Oct. 9—The Butcher of Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu last night cancelled a trip to Washington by his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to consult with his counterparts on possible Israeli response to Iran’s multiple missile attack of Oct. 1. Sources say that the fact that Israel has not responded so far, reveals that there is still a chance, albeit slim, to avert Netanyahu’s scheme to involve the U.S. in a regional war against Iran.
Sources report that Gallant, who has repeatedly called for Israel to accept a ceasefire/hostage release-prisoner exchange deal and that would lead to an end to Bibi's continued slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza, was also to confer with U.S. officials on a plan to de-escalate the northern front against Hezbollah, and the threat of the wider war against Iran. These sources say that Netanyahu "cut Gallant's balls off" in cancelling the trip, which the Defense Minister's office said he had approved last week. The Prime Minister's office denied that the trip had been approved and said that it was "delaying" such consultations with Washington until after Netanyahu had a chance to confer directly, by phone, with President "Sleepy Joe" Biden.
"Bibi wants to make it clear that he is in charge of policy, and that policy is more war and death," said the source. "But the reality, is that he is not running the show, entirely and that he is surround by military and security people, and others, like Gallant who want to limit his ability drown the region in blood, which these people fear will also be Israeli blood."
Now, at this late moment, only one pathway exists to stop such a war: A complicated maneuver that would force a ceasefire and hostage/prisoner exchange in Gaza, and end hostilities there; an agreement from Hezbollah to a ceasefire in southern Lebanon and their withdrawal north of the Litani River; and an Iranian agreement to back both agreements. The Iranian government, despite opposition from some of its more radical elements, has already indicated that they support such a plan. Sources report that the Russians, and President Valdimir Putin personally, have been working behind the scenes with Iran and its proxies Hamas and Hezbollah to outflank Netanyahu.
Sources report that the Russians have told Iran that they are not about to come to Iran’s aid directly, should a full-scale regional war break out. While this might encourage some of the more rabid war hawks to test this by unleashing the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to hit targets inside Iran, including its nuclear facilities, the situation is more complicated. Washington has been told through backchannels that the Russians might seek to respond asymmetrically to such attacks, should they come, perhaps against NATO’s proxy Ukraine, including taking steps to accelerate Ukraine’s military collapse, to make sure that it happens before U.S. election day, Nov. 5—an “October Surprise” that could have devastating effects on the chances for election of Kamala Harris and the entire Democrat Party ticket.
The question is: will the White House and President Joe Biden finally put on the table the peace plan that U.S. chief negotiator CIA Director Willaim Burns has been carrying around in his briefcase for the last three weeks? He has been prevented from presenting it by NATO’s whore, Harris. That plan is now said to incorporate all elements of the complicated arrangement that would lead to a negotiated settlement of all aspects of the current crisis and already has the approval of Israel’s security services and its military leadership.
Haaretz reported that Burns said at a conference that "we face the very real danger of a further regional escalation." he added that Israel was "weighing very carefully" how it would respond to Iran's ballistic missile attack last week, and that it should build a strategy that "marries the use of force" with "good intelligence and ultimately smart diplomacy," aiming for a cease-fire with Hezbollah and "what has been a very elusive cease-fire in Gaza."
“It is significant that Bibi is not running the campaign on the northern front that has moved into a limited invasion of southern Lebanon,” said a source. “With an all-out ground invasion, Bibi clearly wants to have his genocide against the Palestinians extended into the West Bank and Lebanon, with a goal being to wipe out not just Hezbollah’s leadership, but the entire organization, which saner Israelis know is not possible. Realize, it was the IDF that announced the operation last week, not Bibi, stating that it had the more limited goal of making it possible for the tens of thousands of Israeli citizens displaced by Hezbollah air attacks, to return to the safety of their homes. That requires neutralizing or eliminating the capabilities of Hezbollah to strike Northern Israel with a Hamas-like murderous ground attack, or with rockets and [unmanned aerial vehicles] UAVs. This could be done militarily, but also by diplomacy and mutual agreement, as was done for 18 years, until last Oct. 7.”
Netanyahu is demanding a “massive” strike against Iran in retaliation for its Oct 1 180-ballistic missile salvo on Israel. But the source reported that although the Biden Administration says it supports the “right of Israel to defend itself,” it does not want an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities or its oil fields. On the other hand, there is some support in U.S. circles for a more limited attack on one of Iran’s oil loading terminals, most likely Kharg, Iran’s largest—the one that was repeatedly bombed during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) and subsequently reconstructed. Such a measure has been advocated by neo-con war hawk Edward Luttwak of the Hoover Institute, who says that destroying Iran’s oil shipping terminals would hit Iran where it hurts, in its oil income, and would leave it with less cash for its “terrorist” proxies, i.e., Hamas and Hezbollah. It is expected that Bibi will be told by the U.S. to concentrate on military targets, if an attack is launched, and sources in Israel report that the IDF supports this.
“The best alternative here is to get a settlement that de-escalates everything,” said the source. “I would say that it’s a long shot, but still possible because there are many people, both in the U.S. and in Israel, who want to see Bibi outflanked and cut off. Yesterday, Gen. Herzl Halevi, Chief of the General Staff of the IDF, declared that Hamas has been militarily defeated and is no longer a threat to Israel—a clear signal to everyone, including the Prime Minister, that there is no reason to continue the war in Gaza.
“Similarly, Hezbollah has declared that it is ready to accept a ceasefire on the northern front, without any preconditions, so that negotiations can take place—something proposed by the U.S. and others, but until now rejected by Hezbollah, without a ceasefire in Gaza. The only real pathway toward peace in the region, however, involves getting Bibi out of office and into prison for corruption. That happens if he is forced to sign any ceasefire deal, as his coalition will collapse.
“If we had a White House that was not bought and paid for by the Zionist lobby and its deep-pocketed financial friends; if we had a more than caretaker President; if we didn’t have a bitch running for President—we could probably get this done, pretty easily. But without the full power of the American Presidency behind any peace plan, it is worse than trying to push a pebble up a mountain. Nevertheless, we must still try, because the alternative—a regional war—is much worse.”
Meanwhile, CNN reported that Biden reportedly called Netanyahu "a bad guy" and "a fucking liar" in private conversations after clashing with the Israeli premier over Israel's conduct in Gaza, citing quotes from a new book by veteran journalist Bob Woodward. According to the report, in one conversation in April, Biden asked Netanyahu "What's your strategy, man?" The premier replied, "We have to go into Rafah," to which Biden responded, "Bibi, you've got no strategy."
