The real reasons Tehran is obsessed with Israel

[Solomon2]

Solution of Palestine is simple -

Your credibility is shot. Apologize and show you mean it first, then propose.

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Never hated any jew in person but I don't like the Ethnic cleaning happening in IsrEvil
Infact technically Jews lived in Islamic civilization for large part of their exile

The moden age ethnic cleaning of Paletinian and conflict with Local Arabs is a new recent 50-60 year phenomenon

It's not just a iran thing IsraEvil is way way way over their head this time around

I am not an ignorant person to say none sense like

"Lets grow a botanical garden with 100% organic flowers in IsraEvil, and 3 block the road some military is shooting civilians or some F16/F15 is dropping bombs "

 

[jewishm]

the solution is mizrahi jewish prime minister . and kill hamas .

 

[El Sidd]

Jewish People deserve their Messiah.

That will solve this issue.

Till then Israel is an illegal entity

 

[T-Rex]

This is actually the US policy, manufacturing threats where it does not exist in order to justify the US hegemony. Now the clever Zionazis are blaming their arch enemy of this crime. Yes, like all other countries Iran also seeks to enhance her influence but no country does it the way the US and her allies like israel and india do it. They follow Hitler's method which is inhuman and utterly unacceptable because it goes against human values. People like trump think that rest of the world still don't know what they stand for or who they are. This is why we see this kind of twisted articles coming out of the west every now and then.

 

[Jungibaaz]

To any rational person who pays any attention, it's also Israel that's obsessed with Iran, Israel wants war with Iran, it can't stand the status quo.

Bibi Netanyahu's stage antics regarding Iran may seem par for the course in the political mainstream of the lunatic state of Israel and among its supporters, for most of the world it's the opposite of how you'd describe it.

 

[Ceylal]

The real reasons Tehran is obsessed with Israel

DR. MAJID RAFIZADEH
May 27, 2018

If you listen to Iranian politicians, the speeches of the Supreme Leader or Friday prayers in Iran, or study its state-controlled newspapers and other media, you will notice that hardly a day passes without the Iranian regime lashing out at Israel, which it commonly refers to as the “Little Satan.”

Some policy analysts argue this suggests two things; that Iran and Israel are natural enemies, and that the enmity is caused by the Iranian leaders’ determination to support the Palestinian people. Apologists for the regime frequently point to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s claim that Tehran’s animosity toward Israel is solely to help the “oppressed” Palestinians.

These arguments fail to reveal the strategic, geopolitical, historic and ideological reality. When the ruling clerics of Iran came to power in 1979, Iran-Israel relations shifted dramatically. Before the Iranian revolution, Israel and Tehran enjoyed close geopolitical and strategic relationships. Military cooperation was robust and included arms deals worth millions of dollars.

Iran built amicable ties with Israel for several reasons. The first was that Tehran wanted to undermine pan-Arabism. Secondly, Iran desired to appease the US by aligning itself with Washington’s staunchest regional ally, Israel. Third, Tehran sought to obtain the support of the Jewish community in the US, which was believed to be a powerful lobby group with influence in shaping US foreign policy in the Middle East. Fourth, Iran was seeking to build alliances with countries that shared common interests with Tehran in order to counter the Soviet Union’s influence in the region.

But when the mullahs seized power, Israel became a core element and a focal point of the regime’s foreign policy because the clerical establishment projected Israel as one of its critical enemies. Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, coined the derogatory epithet“Little Satan,” and the chant of “Death to Israel” became an integral part of the regime’s rallies.

There are several reasons for this obsession, and the regime’s colossal and unexpected policy change toward Israel.

"Threats to annihilate Israel, Holocaust denial by senior officials such as former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and hosting anti-Semitic events such the annual Holocaust Cartoon Competition are common practices within the clerical establishment, and are further examples of the regime’s anti-Semitic stance"

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh​

To begin with, the clerics did not view their power and revolution as limited to Iran’s borders. One of the vital parts of the regime’s pursuit of regional domination is expanding its influence in the Levant, which has considerable strategic importance in the region. Having a presence in the Levant ensures Iran’s access to the Mediterranean Sea and grants the mullahs a significant edge over the Arab world. Competing with, outdoing, outperforming, and dominating powerful Arab states is one of Iran’s regional aims.

To achieve such an objective, the most effective way was to create an enemy. Which enemy is better than a powerful state such as Israel? From the mullahs’ perspective, having such a strong enemy would justify Tehran’s intensive military adventurism and expansionist policies in Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine.

It would also justify Iran’s efforts to advance its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and allocate a significant part of its budget to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its elite branch, the Quds Force, which is in charge of clandestine and extraterritorial military operations.

Secondly, projecting an obsessive hostility toward Israel paves the way for the Iranian leaders to defend establishing “resistance” groups, such as Hezbollah. In truth, these so-called resistance groups act on behalf of the Iranian regime, advancing its interest in the region, and assist Tehran in interfering in the domestic affairs of Arab nations.

