A prominent American academic, Jeff Cohen, with decades of expertise in Israeli politics, believes the ongoing violence in Gaza and the escalation into Lebanon are part of a strategy aimed at drawing the United States into a direct war with Iran.
During an episode of “The Ray Hanania Radio Show” on Thursday, Cohen, a former professor at Ithaca College, argued that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s intentions have been clear for some time. He even suggested that if Hamas had not attacked Israel on October 7, Netanyahu would have sought another pretext to blame Iran in order to push the US into a larger regional conflict involving Israel’s long-standing adversary.
“It’s this one-sidedness that empowers the right wing in Israel. We (the US) aren’t arming Hamas or Iran. We arm Israel. And regardless of how they use those weapons, even in violation of US law, they keep receiving more weapons, ammunition, and bombs to target innocent civilians,” Cohen said.
The US has been Israel’s main military supporter in its conflict with Gaza, spending nearly $23 billion on the war and operations against Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, according to a report by Brown University’s Watson Institute.
When adjusted for inflation, total US economic and military aid to Israel since 1946 exceeds $310 billion.
Cohen, who is Jewish, underscored the deep ties between the US and Israel, emphasizing the need for change. “We have to stop arming Israel. Both Palestinian and Israeli leadership need to pursue a solution with equality on both sides,” Cohen said, warning that the current trajectory could eventually lead the US into a broader regional war.
