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Last update - 09:20 23/03/2008
Evil is not neutral
By Haaretz Editorial
Tags: U.S., Israel, Iran 

Two of the most prominent personages today in the global arena, who visited Israel last week, spoke clearly and lucidly against the Iranian danger. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. Senator John McCain, the Republican presidential frontrunner, agree that the Islamic Republic in Tehran is a genuine threat to the security of Israel, the Middle East and even beyond.

Through its attempts to procure nuclear weapons and its declared ambition to destroy Israel, its active support of Hezbollah and Hamas and its incitement of American forces in Iraq, Iran has proved to be a power that is actively undermining worldwide stability. The international community is obligated to work to stop Iran before it causes a major conflagration.

Even those who warn against Iran agree that the use of military force against it should be a last resort. The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, plus Germany, have made it clear to Tehran that it will not succeed in driving a wedge between them - despite Chinese and Russian reservations about a military operation. They have also signaled to Iran that a diplomatic failure will only serve to strengthen those calling for an offensive.
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Merkel, perhaps the most prominent European leader today, is initiating an international conference to discuss the issue. McCain, who will be running in November against the Democratic Party candidate, has dropped signals that should cause Iran's leaders to lose sleep at night: Although President George W. Bush is about to retire, it is quite possible that the next administration will maintain a policy of continuity on the issue of Iran.

In recent months the Bush administration scored two own goals in the complex game against Iran: the National Intelligence Estimate, which determined that Iran had ceased its nuclear planning in 2003, and the public rift with Admiral William Fallon, the commander of Centcom, who objected to Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney's "saber rattling." Of no avail were all the belated excuses of the intelligence report's authors, who claimed it was not their intention to make light of the Iranian danger, but only to point out that external pressure influences decisions in Iran, and that in the two most important channels - the production of nuclear material for warheads and the development of ground-to-ground missiles meant to carry them - Iran is growing stronger.

Fallon, who was forced to resign, depicted Bush and Cheney as warmongers and weakened their standing, although his main intention was internal: a warning that the U.S. Army is stretched to the limit because of involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The new situation created in the wake of the intelligence report and Fallon's statements prepared the ground for negative developments, such as Switzerland's wooing of Iran ahead of a gas deal. Switzerland's behavior is disgraceful. This country, which boasts of its neutrality, stood on the sidelines when the continent on which it is located was torn apart in a world war between Adolf Hitler's forces of darkness and Winston Churchill's forces of light. Now it is exercising its neutrality in the struggle between Iran - which openly favors the destruction of Jews in their own country - and Israel and the free world, which are trying to foil the plot.

