[Peace-discussion] Divestment - Netanyahu shows the way
Michael Canney
chicoverde@cox.net
Sun, 03 Jun 2007 12:30:32 -0400
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<div>Benjamin Netanyahu has proposed large-scale disinvestment
in Iran as a means of pressuring
the regime to drop its nuclear nuclear program, citing Iran's potential
to develop nuclear weapons as the greatest
danger in the world today. Why is Israel's nuclear arsenal implicitly
accepted as a legitimate expression of Israel's right to defend itself?
Shouldn't Netanyahu's logic about disinvestment apply doubly to Israel?<font
face="times new roman,times" size="3"><br>
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<div class="ft-story-header"><b><big><big>Netanyahu tells US pension
funds to shun Iran</big></big><br>
By Harvey Morris in Jerusalem<br>
Financial Times | February 27 2007 </b><br>
<p><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/36a71752-c683-11db-be1a-000b5df10621.html">http://www.ft.com/cms/s/36a71752-c683-11db-be1a-000b5df10621.html</a><br>
</p>
Benjamin
Netanyahu, Israel’s right-wing opposition leader, on Tuesday urged
multibillion dollar US state pension funds to pull their assets out of
companies doing business with Iran in order to pressure Tehran to
abandon its alleged nuclear weapons programme.</div>
<div class="ft-story-body">
<p>“If anyone says we
have to act against Iran, here’s a perfect way to do it,” Mr Netanyahu
told foreign diplomats and journalists. “Activity to bring non-military
pressure on the Iranian regime is very potent.”</p>
<p>The
Likud leader, a former prime minister who aspires to regaining the post
he relinquished in 1999, said he had already had talks with US
politicians, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor of
California, calling for a policy of disinvestment. California’s public
employees’ retirement system has $228bn (€172bn, £116bn) invested.</p>
<p>“If
you can get 50 pension funds in the US withdrawing their funds, that
would have an immediate impact [on Iran],” Mr Netanyahu said.</p>
<p>Mr
Netanyahu has emerged as Israel’s most prominent hawk in the debate on
how to deal with Iran’s perceived threat. He has claimed, in the US and
Israel, that Mahmoud Ahmedin­ejad, the Iranian president, is planning a
­second Holocaust and warned: “It’s 1938 and Iran is Germany.”</p>
<p>Ehud
Olmert, the Israeli prime minister and a long-term political rival, has
attempted to dampen such rhetoric by stating that Israel is committed
to an international diplomatic solution to the Iranian crisis.</p>
<p>Condoleezza
Rice, the US secretary of state, indirectly rebuked Mr Netanyahu when
she this month said of his 1938 reference: “I am fond of historical
analogies, but not that fond.”</p>
<p>Mr Netanyahu on Tuesday said he
had not abandoned hope of avoiding military action. “Why rush to a
military attack if you can use other means?” he said.</p>
<p>He said disinvestment would help convince the Iranians of the folly
of their leader’s nuclear aspirations.</p>
<p>Mr
Netanyahu is to return to the US next month to pursue his disinvestment
campaign. He noted that some states, including Missouri, had taken
action. Missouri legislators this month called on public pension funds
not to invest in companies with links to nations the State Department
regarded as sponsors of terrorism.</p>
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<p class="copyright"><a
href="http://www.ft.com/servicestools/help/copyright">Copyright</a>
The Financial Times Limited 2007</p>
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