The John Batchelor Show

Thursday 15 November 2012

Air Date: 
November 15, 2012

Graphic, above: the reach of Hamas rockets

JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW

Co-host: Malcolm Hoenlein

Thursday 905P Eastern Time:  Aaron Klein, WABC radio, in re: from a bunker under Tel Aviv as Hamas rockets rain to the south.

Thursday 920P Eastern Time:  Reza Kahlili, author, A Time to Betray, and Larry Johnson, No Quarter, in re:   Iranian proxies. Fajr-5 is Iranian; fired into Tel Aviv.  If Israel responds to the barrages, Iran will feel free to loose Hezbollah, Hamas, Syria; the war  between Iran and Israel has started.  SuperGRAD sold by Libya to Qatar, now firing into Israel. Iran announces another 700 new centrifuges at Fordow, installed near the old 3,000 in the facility Installed vacuums to speed up the process; estimates: enough for thee nuclear bombs by summer. Benghazi: White House set up a  foreign entity with foreign money, so no technical need for a Presidential Finding.  CIA failed at HQ initially to respond because it didn’t want to expose this operation, which wasn't theirs.  Iran destabilizes, shores up Assad and Syria, and weapons go to Syria. Hobson's choices: Back Assad and strengthen Iran, or the rebels, and support a new al Qaeda threat?  Further, If Israel moves into Gaza, with the Muslim Brothers, Cairo will fight.

Thursday 935P Eastern Time: Robert Zimmerman, behindtheblack.com, in re: space.

Thursday 950P Eastern Time:  Jeff Bliss, The Bliss Index, in re: Two guys in chinos in Corvettes on Route 66 is all I used to know. Now, San Bernardino – San Berdoo – is in an endless economic and now social spiral. Began as a beacon of new settlements in the Thirties through Fifties. Over 200K population – a large town in the US.  However, unions now so dominate the city council that union members retire in actual luxury – cops get $250K plus another !$128K as city pension(?) while many of the others – one third – are below poverty line.   Reuters paints a dreadful picture: close libraries, senior centers, cemeteries; tumbleweed.  The Greece of California that everybody's headed toward. Even the highways from Oregon to Mexico are a mess. Pension obligation bonds.  Prop 30 can’t save these cities.

Thursday 1005P (705P Pacific Time): Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re:  Pillar of Defense – anun anan (pillar of cloud: the swirling cloud that guided Moses through the desert and then concealed the Israelites between the Egyptians and the Israelites) ; Israeli govt in bunkers for the first time in twenty years. People all over the world flying Israeli flags in solidarity.  Fajr5 and SuperGrads landing in Israel, almost in Tel Aviv.    Is this related to Syria, and a provocation?  Now over 800 rockets fired this year, and 250 in the last few days. Seventy Israelis injured, three killed yesterday.  The Egyptian PM will travel to Gaza despite this  being a naked provocation by Hamas. Turkey, Egypt and Qatar have shown support of Hamas; all the others have kept silent: they hate Hamas, know that these radicals are causing huge trouble, and are justifiably alarmed about militarily antagonizing Israel. Palestinian Authority gleeful: they also hate Hamas; however, they can’t even pay staff salaries right now.  Hezbollah in Bekaa: 40,000 rockets.   Hamas asked Hezb to fight; they decline: have troops on Syrian border; delicate relations inside Lebanon, attack vs Sunni leader; also know that Israel, if pushed, would release an unforgettable response.  See on YouTube that Israeli strikes are pinpoint.

Thursday 1020P (720P Pacific Time): Ambassador Ido Aharoni, Consul General of Israel in New York, in re: Govt Commander-in-chief decided to remove the threat from the rain of rockets landing in civilian areas of regional.  The Israeli population supports this. No limitations set in time or scope; land action not ruled out. One-fifth of population in shelters for 48 hours; thousands of children not in school, businesses closed; three killed in Kiryat Malachi; billions of shekels  lost. Mayor of Sderot describes life under threat of rocket: eight thousand in seven years!   Knesset has authorized calling up 230,000 reservists, defense minister has not yet done that.  Our reserve military is well trained and prepared for al eventualities.  Ben Gurion airport not closed right now. Political establishment has now united behind the govt; also, internationally, incl with Tony Blair, the EU for min; UNSCG, pres of France.   At 5 PM EST this afternoon 'twas impossible to get a circuit into Israel.

