Real motive of Israel's war is exposed

Israel's politicians have wanted a war for some time. They knew their general election was coming up, and they needed the electoral boost that being seen as tough defenders of their way of life would give them with their people. It is a rare Israeli who does not rally around the flag and vote for the government when the bullets are flying and the bombs are falling.

Now further evidence has surfaced of Israel's anxiety to have a war at any cost. For most of 2008, tensions were high between Bush's administration and Iran over the refusal of the Islamic Republic to be completely clear about allegations of weaponisation of its nuclear programme, according to the New York Times. Israel apparently asked for bunker-busting deep penetration bombs so that it could prepare to attack Iran's nuclear sites on behalf of the US.

Even the Bush administration was alarmed at this plan, but rather than slap it down, the Americans proceeded to share intelligence and make joint plans for covert action against Iran. For the past seven years, George W. Bush's war on terror was an unbelievable gift to the Israelis. It meant that the Israeli propaganda machine could portray Israel as part of an international league against terror, and in particular against Hamas, whom they have repeatedly described as terrorists linked to Iran.

Israel has been determined to position itself on the American side regardless of reality. When Israel assaulted Palestinian towns, grabbed Palestinian land and trampled international law, it ignored the United States. But when it comes to its international image, Israel is relentless in lying as it hammers home the nonsense that it is America's ally against Iran. This week's vicious assault on Gaza meets Israel's twin aims of trying to reduce the Palestinians to as little as possible, and also attacking America's Iranian enemy through its supposed ally, Hamas.