by B. R. GOWANI
David is carrying the head of Goliath whose head he had cutoff after killing him. Painting by Michelangelo Caravaggio Wikipedia
The Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible says:
“So David triumphed over the Philistine [Goliath] with a sling and a stone …”
“… After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.” 1 Samuel
David and Goliath in Bible
In the Bible Goliath, who is over 9 feet, defies the Israelites by constantly challenging them. Their King Saul, who’s over six feet, refuses to fight Goliath. A young man David accepts the challenge and kills him.
Modern day David and Goliath
The situation today is reversed. Today, it is David who constantly challenges Goliath to wage a war (not against him) but against his “enemies”.
Although our Goliath rarely evokes any feelings of sympathy, yet it is a sad scene to see him trying hard to appease at the annual AIPAC (American Israeli Political Action Committee) spectacle where its Congressional vassals come to pay tribute in the form of commitments to Israel’s security. Militarily, Israel is the most powerful nation in the Middle East and the only nuclear power in that region.
Goliath lied as much as he could about Iran.
If Goliath or his people fail to pay tribute to AIPAC, s/he ends up with her/his head severed. No, not literally. But the heavy price paid is a loss of her/his Congressional seat. Presidential candidates also suffer if they deviate from supporting David.
What is their relationship?
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a joint press conference put the US/Israel relation in these words:
“For them we are you and you are us. And on this last point, Mr President, I think they are right. We are you. And you are us. We’re together. Israel and America stand together.”
Are they Caravaggio’s David and Goliath
David in the above painting by Caravaggio is saddened by Goliath’s death which he himself caused, because Caravaggio depicted himself as Goliath and David as his assistant and lover. This is why Goliath’s death evokes no triumph in David’s eyes; rather, he looks melancholy and disturbed.
No such relationship exists between the present day David and Goliath.
Or are they a deeply in love couple?
I am you and you’re me
I’m you
and you’re me
let’s wrap ourselves
in the lap of love
and get so intertwined
that you’re no more you
and I’m no more me
you become part-me
and I become part-you
we’re two no more
our union turns into oneness
Usually, these kind of feelings are expressed by people in deep love.
Or is it a suicidal love?
David can’t afford a prolonged war against Iran and wants Goliath to provide him with a protective umbrella. So the plea, “we are you and you are us,” seems nothing but a last ditch effort to convince Obama to join him in blowing up Iran and in the process, probably, igniting a regional holocaust.
Obama’s strategy
The obvious reality that cannot be ignored is that Obama is under immense pressure from the Israeli Lobby, Israeli government, pro-Israel hawkish media, and all Republican presidential candidates except Ron Paul to go militarily after Iran. Obama is well aware also of the consequences of a regional flare up or wars between Israel and Iran, and/or Iran and Saudi Arabia, either as a result of Israeli or US attack on Iran, and the ensuing increased Muslim hatred towards the US resulting in possible attacks on US soldiers in the region, and so on. And the war against Iran is no guarantee that he will win a second term. Remember George Bush Sr. in 1992?
The best option for Obama is to continue the same strategy he has adopted: to accept humiliation by saying things (he does not want to, but he can’t refuse) that makes people happy at the AIPAC (American Israel Political Action Committee). Then the next day, to tell Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin that diplomacy is the best option to deal with Iran. Obama should continue to play this game till November.
There are two advantages in continuing this game:
The Republican Party, it seems, at least for this election period, is headed towards the gutter. The only candidate who is anti-war is not going to win the nomination, and none of the other three pro-war candidates are smart enough to beat Obama.
The second benefit is that once elected Obama, if has an iota of a conscience left, should twist Israel’s arm and settle the Palestinian question.
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com