“The West must grow a backbone to prevent World War III” reads the headline of an August 3 article published by the Daily Telegraph, in which author Jake Wallis Simons argues that only by standing up to Iran can World War III be prevented.
Simons is the Editor of Jewish Chronicle (JC), the oldest Jewish publication in the U.K., dating back to 1841. As to its current leanings, the following from Wikipedia provides an interesting lead:
“In 2020, a consortium led by Sir Robbie Gibb, a former government spin doctor and current BBC director, rescued the JC from threatened liquidation. However, the identity of the other backers in the consortium is unknown, which is highly unusual for a significant UK newspaper. Some sources suggest that the funding may have come from a right-wing American billionaire, Paul E. Singer, who is known for supporting pro-Israel causes.”
Wallis Simons’s argument is vintage Churchillian Neanderthal. He writes: “As we are seeing again in the Middle East, if you shun conflict, it will come for you on the enemy’s terms… Here’s Winston Churchill on the third day of the Munich agreement debate: ‘A bitter cup… will be proffered to us year by year unless by a supreme recovery of moral health and martial vigor, we arise again and take our stand for freedom as in the olden time.’ Who makes this argument now? The West has somehow forgotten that if you shun conflict, it will come for you on the enemy’s terms… Nobody knows whether Iran’s reprisal will herald World War Three or, as is more likely, will be limited, indicating that it has been deterred.”
