In a March 3, 2015 article on Al-Arabiya's English-language website, the website's editor, Faisal J. 'Abbas, wrote that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is right to warn Obama against an agreement with Iran. He remarked that, while it was rare for any reasonable person to agree with Netanyahu on anything, the Israeli PM had "hit the nail on the head" when he said that Middle Eastern countries were collapsing and that terror organizations, mostly backed by Iran, were filling in the vacuum. The problem with Iran, he explained, is not just its nuclear ambitions but also its expansionist aspirations, for the sake of which it backs various Shi'ite militias as well as Sunni ones, including Al-Qaeda. Moreover, he said, while in the past Iran carried out its terrorist activities in secret, today it carries them out in the open. For instance, it does not bother to hide the presence of Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani in Syria.
'Abbas noted that, paradoxically, while fear of Iran is the only thing that Arabs and Israelis agree on, the only one who fails to realize the danger is U.S. President Obama, "who is now infamous for being the latest pen-pal of the Supreme Leader of the World's biggest terrorist regime," 'Ali Khamenei.
The following are excerpts from his article, lightly edited for clarity.[1]
Faisal J. 'Abbas (image: English.alarabiya.net)
"In Just A Few Words, Mr. Netanyahu Managed To Accurately Summarize A Clear And Present Danger"
"It is extremely rare for any reasonable person to ever agree with anything Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says or does. However, one must admit, Bibi did get it right, at least when it came to dealing with Iran. The Israeli PM managed to hit the nail right on the head when he said that Middle Eastern countries are collapsing and that 'terror organizations, mostly backed by Iran, are filling in the vacuum' during a recent ceremony held in Tel Aviv...
"In just a few words, Mr. Netanyahu managed to accurately summarize a clear and present danger, not just to Israel (which obviously is his concern), but to other U.S. allies in the region. What is absurd, however, is that despite this being perhaps the only thing that brings together Arabs and Israelis (as it threatens them all), the only stakeholder that seems not to realize the danger of the situation is President Obama, who is now infamous for being the latest pen-pal of the Supreme Leader of the World's biggest terrorist regime: Ayottallah Ali Khamenei (Although, the latter never seems to write back!)
"Just to be clear, nobody disagrees that ridding Iran of its nuclear ambitions is paramount. And if this can be achieved peacefully, then it would be even better. However, [no] reasonable man can possibly turn a blind eye to the other realities on the ground. Indeed, it is Mr. Obama's controversial take on managing global conflicts that raises serious questions. A case in point is his handling of the Syrian crisis, where according to his own philosophical views, Obama probably takes pride that he managed to rid the Assad regime of its chemical weapons arsenal without firing a single bullet. Of course, in theory, this could be quite an achievement... but in reality, the problem with what happened is that the REAL issue hasn't been resolved; as such, the Syrian regime continues - until this day - to slaughter [its] own people (albeit using conventional weapons, you know your everyday bullets, missiles and barrel bombs)!"
"The Real Iranian Threat Is Not Just The Regime's Nuclear Ambitions, But Its Expansionist Approach And State-Sponsored Terrorism Activities"
"As such, the real Iranian threat is not just the regime's nuclear ambitions, but its expansionist approach and state-sponsored terrorism activities, which are still ongoing. What is noteworthy is that, whilst in the past Tehran plotted and implemented most of its terror activities in secret (apart from a few obvious examples such as the 1983 Beirut attack on U.S. Marines), today the Islamic Republic seems so at ease that, as noted by renowned media columnist Diana Moukalled recently,[2] it went public with documenting the appearances of Iranian General Qassim Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force. In her latest column, [Diana] Moukalled wrote the days of the few, amateur shots of the infamous Commander are long gone. 'Since a few months [ago], photos of Qassim Soleimani have become plentiful and available in High Definition. Soleimani is no longer that secretive personality whose role over the past two decades has lingered been between myth and reality. He is now telling us bluntly: Yes, I am Iran's strongman who is responsible for the Iranian military's expansion in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Palestine,' she wrote. A photograph posted by Mashregh News, an Iranian outlet close to the country's Revolutionary Guards Corps, shows top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani (R) embracing the leader of Iraq's Shiite Badr militia Hadi al-Amiri. This picture is not dated, but is thought to have been taken in 2014.
"Among his many [dealings], Soleimani is [also] the godfather of Iraq's infamous 'Asaa'ib Ahl Al-Haq' (AAS) brigade, a Shiite paramilitary terrorist group responsible for dozens of atrocious attacks and murdering of both Iraqis and Americans.
"Not only is Iran responsible for sponsoring Shiite terrorist groups, but Sunni ones too. In fact, according to the U.S.'s own State Department, Tehran was home to a number of Al-Qaeda facilitators and high ranking financiers. These accusations are also backed by findings of the U.S. Treasury Department as well.
"Now, some would argue that it would be biased and/or naive to leave Arab countries, such as Saudi Arabia, out of the equation and blame most of the regions problems on the mischievous Iranian regime. On the contrary, it would be biased and/or naïve NOT to blame Iran for such problems. Yes, there are terrorists in Saudi Arabia and there are people who financed terrorism, but these are officially outlaws, who are either in jail, being hunted down or are hiding in the caves of Tora Bora or some other remote area. The same, sadly, doesn't apply to the terrorists of Iran; these are in uniform, hold government positions and are not bothering to hide their evil plots anymore!"
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