Telling it like it is, from The Commentator

Every so often, one comes across an item that really resonates, really tells it like it is, that says what we feel, but because it's someone else, liking it and agreeing with it doesn't cause those close to us to roll their eyes and accuse us being obsessed with, or paranoid about, say, the Middle East. Well, me at least! This is one of those times.

One of the best quotes I've come across recently from a non-Israeli, let alone non-Jewish, source on how Israel's right to self defence is viewed in the West is this: "Whether it is Israel’s dealings with the Palestinian Authority, with Hamas, with Hezbollah, with any number of other terror groups, with neighbouring states, or with Iran, large sections of the Western world seem to believe that they know better than Israel how to provide for its own security." If you hadn't guessed already, that's from Richard Shepherd, founder/publisher of The Commentator.

Mind you, he doesn't stop there. He goes on to say "The real truth is that most western states don’t ultimately believe Israel does have a right to defend itself, and that is because they are not ultimately committed to Israel’s existence in the first place, especially in so far as backing Israel gets in the way of good relations with Islamic states abroad and Muslim populations at home." Isn't it great when someone outside our very own 'magic circle' tells it like it is?

What brought on this music to our ears? How about this: "So, what to make of Hezbollah’s admission that the drone shot down over Israel by the Israeli air force earlier this week was one of its own, and that said drone had been put together from Iran-supplied materials?"

That's not all. Shepherd goes on to quote the unlovely Nasrallah as saying the following about that downed drone: '“Today we are uncovering a small part of our capabilities, and we shall keep many more hidden… It is our natural right to send other reconnaissance flights inside occupied Palestine … This is not the first time and will not be the last. We can reach any place we want [inside Israel].” Funny how short some people's memories are! Just after the last major confrontation between the IDF and Hezbollah, Nasrallah went on the record, saying that if he'd known what the Israeli response would have been, he wouldn't have engineered the confrontation.

Some people have very short memories. Either that, or they are both incurable optimists and suffering from severe short-term memory problems.

By Brian Goldfarb.