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Understanding the Israeli psyche on Iran

Scott Ritter will be remembered as the UN weapons-inspector who over the years has challenged the actions of the US in relation to Iran's alleged WMDs and the thrust of the Iraq War.

Ritter has a new book out. AlterNet has published has an extract of the new book with respect to trying to understand the Israeli psyche in relation to the perceived threat of Iran acquiring a nuclear capacity:

"To understand Israel's present stance on Iran, perhaps the best place to begin is at Yad Vashem, Israel's main Holocaust museum and memorial. It is at Yad Vashem that Israelis reflect on the very reason there is a modern Israeli state, namely because of the genocidal forces that brought so much suffering upon the Jewish people in the past century. Modern Israelis are also reminded here of the political forces that continue to seek the elimination of not only the Jews, but also Israel itself.

Recognizing the powerful influence that the Holocaust plays on the psyche of Israel is not just important in terms of understanding why Israel would never tolerate the existence of forces opposed to its survival, but also how an issue of such emotional depth has the potential to poison an environment, to the point that Israel and its supporters can support policies that can end up being exploited for purposes that are detrimental to the long-term survival and prosperity of the Israeli state".

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