Sixty years after the establishment of the State of Israel, Switzerland is closing its eyes to what is so clear to Merkel and McCain. The Swiss have to be aware: Evil is not neutral, and there can be no neutrality exercised toward it. Anyone who is not against it is perforce in favor of it.
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  1.   What the Haaretz editorial fails to understand..... 09:58  |  Swiss (Dino) 23/03/08
  2.   I DON`T SEE MUCH DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT THE SWISS DID AND WHAT T 10:03  |  Robert. 23/03/08
  3.   "The boat is full" 10:08  |  samos 23/03/08
  4.   Swiss neutrality is a myth 10:13  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 23/03/08
  5.   Swiss(Dino) 10:21  |  Sarah 23/03/08
  6.   This article has some serious factual errors. 10:32  |  anti-racist 23/03/08
  7.   trigger fall of ailing UBS and Credit Suisse 10:40  |  end of Switzerland 23/03/08
  8.   not the only one 10:42  |  pitcher 23/03/08
  9.   interesting 10:49  |  Tristan 23/03/08
  10.   This article is 100 percent B.S. 10:51  |  Horst Wessel 23/03/08
  11.   ALL I KNOW 10:52  |  indrajaya 23/03/08
  12.   Winston Churchill`s forces of light 10:57  |  Yiannis 23/03/08
  13.   But.... 11:06  |  Esther 23/03/08
  14.   consistency 11:14  |  Isolde 23/03/08
  15.   this article is a joke. 11:16  |  k 23/03/08
  16.   HAARETZ SHOULD HAVE A SECOND THOUGHT 11:21  |  indrajaya 23/03/08
  17.   SWISS KNOWS WHO THE REAL EVIL IS 11:44  |  indrajaya 23/03/08
  18.   Give it up 11:44  |  Clickfool 23/03/08
  19.   Cock-eyed Zionist optimism 11:51  |  Clickfool 23/03/08
  20.   Boycott Nestle. 11:55  |  Fortuna Benmayor 23/03/08
  21.   Good ole brave little Israel 11:56  |  Clickfool 23/03/08
  22.   Nonsense or faked nonsense 12:03  |  Leo 23/03/08
  23.   "ambition to destroy Israel" 12:04  |  The Prince 23/03/08
  24.   Is this really a "Haaretz" editorial....???? 12:04  |  Swiss (Dino) 23/03/08
  25.   wow haaretz does have balls! i thought you guys just bow 12:30  |  palestinian in tears 23/03/08
  26.   #4 Esther 12:31  |  Sarah 23/03/08
  27.   Bravo to Switzerland 12:43  |  Natallie Durson 23/03/08
  28.   If Israel is so concerned about 12:51  |  Stephen of New York 23/03/08
  29.   Which is why 12:53  |  He has risen 23/03/08
  30.   12 million people 12:59  |  Stephen of New York 23/03/08
  31.   Well done Switzerland 13:18  |  Labhras 23/03/08
  32.   Switzerland, had no choice. It·s a survival thing. 13:30  |  Stephen. 23/03/08
  33.   Well done Switzerland 13:36  |  Labhras 23/03/08
  34.   # 3 Tristan....It`s OK 13:52  |  Lynn 23/03/08
  35.   No, evil is certainly not neutral, but sadly, this has been ... 13:57  |  Avihu 23/03/08
  36.   This editorial is a disgrace - enough already 13:57  |  dana 23/03/08
  37.   Tristan 14:07  |  Purple Canary 23/03/08
  38.   Governments today are no example of moral leadership 14:10  |  Dutch 23/03/08
  39.   # 3, TRISTAN 14:30  |  indrajaya 23/03/08
  40.   # 8, LYNN 14:36  |  indrajaya 23/03/08
  41.   Switzerland & the UN Tristan 14:39  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 23/03/08
  42.   Well done Switzerland 14:40  |  Hanson 23/03/08
  43.   Anything goes 14:43  |  Natallie Durson 23/03/08
  44.   i truly cant believe it 14:45  |  english jew 23/03/08
  45.   re 11 14:51  |  english jew 23/03/08
  46.   # 9, PURPLE CANARY 14:51  |  indrajaya 23/03/08
  47.   Swiss worse crime ever 14:51  |  Roo 23/03/08
  48.   re 7 14:54  |  english jew 23/03/08
  49.   Well said Tristan. 14:54  |  Roo 23/03/08
  50.   Kudos to the Swiss & Iran!! Shame on Apartheid Israel. 14:59  |  POP 23/03/08
  51.   Evil in the world 15:04  |  John 23/03/08
  52.   Not Withstanding those Jews fleeing the Nazis Through Switzerland 15:06  |  Reader 23/03/08
  53.   "Evil" is religious concept 15:13  |  TimothyL 23/03/08
  54.   article full of lies 15:19  |  aHumanBeing 23/03/08
  55.   Is the author really that stupid or does he think we are? 16:13  |  Paul 23/03/08
  56.   17 Re: The Wall and the Ronald Reagan challenge 16:27  |  Dutch 23/03/08
  57.   Seriously, what is wrong with the Swiss deal? 16:44  |  Tosefta 23/03/08
  58.   If this is Haaretz under new chief-editor, then 16:51  |  Mark B. 23/03/08
  59.   Gaz deal Swiss /Iran is nothing more than fantazy 17:37  |  Sal 23/03/08
  60.   A ridiculous argument 17:40  |  Jean-Paul Doguet 23/03/08
  61.   To Purple Canary 17:46  |  Persian Kitty 23/03/08
  62.   To Stephen of NY 17:47  |  Persian Kitty 23/03/08
  63.   The Haaretz staff will not be very welcome in Switzerland after 17:56  |  Andreas 23/03/08
  64.   Seriously, what is wrong with the Swiss deal? 18:01  |  Tosefta 23/03/08
  65.   To aHumanBeing 18:07  |  Persian Kitty 23/03/08
  66.   Europe! Keep on appeasing the Mullah`s 18:13  |  Yuri 23/03/08
  67.   circling the wagons 18:16  |  al 23/03/08
  68.   "Evil is not neutral"? Are you sure about that? 18:23  |  Virginia 23/03/08
  69.   Most of the gas is for Italy 18:28  |  David Plane 23/03/08
  70.   Actually, in WW2, it wasn`t on the sidelines 18:32  |  Colin Wright 23/03/08
  71.   What Iran nuclear weapons program 18:53  |  Butros Dahu 23/03/08
  72.   Another ridiculous editorial.... 18:54  |  betz55