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Israeli Media Learn Precisely Wrong Lessons on Wikileaks Disclosures About Iran
Richard Silverstein
Tikun Olam
30.11.10


http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2010/11/29/israeli-media-learn-precisely-wrong-lessons-on-wikileaks-disclosures-about-iran/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+richardsilverstein%2FZOfh+%28+Tikun+Olam-%D7%AA%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%9F+%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%9D%3A+Make+the+World+a+Better+Place%29

Israeli media outlets like Haaretz are trumpeting the fact that the Wikileaks documents disclose multiple U.S. contacts with foreign leaders in which they urge the us to attack Iran’s nuclear program. Here’s a sampling from Yossi Melman in Haaretz:

WikiLeaks exposed all on Iran, but told nothing new
In the modern age, covert documents aren’t necessarily as surprising and often state the obvious; in this case: Everyone wants Iran bombed.

It’s undoubtedly true that many nations did urge the U.S. to take action. But what even U.S. diplomats note in the secret cables, is their frustration that figures like the Saudi king would not make such statements publicly and would not support U.S. action against Iran were it to happen. So what you have is a case of the leaders and diplomats from these countries telling their U.S. interlocutors what they think they want to hear. And even if we presume that these leaders do want the U.S. to attack, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and no nation except Israel wants to eat this pudding.

In essence, any country can say whatever it wants privately. But what is said behind closed doors has very little impact in this type of situation. If a leader is unwilling to support military action publicly, then his country is missing in action from the public debate and private support counts for nothing.

Even more importantly, the above Haaretz headline is absolutely wrong because again, U.S. diplomats express their repeated frustration in these cables with the Russians and Chinese, and view them as being unreliable on the Iran issue. No one can say by any stretch that Russia or China want Iran bombed (note: thanks reader for catching my earlier error).

So much for accuracy and not racing to conclusions. Not so fast fellas. Let’s stop the march to war in its footsteps with a bit of caution and due diligence.

Sloppy journalism.

rh
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