The madness is Iran's

Manfred Liebig is correct to point out that the growing instability in the Middle East has potentially devastating consequences, but he is pointing the finger at the wrong party in this conflict.

Contrary to Mr Liebig’s assertion, it is the reckless Iranian policy of proxy war and its nuclear ambition that are undermining stability, not Israel’s right-wing government. Iran has aggressively pursued proxy war against Israel through Hezbollah in Lebanon and to a lesser extent Hamas in Gaza. This, combined with the genocidal rhetoric coming out of Tehran, makes the thought of a nuclear-armed Iran untenable. 

Can Israel really afford to trust that the Iranian mullahs are rational? The historical experience of the Jewish people and the state of Israel suggests that such trust in their neighbours is unwarranted. It is Iran that is the aggressive and destabilising force here, not Prime Minister Netanyahu or President Obama.

Jeff Gepner

Bangkok