Muhammad Idrees Ahmad

With the US forces bogged down in Iraq, the Israel Lobby is already looking for a new war. AIPAC, the main pro-Israel lobby, has already faced an FBI investigation on charges of espionage and fixing intelligence to draw the US into war with Iran. This, however, has not diminished its enthusiasm for a war with Iran, and now it is openly criticizing the Bush administraiton for being too soft. The Washington Post reports:

In a statement to members of Congress, AIPAC said that it “is concerned that the decision not to go to the Security Council, combined with the U.S. decision to support the ‘Russian proposal,’ indicates a disturbing shift in the Administration’s policy on Iran and poses a danger to the U.S. and our allies.”

This, despite the fact that “U.N. nuclear inspectors are on the third year of an investigation of Iran’s nuclear program. They have not found proof of a weapons program”, the paper then hastens to add that “mounting evidence suggests that the Iranians have spent the past two decades acquiring the knowledge and technology that could be used to build an atomic bomb.” It isn’t clear, however, whether the evidence has been mounting in Washington or with IAEA.

Nevertheless, AIPAC seems to have recovered from its erstwhile setback due to the FBI investigation and has taken a more proactive approach.

“This decision will facilitate Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons and undermines international efforts to stop Iran from achieving such a capability,” AIPAC told supporters and policymakers in a paper circulated after Thanksgiving. The position paper urged the Bush administration to work quickly toward reporting Iran’s case to the Security Council, where it could face sanctions or an oil embargo.

AIPAC, which describes itself as nonpartisan, has criticized nearly every administration’s Middle East policies, often speaking out when Israeli government officials express private frustration with U.S. policies.

But the news releases mark the first major criticism of the Bush White House and come as the administration is focused on problems in Iraq and has no clear path on Iran.

What is worth noting here that the spokesman for AIPAC is none other than Dennis Ross, the U.S. envoy to the Middle East during the Clinton administration. This is the same man appointed by Clinton to arbitrate impartially between Israel and the Palestinians during the famous Camp David talks. Not surprisingly, it was Ross who spread the rumours of a mythical “generous offer” that was spurned by the intransigent Palestinians.