{"id":242239,"date":"2025-06-16T00:54:46","date_gmt":"2025-06-15T19:24:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=242239"},"modified":"2025-06-24T19:25:30","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T13:55:30","slug":"iranian-theocrats-israeli-extremists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/iranian-theocrats-israeli-extremists\/","title":{"rendered":"Iranian Theocrats & Israeli Extremists"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Ajith Rajapaksa<\/a>\u00a0\u2013<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Ajith Rajapaksa<\/p><\/div>\n

The recent Israeli airstrike on Iran has triggered widespread fear of war across the Middle East and beyond, reigniting global concerns about its potential consequences. Despite allegations that Iran was developing nuclear weapons, many military analysts argue that such capabilities remain distant, and that Iran does not pose an immediate threat. Generally, nations resort to extreme measures like airstrikes only when diplomatic negotiations have fully broken down. In this case, the sudden unilateral strike by Israel, executed without international consultation or consensus, while negotiations on Iran\u2019s nuclear ambitions were being prepared, has drawn broad condemnation.<\/p>\n

The global economy, already weakened by the tariff wars initiated by the United States, risks further destabilisation due to this escalating conflict.<\/p>\n

Both Iran and Israel are states where religion is deeply intertwined with governance. In Iran, Sharia law governs not only private life but also social and criminal law. In Israel, religious courts function parallel to civil courts, especially in matters of family law. Religious authorities exert significant influence over key sectors in both nations, including education, the military, and social welfare. Thus, religion is used in both states to legitimise political power. In Iran, leadership is grounded in the Islamic theocratic doctrine of Velayat-e-Faqih, which grants supreme authority to clerics, seen as divinely appointed. Similarly, religious Zionist groups in Israel use biblical narratives to justify territorial claims and influence state policies. Both nations maintain close ties between their military forces and religious ideologies.<\/p>\n

While Iran is an undemocratic state that violates human rights, it remains a sovereign nation. An unprovoked attack on such a state is unjustifiable and undermines the authority of global institutions like the United Nations. Ironically, Israel, which seeks to \u201cteach Iran a lesson,\u201d is itself governed by extremists. Can Israel, an oppressive occupier of the Palestinian people, legitimately speak of democracy and peace?<\/p>\n

At present, both nations face growing global disapproval. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have initiated this conflict to deflect intense domestic and international opposition. Netanyahu, accused of corruption and war crimes, was the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court last year. His popularity within Israel is declining. Leaders like Netanyahu maintain power by fuelling nationalism and religious extremism and plunging their countries into chaos. U.S. President Donald Trump operates similarly, sustaining power through fear and division. Across both the U.S. and Israel, people are rising in opposition.<\/p>\n

Notably, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and opposition leaders such as Major General Yair Golan have publicly condemned Netanyahu\u2019s actions as war crimes in Gaza. Meanwhile, widespread protests are erupting across the U.S. against Trump\u2019s militarised oppression of vulnerable communities and immigrants.<\/p>\n

Some leftist voices in Sri Lanka express hope on social media that a strike against Iran might weaken religious fundamentalists and open space for democratic reform. This belief is naive. A war criminal state like Israel attacking a similarly oppressive regime like Iran will not foster democracy. We have seen the hollow promises of democracy used to justify American-led interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, and beyond. These were not acts of compassion or concern for human rights, but calculated efforts to restructure foreign states to serve imperial interests.<\/p>\n

This devastating war reveals the underlying crisis of capitalism, its scramble for resources, markets, and dominance when facing its own limits. The U.S. now faces the challenge of maintaining its global hegemony. Netanyahu is simply a puppet executing the will of the American empire. The billions pumped into Israel, from nuclear arms to Iron Dome funding, are investments to maintain that order. Though Netanyahu may appear a hero before Iran\u2019s Ayatollah Khamenei, he is nothing more than a war criminal in the eyes of the world.<\/p>\n

Today, many nations, including those in Europe, are rallying in support of Palestine and calling for a two-state solution. Countries like the UK, France, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Norway, and Canada have moved toward recognising Palestinian statehood. In contrast, several Arab states remain complicit in America\u2019s military-industrial project, not out of shared democratic values or human rights commitments, but in order to secure their own survival through U.S. support. Qatar gifting a $400 million luxury jet to Trump and Saudi Arabia investing $600 billion in the U.S. are clear examples of this dynamic.<\/p>\n

Historically, the rise of religious fundamentalist regimes in Iran, Afghanistan, and other Middle Eastern nations has been a direct consequence of the oppressive regimes the U.S. maintained for decades. These regimes suppressed democratic evolution, and when they collapsed, the vacuum was filled by theocrats.<\/p>\n

We must stand in solidarity not only against religious fundamentalists but also for the Iranian people\u2019s right to genuine democratic freedom. Our voices must be raised. But we must also recognise that freedom cannot come through alliances with war criminals and fake democrats. Today, many regimes that ignore democracy and human rights are aligning with American imperial interests, not for justice, but to rescue a crumbling empire.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s endorsement of authoritarian leaders like Hungary\u2019s Viktor Orb\u00e1n reveals his broader project: to build an international alliance of right-wing populists united by anti-liberal, anti-globalist ideologies. His rhetoric about \u201cMaking America Great Again\u201d is rooted in this vision of restoring dominance through authoritarian nationalism.<\/p>\n

We must understand our current global context through this lens. Trump\u2019s policies are a threat to democracy, civil liberties, international cooperation, and the environment. While they may resonate with disillusioned voters, their long-term effect is to divide societies and push them toward autocracy and instability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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