Netanyahu's Final Words

Netanyahu's gone at last, but lo, he's left behind an EXCLUSIVE message, relayed to us by Greg Sheridan, foreign editor of The Australian:

"When I look at Syria and Iraq, I think that the danger of ISIS has been greatly reduced. But the possibility now looms that the militant Sunnis of ISIS and al-Qaida may be replaced by the militant Shi'ites of Iran and its proxy, Hezbollah." (Beware threat of Iran's extremists: Bibi, 27/2/17)

OMG! This is getting way too complicated.

So if a swarthy gent of 'Middle Eastern appearance' with that look in his beady eye applies a blade to your neck and exclaims, 'Convert or die, infidel dog!', remember Bibi's words, and ask the guy, ever so nicely, 'Sunni or Shia?'

Greg also reports Netanyahu as saying that Jewish settlements are "not what drives the conflict," because "The Arab and Palestinian opposition to the state of Israel preceded the settlements by half a century."

Needless to say, Greg didn't remind him that before the settlements there were the kibbutzes - same colonial shit, same colonial smell - and that they too were opposed by the Palestinians.

Funny, this thing natives have about colonies, eh?

Greg also quotes Netanyahu as saying:

"No one in their right mind would say to the Palestinians here, have a state which will reduce Israel to a width of 10 miles and have them continue to seek our annihilation, to continue to seek the flooding of Israel with millions of descendants of refugees and use the territory of a Palestinian state as the launching ground for thousands of rockets and endless attacks on the Jewish state." (ibid)

Needless to say, Greg didn't remind him that in 1948, Arab Palestine was drastically reduced to 22%, 60% of which (known as Area C) is under Israeli control; or that historic Arab Palestine was flooded by wave after wave of British-backed European Jewish settlers from 1918 on; or that the Jewish settler community in Palestine became a launching ground for the Zionist ethnic cleansing of Palestine's Arab population in 1948.

Netanyahu further offered this highly scientific evidence that he had won the hearts and minds of most Australians whilst, presumably, meeting and greeting on Manly Beach.

"Mr Netanyahu said he had received a very warm reception in Australia, including several hours on Manly Beach interacting with, he said, more than a thousand Australians, of whom only two made critical comments." (ibid)

Now quite how this casual, man-of-the-people stroll on the beach fits with the elaborate security lavished on an earlier Netanyahu jaunt is frankly a mystery to me:

"If you're a Jewish baker up to host the wife of the Israel Prime Minister, there are certain tests you must pass - and they don't just involve the quality of your bagels. The only thing is, as Sydney cafe owner Jesse Meguideche learned yesterday, you won't even know you're being scrutinised, so efficient is the Israeli advance guard of eatery secret operatives. First, a clandestine team was sent to test the facilities, service and, most importantly, kosher food at his friendly little Rose Bay establishment, Jesse's Cafe... when the the pair [Sara Netanyahu and M'Lady Lucinda T] finally showed up mid-morning yesterday, accompanied by dozens of uniformed and plainclothes security people, an enforcer told Mr Meguideche, 'We chose you because you ticked all the boxes.' He'd known something was up: a booking was made a week ago, and there were security sweeps and sniffer dogs in recent days, but so tightly guarded were details of the visit, he was left to draw his own conclusions until the very last minute... 

"Security was heavy, and spilled out onto busy Old South Head Road, but even that was as nothing compared with the precautions a little later across the way at the heavily fortified Moriah College, where the two prime ministers visited with their wives. There riot squad detachments, federal police, uniformed motor-cycle outriders, emergency services, local coppers on foot and a bewildering number of men dressed down to the point of hobo, but with that steady gaze usually born on the battlefield, were backed up for a time by a hovering police chopper." (Cafe fits bill for first ladies' sweet, not-so-secret soiree, Stephen Fitzpatrick, The Australian, 24/2/17)

"Several hours on Manly Beach interacting with more than a thousand Australians"? Pull the other!