Aluf Benn of Harretz says "Netanyahu preparing the Israeli people for war"

If you've been following the Republican race to win the nomination for president, then you've likely heard of Sheldon Adelson. He's "the dude" behind Newt Gingrich's superPAC. Just off the top of my head, Adelson's donated 15 million already. Why? Simple: He's said that Newt is the most "pro Israel" candidate. Or in other words, the most hawkish conservative pro Israel candidate.

Anyway, Sheldon Adelson also owns some fancy Las Vegas casino's and the the Israel newspaper, Israel Hayom. And on the front cover today there was an "attack Iran" piece that urges Israel to go "with or without the Americans . . . Difficult, Daring, Doable. Yes, we can strike Iran. And yes, we can succeed."

Ha'aretz editor-in-chief, Aluf Benn, thinks Netanyahu preparing the Israeli people for war.

This morning, the editor-in-chief of the Israel Hayom newspaper, Amos Regev, published on his front page an enthusiastic op-ed in support of a war against Iran. Regev writes what Netanyahu cannot say in his speeches: that we cannot rely on Obama – who wasn't even a mechanic in the armored corps - but only on ourselves. "Difficult, daring, but possible," Regev promised. We need not be alarmed by the Iranian response: the arrow would take down the Shahab missiles, and Hezbollah and Hamas would hesitate about entering a war. The damage would be reminiscent of the Iraqi scuds in the 1991 Gulf War - unpleasant, but definitely not too bad. The analysts are weak, but the soldiers and the residents of the Home Front have motivation. So onward, to battle!

To use Netanyahu's "duck allegory", what looks like a preparation for war, acts like a preparation for war, and quacks like a preparation for war, is a preparation for war, and not just a "bluff" or a diversion tactic. Until his trip to Washington, Netanyahu and his supporters in the media refrained from such explicit wording and made do with hints. But since he's been back, Netanyahu has issued an emergency call-up for himself and the Israeli public.