In a departure from its usual policy of shooting first and not asking questions later, Israel has actually been negotiating with Hezbollah while talking to Syria and Hamas. Such progress was glaringly uncharacteristic of a state which makes it a point not to negotiate with terrorists (the Israeli definition of a “terrorist” is any Arab who objects to being a slave).

So why the sudden change in policy? Well, it would seem that while facing multiple investigations of corruption and the still-present defeat of the second war against Lebanon fresh in the minds of Israelis, Prime Minister Olmert has been compensating on the diplomatic front to gain favor with a public increasingly dissatisfied with his character.

However, now that Olmert has announced he will resign, right-wing Likud Party leader Benjamin Netanyahu (or Benji as he likes to be called) has demanded that national elections be held to decide a new Prime Minister because he is likely to be the winner of those elections. “This government has reached an end … it doesn’t matter who heads Kadima,” the hardline Netanyahu told Israeli Radio as he railed against Olmert’s talks with the Palestinians and Syria. “They are all partners in this government’s total failure. National responsibility requires a return to the people and new elections.” Fresh elections, which would put Netanyahu back into power as the prime minister, seem very likely

Some may remember Netanyahu’s disastrous policy of “three nos”: No withdrawal from the occupied Golan Heights, no discussion regarding Jerusalem, and no negotiations under any preconditions. Benji will make Olmert’s bloodthirsty reign seem like a handjob at Disneyland (which I hear is quite magical). The recent breakthrough with Syria to release the Golan Heights will surely be lost, as will any relations with Hamas and Hezbollah. We can also expect the humanitarian crisis in Gaza to worsen to the point of complete extermination of the territory’s 1.5 million residents. Any agreements Olmert makes during his remaining time will be thrown away by the Likud Party, and the prospect of nuclear war will take a giant step closer to becoming a reality.

Netanyahu has made it a point to compare present-day Iran with Nazi Germany, even arguing that the former may be worse than the latter. In March of last year on CNN (of course), Netanyahu stated that while the Nazis sought to develop nuclear weapons after entering a global conflict, Iran was developing nuclear weapons before pursuing such a war. Benji finds it rather easy to exploit the memory of the Holocaust in order to push a genocidal agenda for land and power with data he knows to be false. He too has stated that “all options must remain on the table”.

Keep in mind that while Israel is in violation of dozens of international laws, Iran is completely within its right as a signatory to the NPT to be enriching uranium and giving the finger to any country who says it ought not to have that right. Netanyahu, along with American presidential frontrunner Barack Obama, have openly stated that they will violate Iran’s nuclear rights, annihilate the “Iranian threat”, keep Jerusalem undivided, and further punish the Gaza Strip for voting the wrong way in free and fair elections. And while Israelis know that Netanyahu is further to the right than their current PM, few Americans are willing to acknowledge that Obama is further to the right on these issues than George W. Bush. Both Israel and the US are headed towards even more fascist policies in the Middle East.

Obama seems determined to finish the destruction George W. Bush started at the request of Israel, but even if he does decide to break his campaign promises by following international law and consensus, Israel may just go it alone. In December of 2007 after the NIE report came out confirming that concerns about Iran’s nuclear program were unfounded, Netanyahu demanded that we take action anyway. He stated, “We always prefer international action, led by the United States, but we have to ensure that we can protect our country with all means.” In other words, unless the next American president is willing to put their foot down with Israel, we’re looking at a Third World War. And while Armageddon may technically be “change”, it sure doesn’t give me much “hope”.