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Who is actually the aggressor, Israel or Iran? That was the big question in the first episode of Bar Laat, the new NPO talk show that is alternately presented by Sophie Hilbrand and Jeroen Pauw. For guest Ruben Brekelmans, VVD right winger and Minister of Defense, it is clear: Iran. He gives as an example the support of Hezbollah and Hamas by the Iranian regime, which does force Israel to respond.
Journalist and Iran expert par excellence Thomas Erdbrink thinks differently about this. He points out that Israel bombed an Iranian embassy in Syria and bombed the only person within Hamas who was still at the negotiating table, Ismail Haniyeh, on Iranian territory. According to Erdbrink, Israel continues to challenge and escalate. He also says that Iranian support for Hezbollah does not alter the fact that, according to official counts, Israel now has forty thousand deaths in Gaza on its conscience. He wants to know why Israel is allowed to defend itself, but the Palestinians and Lebanon are not. Brekelmans had no substantive answer to that. NRC notes:
Brekelmans seemed to barely understand the questions, and came up with unconvincing answers. Yes, all those deaths were close to his heart and they certainly had discussions with Israel, but Iran… A world of difference between which no bridge could be built, and it was to Hilbrand’s credit that she let the two continue to discuss with each other for so long.
Brekelmans tries to argue that the Netherlands wants to continue talking to all parties in order to stop the war. Erdbrink counters that Brekelmans can say this, but that practice shows otherwise: “I don’t see that in the previous government and not in this one either, we constantly support the Israelis in everything they do.”
