Phillip Weiss and Adam Horowitz
MondoweissThu, 01 Oct 2015 00:00 UTC
Follow Israel's line of psychopathic reasoning, or I'll glare at you. Or worse.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's signature moment at the United Nations today was his 44 seconds of silence to indicate the world's silence in the face of alleged Iranian threats to Israel. Here's video of it, posted by the Prime Minister himself on Facebook:
The silence is already being heralded by the cable stations as vintage Netanyahu theatrics, to go along with the cartoon bomb, but then the cartoon bomb was a dud too. And the silence is being mocked. In this video for instance:
Or this:
Josh Ruebner
of the US Campaign was unmoved:
Netanyahu looks real mad. Or did he just forget his next line?
Yousef
Munayyer mocks Netanyahu's absence of any substance for Palestinians.
Great video clip: Mr. Netanyahu, what is your plan for peace with the Palestinians? Cut to long dramatic pause in his speech.
Scott Roth f
ound the moment petulant.
Wow, that angry look will go down in UN history. Just wow.
If @Netanyahu wasn't so dangerous he'd just be sad and pathetic.
Chemi Shalev of
Haaretz was weirded out by the silence:
Netanyahu in creepy moment of silence to mark world's silence on Iran deal
Shalev
noted the contemptuous look on Netanyahu's face. Undiplomatic:
What exactly is the diplomatic advantage of sneering at the entire world?
Ami Kaufman
found it manipulative.
@Netanyahu shouts "deafening silence" and goes into his own minute of silence! Wowwww! Better than any prop! Ever!
The news from the speech seems to be: Netanyahu's bluster about going it alone against Iran if it violates the deal suggests that he is actually going along with the deal after all. And his mild support for a two-state solution and willingness to begin talks with Palestinians without preconditions - for their recognition of "the Jewish state," a precondition - is being seen as an effort to patch things up with President Obama ahead of their meeting in D.C. next month.
Gary Ginsberg,
a top exec at Time Warner, has contributed to Netanyahu's speeches and signature moments in the past, in violation of journalistic ethics. We wonder if he did so today.
Comment: Overheard at the office of Netanyahu's communication director just a few months ago:
Communication Director: "Listen, Bibi, you're going to have to sound very strong at the next UN meeting when you address the delegates. You'll have to let everyone know you mean business about Iran since most of the world wants to see the deal with Iran go through! And the stupid Americans - we don't know what they're doing, but that's another story."
Netanyahu: "How about another pictogram with a bomb on it? This time we'll paint a nice big nuclear mushroom cloud around it with a map of Israel surrounding the bomb. I have some sketches I brought with me..."
Communication Director: "No Bibi, we have a much better idea. This time you must make them feel guilty like never before -- they have to believe that by choosing to normalize relations with Iran that it will mean the death of Israel, and you'll remind them again very strongly about the holocaust of course. So, listen, you remember that time we took a stroll on the beach a few years ago and you got really upset at the guy with the falafal stand?"
Netanyahu: "You mean when I gave him two shekels and the guy said the falafal sandwhich was three shekels and I told him "do you know who the hell I am?!""
Communication Director: "Yes Bibi, good. Now do you remember what you did just before saying that to him?"
Netanyahu: "Sure I do, I gave him my angry look. I was really upset - charging me three shekels for a two shekel falafal sandwhich! He should've given it to me for free because of all I do for this country."
Communication Director: "Right! Well, we want you to do the exact same thing as you did then, only this time you'll give the angry look right in the middle of the speech - to all the delegates, yes? You want them to feel very very guilty and upset with themselves for even considering normalizing relations with Iran. And you'll stare them down for a really really long time, like at least half a minute. Get it?
Netanyahu: "Great idea - I love it. You know, I'm still a little angry at that stupid guy with the stand. Ok, get me a mirror I want to bring up those feelings again and start practicing right now!"
Communication Director: "Wonderful - someone get Bibi a mirror ASAP!!"
Here is a sane response to the death stare:
[Link]