that Iran has diverted no uranium, which it has enriched for energy and medical purposes, to weapons construction. On the other hand, Israel possesses several hundred nuclear warheads, some submarine-based, and is not a signatory of the NPT. It submits to no inspections. It rejects calls for a nuclear-free Middle East.