A Retired Diplomat's Israel Obsession And Iranian Love Affair

                        I had several conversations with a retired diplomat from North America. I did more listening than talking, until I finally started challenging his assertions, at which time he became withdrawn and defensive. In this man's eyes, Iran is not a sponsor of Shia terror. He believes only Sunni terrorism exists. He completely rejects that Iran is an oppressive regime, including against its own own minorities such as the Bahais, insisting criticism of Iran is nothing but western propaganda and biased reporting. He was particularly critical of Israel, completely ignoring the mass murders and genocide taking place in Israel's neighborhood. If Israel was not involved, he could care less. The man let me know he was of a Jewish background, which he thinks means his criticisms against Israel should be noteworthy, even though he has nothing to do with anything Jewish.
                         The obsessive focus on Israel, the continued demonizing of Israel, makes certain people feel smug and morally superior. Real victims of terror, torture, genocide, oppressive regimes continue to be ignored by this obsessive focus. Palestinian Arabs and Israelis are brought no closer to a resolution to their conflict by these flawed people that carry their emotional baggage into their professional and political worlds.