Thursday 1035P (735P Pacific Time): Ambassador Haim Waxman, Israel’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, in re: Gaza & Egypt. UDI (Unilateral Declaration of Independence).  Life of entire Israeli population is ground to a halt; everyone has less than 15secods to find helter in the event of an attack.  Security Council on Wednesday: a lot of countries spoke harshly vs Hamas and its deeds now. No country would accept its citizens' being rocketed –like shooting at Manhattan: no country would accept that.  UDI: Palestinians say they'll introduce a resolution on 29 Nov to have General Assembly designate Palestine as an observer state -  in fact, a game-changer. What state? 40% of population lives in Gaza; head of PA hasn’t even visited Gaza in years and years.  What state?  Egypt does not favor escalation. Hamas is firing indiscriminately vs our civilians while Israel is targeting with pinpoint accuracy.  Israelis beg for return to normal life.

Thursday 1050P (750P Pacific Time):  Eric Trager, Next Generation fellow at The Washington Institute, in re: Gaza & Egypt. Morsi dasn't tear up the treaty w Israel – too dangerous – but he can send his PM to Gaza. This will both show what side he's on and also give cover to Hamas, which Israel is less likely to bomb heavily while an Egyptian dip is there.   Sinai is a horrible mess, with infighting between Egyptian police and military; has been for two years back to Mubarak. Hard to blame Morsi for all of it, although he hasn’t lifted a finger to improve.  Not clear exactly who's ordering the attacks on the smuggling tunnels in to Gaza; maybe not Morsi, may be the military. He negotiates with Salafis and jihadis in Sinai, and that hasn’t worked, Failure at all levels of the Egyptian govt, much because of bureaucratic infighting.   Egypt going around the world asking Western and Gulf countries to bail out Egypt. because it cant; get support form IMF, and cannot do without US approval. US needs to be clear about this and about red lines.  Sending PM to Gaza is crafty, not clearly acting to cross red line. Iran in Gaza and Sinai: today, an  parliamentarian affiliated w Morsi was go-between for a msg from Iran to Morsi offering correspondence/collaboration. The longer this fighting goes on, the more Morsi will be under pressure from [extremists] to take a more aggressive position.

Thursday 1105P (805P Pacific Time): Jeffrey White, defense Fellow at The Washington Institute, specializing in the military and security affairs of the Levant and Iran, in re: Doha effort to form a new Syrian natl coalition: able to get more credible leadership from inside the country, more conducive to creating a broader political agenda; leader has moderate Islamist credentials, and women involved. Most of us tend to be pessimistic, but it looks better than anything else we've seen so far.  Free Syrian Army has leaned how to fight in the last year. Kurds want only to increase autonomy for themselves in Syria; govt has loosened hold in the north and east. PDY, Kurdish militia in Syria has taken over security duties. Have told Syrian intell and security to leave (Hasica?) Province.

Thursday 1120P (820P Pacific Time): Malcolm Hoenlein, in re:

Thursday 1135P (835P Pacific Time): Assassins of the Turquoise Palace by Roya Hakakian; 1 of 2

Thursday 1150P (850P Pacific Time): Assassins of the Turquoise Palace by Roya Hakakian; 2 of 2

Thursday/Fri 1205A (905 Pacific Time): Gordon Chang, Forbes.com, in re: China

Thursday/Fri  1220A (920 Pacific Time): Reza Kahlili, author, A Time to Betray, and Larry Johnson, No Quarter, in re:   Iranian proxies. Fajr-5 is Iranian; fired into Tel Aviv.  If Israel responds to the barrages, Iran will feel free to loose Hezbollah, Hamas, Syria; the war  between Iran and Israel has started.  SuperGRAD sold by Libya to Qatar, now firing into Israel. Iran announces another 700 new centrifuges at Fordow, installed near the old 3,000 in he facility Installed vacuums to speed up the process; estimates: enough for thee nuclear bombs by summer. Benghazi: foreign entity with foreign money so no technical need for a Presidential Finding.  CIA failed at HQ initially to respond because it didn’t want to expose this operation, which wasn't theirs.  Iran destabilizes, shores up Assad and Syria, and weapons go to Syria. Hobson's choices: Back Assad and strengthen Iran, or back the rebels and support a new al Qaeda threat?  Further, if Israel moves into Gaza, with the Muslim Brothers, Cairo will fight.

Thursday/Fri  1235A (935P Pacific Time): Robert Zimmerman, behindtheblack.com, in re: space.

Thursday/Fri  1250A  (950P Pacific Time): Exeunt.  Seb Gorka, FDD, in re: Arab spring.

..  ..  ..

Music (using New York City broadcast times)  

9:00 hour:  Call of Duty: Black Ops, Star Trek, Sherlock.  

10:00 hour:  Persia.    

11:00 hour:  Infamous.  

midnight hour:  Tomorrow Never Dies, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Babylon AD.

 



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