Loose Lips V.

This is coolbert:

"It isn't reality so much that counts as the perception of reality that counts!" - - J. Jackson.

It has often been suggested that highly inflammatory, bombastic language emanating from various Arab media in the days prior to the outbreak of The Six Day War [1967] between the various Arab countries and Israel was a factor in the Israeli decision to attack preemptively!!

"bom⋅bas⋅tic - – adjective high-sounding; high-flown; inflated; pretentious"

"language more elaborate than is justified by or appropriate to the content being expressed. Bombastic suggests language with a theatricality or staginess of style far too powerful or declamatory for the meaning or sentiment being expressed . . . language that is purposely inflated in an effort to impress"

Bombastic language on the part of various Arab leaders that suggested indeed that war was at hand, a war that would be fought mercilessly and prosecuted to the end - - that end being the obliteration of Israel!

Bombastic statements such as:

"The existence of Israel has continued too long. We welcome the Israeli aggression. We welcome the battle we have long awaited. The peak hour has come. The battle has come in which we shall destroy Israel." - - Nasser.

"God will surely help and urge us to restore the situation to what it was in 1948." - - Nasser.

"total war ... aimed at Israel's destruction." - - Nasser.

"Our objective is the freeing of Palestine and the liquidation of the Zionist existence." - - The Syrian chief of staff.

"Our goal is clear--to wipe Israel off the face of the map." The Iraqi president.

"if it will be our privilege to strike the first blow" - - PLO Chairman Ahmed Shukhairy.

"We shall destroy Israel and prepare boats to deport the survivors, if there are any." - - PLO [spokesman?].

Bombastic statements, coupled with the movement into the Sinai desert, opposite Israel, 100,000 Egyptian troops, the MAIN STRIKING ELEMENT OF THE EGYPTIAN ARMY!!

The Israeli were reasonably able to infer that the Egyptian and the Arab nations in general did mean war, and were ready to fight, and existential crisis for the Israeli being made manifest?

Consider too the comments of the British intelligence officer, Hughes-Wilson:

"Part of the problem for Western intelligence officers [Israeli?] when evaluating the nuances of Arab intelligence is the language difficulty. Arab rhetoric bears little relationship to the clearer more coolly-worded signals pumped out from Western chanceries. In Arabic, the most blood-curdling threats are often merely linguistic expressions of various degrees of disapproval. With hyperbole a constant, it can be difficult to know precisely when an Arab threat is genuine, unless the listener is steeped in the culture."

This comment of Hughes-Wilson is true? The hyperbole is only for domestic consumption - - and is that - - merely hyperbole - - the intended target audience the "Arab street" that so often is spoken of?

Bombastic statements in conjunction with the movement [Egyptian], large-scale, of your most potent striking force to within range of your sworn enemy, CREATE A SITUATION THAT REASONABLY ALLOWS THE LISTENER [ISRAELI] TO INFER THAT DANGER IS AT HAND!!

These bombastic statements DO NOT DO ANYONE ANY GOOD AT ALL!! The current Iranian regime in particular is at fault when it goads a crowd at Friday religious services to chant: "death to America" - - "death to Israel"!!

If any of the mullahs functioning within the Iranian power structure read this particular blog entry, my advice to you is - - STOP! Plain, pure, and simple. The perception being created is no good!!

coolbert.