Third, having Israel as an enemy helps the mullahs to repress domestic opposition. One of the charges commonly used to silence dissidents and opponents is being a “Zionist spy.” The penalty can range from long imprisonment to death.

Finally, the Islamic Republic is a revolutionary regime that sits on the bedrock of its extremist founders’ ideology. One of the core revolutionary principals of Khomeini and his gilded circle was anchored in anti-Semitism. The execution in May 1979 of Habib Elghanian, the head of the Jewish community, a businessman, and a philanthropist — after a 20-minute trial on trumped-up charges — was the regime’s first robust anti-Semitic message to Jewish communities and the rest of the world.

Threats to annihilate Israel, Holocaust denial by senior officials such as former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and hosting anti-Semitic events such the annual Holocaust Cartoon Competition are common practices within the clerical establishment, and are further examples of the regime’s anti-Semitic stance.

The mullahs’ obsession with Israel has nothing to do with defending and advancing the cause of the oppressed Palestinian people. It is for strategic and ideological reasons; to export the ruling clerics’ extremist ideology, to dominate and expand its influence in the Levant, to justify its military adventurism, and to more easily suppress domestic opposition and dissent.

• Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. He is a leading expert on Iran and US foreign policy, a businessman and president of the International American Council. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News' point-of-view

@Solomon2 , from this side of the ‎Mississippi ,it is the other way around..It's Israel that is obsessed by Iran and bent on its destruction. But, Iran is not Egypt ...Iranian will hand Israel'a.ss to Netanyahu and serves it to him for breakfast.

 

[Solomon2]

To any rational person who pays any attention, it's also Israel that's obsessed with Iran -

I don't see how you can get that impression from this article written by an Arab writing in an Arab-published newspaper. @Ceylal

 

[HAIDER]

Never hated any jew in person but I don't like the Ethnic cleaning happening in IsrEvil
Infact technically Jews lived in Islamic civilization for large part of their exile

The moden age ethnic cleaning of Paletinian and conflict with Local Arabs is a new recent 50-60 year phenomenon

It's not just a iran thing IsraEvil is way way way over their head this time around

I am not an ignorant person to say none sense like

"Lets grow a botanical garden with 100% organic flowers in IsraEvil, and 3 block the road some military is shooting civilians or some F16/F15 is dropping bombs "

Historically , Muslims save the Jews from Christian forces wrath ....

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Technically Jews held role of

• Grand Advisor
  
• Cultural Minister
  
• Entertainment Minister
  
• Financial Advisors

Ironically the same roles they now hold in US government and Society

In Islamic civilization , The modern age mistrust a very new creation between Muslim and Jews

The under laying problem with Israevil is denial of Basic human rights to Paletinians as Human Rights are provided in rest of world

a) You have majority
b) You have minority

But people have Human Rights and that concept is missing in Israevil

Without 2 state creation and admitance of rights of humans the problem will only escalate

 

[Jungibaaz]

I don't see how you can get that impression from this article written by an Arab writing in an Arab-published newspaper. @Ceylal

Did you assume I had no opinion on the subject of Israel-Iran tensions before I read that article?

Can you seriously tell me with an honest reply that you believe Israel isn't obsessed with Iran, isn't unhappy with the status quo, and some in Israel wouldn't prefer war or harsher measures against Iran? If you can do that with a straight face, there's no rational debate to be had between us.

 

[Feng Leng]

Iran is a great nation that recognizes the innate evil nature of 99% of Ashkenazi Jews. Iran deserves to be a Security Council permanent member with veto and a full thermonuclear arsenal as well as Iraq, Syria and Lebanon as puppets. Then Syria will get its Golan Heights back.

 

[Solomon2]

Did you assume I had no opinion on the subject of Israel-Iran tensions before I read that article?

There's no proof you actually read the article.

Can you seriously tell me with an honest reply that you believe Israel isn't obsessed with Iran -

Especially since that's not the subject of the article, hence you, the mod, are digressing from the thread topic, yes?

 

[Jungibaaz]

There's no proof you actually read the article.

Especially since that's not the subject of the article, hence you, the mod, are digressing from the thread topic, yes?

What part of what I said is a digression? Enlighten me, is this thread not about Israel, Iran and supposed obsession that one has of the other?

Now, please if you would, answer the question I posed that you yourself attempted to digress by claiming it's off-topic, and then invoking my role.

Can you seriously tell me with an honest reply that you believe Israel isn't obsessed with Iran, isn't unhappy with the status quo, and some in Israel wouldn't prefer war or harsher measures against Iran? If you can do that with a straight face, there's no rational debate to be had between us.

 

[Solomon2]

What part of what I said is a digression? Enlighten me, is this thread not about Israel, Iran and supposed obsession that one has of the other?

Too many pronouns.