by Stephen Lendman

Wiesel is a shameless self-promoter. A charlatan. A con man. A fraudster. A holocaust exploiter. A notorious Islamophobe.

A grotesque apologist for Israel's worst crimes. He justified Israel's Operation Protective Edge (OPE) calling it "a battle between those who celebrate life (Israel) and those who champion death (Hamas)." He ignored naked Israeli aggression. Its genocidal mass slaughter and destruction. He outrageously called OPE "a battle of civilization versus barbarism."

He mocks what he claims to stand for. "I cannot say bad things about Jews," he stresses. He ignores history. Other times he reinvents it. He perpetuates the myth about unique Jewish suffering. Mindless of decades of Israeli state terror. Its wars of aggression.

Its institutionalized racism. Its ruthless persecution of Palestinians. Its land theft for settlement construction.

Last year, he praised extremist settlers for "strengthening the Jewish presence in Jerusalem" by expelling Arabs. He signed an ad saying:

"(W)e are thrilled to bless the tens of new families joining us at this time in the Jewish settlement in the City of David."

"We salute the Zionist action in Jerusalem of those involved."

"Strengthening the Jewish presence in Jerusalem (at the expense of its Arab population) is a challenge that we all face, and with this act of settlement you are raising our stature."

He's at it again with a hate-mongering anti-Iranian ad. More on it below.

He'll attend Netanyahu's March 3 congressional address. A pre-Israeli election stunt to hype a nonexistent Iranian threat.

The Hill calls it arguably the most controversial speech ever by a foreign leader to a joint congressional session.

Dozens of Democrats won't attend. Netanyahu openly admits going all-out to scuttle a P5+1 deal.

Ludicrously he claims completing one will "threaten Israel's survival." He repeatedly lies about a nonexistent Iranian "commit(ment) to Israel's destruction."

Adding any deal struck amounts to a "breakout to a nuclear weapon in a short time, and within a few years, to have the industrial capability to produce many nuclear bombs for the goal of our destruction."

Israel is nuclear armed and dangerous. The only regional state with a powerful nuclear weapons arsenal. Its widely known open secret.

Supplemented with illegal chemical and biological weapons used against Gazans in Cast Lead, Pillar of Cloud and Protective Edge aggressions.

Wiesel marches in lockstep with Netanyahu's anti-Iranian agenda. The New York Times and Washington Post published his hate-mongering ad titled "Iran's Plan for the Jews, Ancient and Present."

Paid for by right-wing/racist rabbi Shumley Boteach's This World: The Values Network. He compares Iranian leaders to Hitler, saying:

"Whatever Hitler said, nobody took him seriously. They treated his rantings as a tasteless form of benign political posturing. They found him darkly amusing."

"(L)et's not fool ourselves about Iran's genocidal posture toward Israel…" He wants Iran stopped from producing nuclear weapons it doesn't have or intend to develop.

Wiesel prefaced his ad with one of his many Big Lies, saying:

"Will you join me in hearing the case for keeping weapons from those who preach death to Israel and America."

Its text claims an ancient Persian (real or otherwise) wanted to "annihilate, murder and destroy the Jews, young and old, children and women."

He continued with one Big Lie after another. Saying "Iran, modern Persia, has produced a new enemy."

"The Ayatollah Khamenei has been as clear as his predecessor in declaring his goal: the annihilation and destruction' of Israel."

"He is bent on acquiring the weapons needed to make good on the deadly promise."

Fact: Iran promotes regional peace, stability and mutual cooperation.

Fact: It hasn't attacked another country in centuries.

Fact: It has no intention to target one now.

Fact: Or wipe Israel off the map.

Fact: Or produce nuclear weapons for any reason.

Fact: Israel is the only regional nation threatening aggression against neighbors.

Waging one war after another on defenseless Palestinians. Murdering them in cold blood with impunity. Free to commit mass murder and destruction at its discretion.

Wiesel is a shameless liar like other anti-Iranian hate-mongers. He supports Netanyahu's efforts to scuttle a P5+1 deal.

He'll attend his congressional address, saying "I intend to be there."

"Should we not show our support for what might be the last clear warning before a terrible deal is struck?"

Otherwise, he ludicrously claims another holocaust looms.

Wiesel is more holocaust fraudster than survivor. "As one who has seen the enemies of the Jewish people make good on threats to exterminate us, how can I remain silent," he asked?

Israel's only threats are ones it invents. Real ones don't exist. Don't expect Wiesel to explain. Or Netanyahu. Or legions of apologists for Israel's worst crimes.

Wiesel practically claims Israel faces imminent destruction. "I plead with you," he said…"put aside the politics that have obscured the critical decision to be made."

"Surely it is within your power to find a solution that will permit Israel’s Prime Minister to deliver his urgent message."

"Will you join me in hearing the case for keeping weapons from those who preach death to Israel and America?

Wiesel long ago lost credibility. Responsible editors wouldn't touch his anti-Iranian rubbish. Or anything else he writes.

Times and WaPo ones featured it. Disgracefully marching in lockstep with his Big Lies.

And Netanyahu's. And Washington's. Sharing responsibility for preventing world peace and stability.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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