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Forbes Corrects Netanyahu Iran War Error

The Israeli president was not "braying for an American attack on Iran." HonestReporting prompts Forbes to correct the error.

By June 19, 2019
Forbes Corrects Netanyahu Iran War Error

Writing an analysis in Forbes, the Baker Institute’s Jim Krane asks “Now That Trump Has Revived Iran’s Nuclear Program, Is War Inevitable?”

While Israel did not feature prominently in the piece, this did appear:

Firstly, the Israeli president is Reuven Rivlin while Krane clearly meant to refer to the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has been fully engaged in the Iran issue.

But has Netanyahu really been “braying for America to attack Iran?” To bray is something that is usually associated with donkeys, which is an entirely inappropriate and insulting verb to use in this case. In addition, Netanyahu, while urging the US to pressure Iran over its nuclear ambitions, has not specifically called for a military attack on the country.

Krane also claims why he believes Israel wants an American attack:

Israel wants to preserve its nuclear monopoly in the Middle East. A long US war with Iran could help.

Given Iran’s support for global terrorism and the genuine threats from its proxy Hezbollah in the north and the financial and operational support it lends to Hamas in Gaza, is the preservation of an alleged Israeli nuclear monopoly really the primary concern for Israel?

Implying that Israel wants to see a drawn-out war between the US and Iran also plays into the trope of nefarious Israeli influence over the US in pursuit of its own selfish interests.

We lodged a complaint with Forbes, which has been partially resolved. The text of the offending paragraph now reads:

What about Israel? A US invasion of Iran could unleash many of Hezbollah’s 130,000 rockets toward Israel, and draw Lebanon and Syria into a regional war. Even so, the Israeli prime minister has been pushing for stronger sanctions and even military strikes against Iran, just as he urged Congress to do in Iraq.

© Divuach Ne’eman R”A, 2025

Simon Plosker

Simon Plosker

With over two decades of experience in various non-governmental organizations in the UK and Israel, Simon Plosker returned to HonestReporting in October 2022 as Editorial Director having previously been part of the organization’s management team from 2005 to 2020.

Prior to his first spell at HonestReporting, Simon worked in Israel for NGO Monitor, BICOM, and served for a short period in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit. He was Managing Editor of the Geneva-based NGO United Nations Watch for two years before moving back to the frontline defending Israel from media bias.

Simon has a BSoc.Sc in International Studies and Political Science from the University of Birmingham and an MSc in History of International Relations from the London School of Economics. He immigrated to Israel in 2001 from London.

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