Haim Saban, a top Democratic Party donor and backer of Hillary Rodham Clinton, slammed President Barack Obama’s Iran strategy and advised Israel to bomb the “living daylights” out of Iran if a nuclear deal with the major powers endangers Israel.
If Obama strikes a “bad deal” with Iran in nuclear talks underway and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assesses it as a deal that would put Israel at risk, “I would bomb the living daylights out of these sons of bitches,” Saban said Nov. 9 at the first conference of the Israeli American Council, an advocacy group he is helping to fund.
The entertainment mogul for years has been close to former President Bill Clinton and his wife, who is considering a 2016 presidential run.
Sheldon Adelson, a major Republican donor, a casino magnate and a funder of the IAC, was more circumspect, saying he would advise Netanyahu to take “all available steps” that involve the minimum risk to Israel.
Netanyahu and his officials oppose the deal now being considered because it is likely to allow Iran to continue enriching uranium, albeit at low levels.
Adelson and Saban also said they regretted missing the recent opportunity to buy the Washington Post in order to influence Israel coverage in the American media, which they said was biased, and discussed the prospects of buying the New York Times. — jta