❊ Why Ahmadinejad’s Visit Will Drive Israel Even More Crazy

When President Ahmadinejad of Iran first came to Lebanon, the Israelis were comforting themselves in the knowledge that at least half the Lebanese despised him, and, like them, saw him as pure evil.

Most of the coverage of Mr. Ahmadinejad’s visit in the international media focused on how “deeply divided” the Lebanese were in his reception, how “controversial” and “provocative” his trip was. All you needed was a single look at my twitter timeline to know that this is true.

And yet, to many people’s surprise, Mr. Ahmadinejad has been carefully cultivating a soft image with the Lebanese. And to Israel’s horror, it appears to be working.

What the Israelis dread the most is not that Mr. Ahmadinejad wants to throw a stone at Israel, but that people like Samir Geagea, an American darling, would call his speech “moderate” (Blasphemy!)

Mr. Geagea is not alone; many “pro-western” Lebanese were impressed by his Baabda Palace speech, in part because he appeared to acknowledge the legitimacy of the Lebanese state. The Daily Star’s editorial this morning spoke of Iran “changing its approach”:

Lebanese should rejoice at Ahmadinejad’s words: His newly expressed posture — if it is translated into an actual foreign policy — could go a long way toward stabilizing our country.

Lebanese Blogger Qifa Nabki speculated that Iran wants to get out of the shadow of Hezbollah in Lebanese perceptions:

it’s not that far-fetched to imagine that Iran’s ambitions include winning over non-Shi’a Lebanese through a mixture of investment projects, military aid, assistance in energy exploration and infrastructure development.

If indeed Iran is following this strategy, it would be a very astute move in the chess game against Israel. All Mr. Ahmadinejad needed to do in Beirut was to talk reasonably and show a human face. The Lebanese perception of him will shift: He will change from “monster” to “bad guy” or “bully”. In this propaganda war, Israel’s portrayal of Ahmadinejad as a Hitler who eats babies for breakfast will no longer work with the Lebanese, no matter how “pro-western” they are..

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