Jugular Journalism

What a strange man is Peter Hartcher (rambammed 2009, 2011), international editor of the Sydney Morning Herald.

I mean, is this guy channeling Israel or what:

"For years, the world has been increasingly worried that Iran's progress towards a nuclear bomb would lead to war." (US its own worst enemy on Iran, 26/11/13)

The world, of course, turns out to be... Israel, and the object of said progress is never questioned.

But that's not really what concerns me here. It's what comes later in the piece.

It's one thing to adopt an Israeli perspective. (After all, this is the corporate media where Israeli thuggery is cool and Israeli thugs are sexy; where it's Ahmadinejad, not Netanyahu, as here, who gets labelled "firebrand.")

It's quite another, however, for a journalist to revel in Israeli violence - over and over again:

- "Global sanctions on Iran's economy have put a foot on the throat of the rising Middle East power."

- "But Israel and Saudi Arabia argue that the deal eases the pressure on Iran's throat; this gives it oxygen and time to continue covertly towards bomb building , they say."

- "Why not keep the foot on the throat until Iran capitulates comprehensively?"

Grotesque.

PS 15/12/13: I think maybe Hartcher's channeling Israeli Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz here: "'The pressure on the regime is enormous. You can get a very serious agreement for this. Don't give it up so easily,' he told The Cable. 'And don't give them extra oxygen while you're negotiating with them. On the contrary, increase the pressure'." (Israeli Intelligence Minister: Keep the boot on Iran's neck, Yochi Dreazen, thecable.foreignpolicy.org, 23/10/13)