Pro-Israel lobbies in US enable Zionist terrorism, targeted assassinations: Journalist

Robert Fantina, a Canadian-American author, activist and journalist, says the Israeli regime’s acts of aggression—from targeted assassinations to large-scale bombing campaigns—are made possible by unwavering American support.

He challenges the narrative of Israeli “self-defense,” condemning the regime’s genocidal war crimes in the Gaza Strip and its recent unprovoked and unlawful aggression on Iran, which claimed the lives of nearly 1,000 people, including military commanders and scientists.

Fantina goes on to highlight the complicity of Western governments and mainstream media in shielding Israel from accountability, stressing that the regime’s ultimate objective is the full annexation of Palestine and regional dominance in West Asia.

The Canada-based journalist and activist calls for international resistance, independent media, and strict enforcement of international law to dismantle Israel’s culture of impunity.

Below are the excerpts from the interview:

Q. These days, the world is witnessing blatant acts of aggression by the Israeli regime against Iran and its people. In your view, why does this regime commit such crimes against defenseless civilians in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran? What drives its continued acts of aggression, including targeted assassinations?

A. The Zionist regime wants to be the only powerful entity in the Middle East. That is the goal of the current regime, and of all previous regimes. The only difference today is that the Netanyahu regime is more right-wing and more racist than any of its right-wing, racist predecessors.

Pro-Israel lobbies in the United States donate millions of dollars to candidates who will do their bidding once elected, and this gives the Zionist regime ‘permission’ to commit atrocities. This is why it bombs Lebanon and Iran, and is the reason for the targeted assassinations.

The reasons for the genocide in Palestine – both Gaza and the occupied West Bank – are the desire to annex all of Palestine for a ‘Greater Israel’.

The fact that all of these actions are in clear violation of international laws is meaningless to the Zionist state and its Western supporters, mostly the United States.

Q. The Israeli regime, in its recent aggression on Iran, targeted hospitals, infrastructure, and media institutions, with many of the victims being women and children, while claiming to target military sites. How can this contradiction be explained?

A. It was astounding, even for Netanyahu, that he had the nerve to go on television and accuse Iran of war crimes for bombing a hospital in Israel. In the first place, Iran did not bomb a hospital; it bombed a military site near a hospital, which caused some minor damage to it, as a result of vibrations. And Israel has bombed and invaded every hospital in the Gaza Strip, killing and capturing medical personnel, and killing patients.

This is how the Zionist entity operates. It feels it is above the law, and its geopolitical goals can be achieved in any way possible, even by the commission of war crimes. The Israeli military terrorists and their regime have no regard for human life, so men, women and children are all potential victims.

For the Israeli regime, there is no contradiction. The slaughter of its ‘enemies’ is completely acceptable; as seen in the Gaza Strip, Israel’s ‘enemies’ include newborn babies. It seeks total domination of the Middle East and the annexation of all of Palestine.

Q. Although the UN and many human rights organizations have documented the war crimes of the Israeli regime, Western governments continue to support it militarily and politically. Why do you think Western countries largely remain silent in the face of these crimes?

A. Most Western countries follow the United States, fearing reprisals from the US government if they don’t. This has always been the case. The US government will not hesitate to punish a country that doesn’t do its bidding, and under the chaotic Trump regime, this has only worsened.

The US has sanctioned members of the International Court of Justice; constantly protects Israel from an UN resolution critical of it, and provides the Zionist regime with the weaponry to commit genocide.

Spokespeople from the Biden administration prior to 2025, and the Trump administration since then, say they are doing all they can to arrange a ceasefire in Gaza. The hypocrisy of these statements is beyond comparison. The genocide could have been stopped any time in the last 20 months if the US simply stopped sending weapons to Israel.

Q. Western media often portray the Israeli regime as acting in ‘self-defense’ while ignoring its massacres of civilians in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran, as well as its assassination campaigns. How do you interpret this media bias, and what can be done to counter it?

A. There are multiple situations here, and applicable laws, all of which Israel violates. The Israeli regime and its Western allies talk about Israel’s ‘right to defend itself’ against the Palestinians. This is completely illogical. An occupier cannot defend itself from a nation that it occupies.

International law is clear: an occupied nation has the right to oppose the occupation by any means, including armed struggle. So Israel is not ‘defending’ itself from its victim; the very notion is irrational.

In Lebanon, the Zionist regime committed acts of terrorism by causing pagers and cell phones to explode. Lebanon has long defended itself against Israel's incursions. It is Lebanon, not Israel, that was defending itself from Israeli aggression.

The same is true with Iran. This is a nation that has not invaded another country in over 200 years. Netanyahu has been saying for at least twenty years that Iran was within weeks or even days of developing nuclear weapons. If this were the case, Iran would have nuclear weapons today. Israel and the United States had no right under international law to bomb Iran.

The media, corporate-owned in the United States and beholden to the government in order to maintain their profits, will parrot what US government officials say. This isn’t true of independent media outlets, some of which perform accurate investigative reporting and fact-based analysis. More and more people need to rely on their information, instead of the talking points given to the so-called ‘mainstream’ media houses, to get accurate facts.

Q. What do you believe is the long-term goal of the Zionist regime’s aggressive and expansionist policies? What threats do these ambitions pose to their neighbors in West Asia?

A. As mentioned, Israel wants to destroy all of Palestine and all Palestinians to expand its territory. In addition to being violations of many international laws, this will further destabilize the Middle East, something that, unfortunately, plays into the geopolitical goals of both the US and Israel. The US will continue to have a huge market to which it can sell its weapons. The Zionist regime will continue to call itself the ‘victim’, despite all evidence to the contrary.

Some Arab states have already established relations with the Zionist regime; it is possible that more will follow. However, Iran, Lebanon and Yemen are among those that never will.

The decision to recognize the Zionist regime is extremely unpopular in the countries that have already done so. Continued aggression and expansion by Israel will only serve to destabilize those countries, leading to civil unrest and possibly revolution, bringing about, or continuing, a perpetual state of war and unrest in the Middle East.

Q. What is your reaction to the recent attacks by this regime against Iran and the killing of civilians? 

A. The recent attacks by Israel on Iran could not have been done without the knowledge and permission of the United States. The erratic US president, Donald Trump, proclaimed that he was working with the Iranian government to reach a peaceful solution.

I will say, here, that since the Iranian government has always said that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, and that it was the US, not Iran, that violated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, no negotiations were necessary. All that was required was for the US to remove its unjust and illegal sanctions.

It would not surprise me if the Iranian government were now to decide to develop nuclear weapons. Having been attacked by two nuclear powers, the Iranian leadership may feel that, in order to protect their people, being nuclear-armed may be a necessary deterrent from future attacks.

Q. The United States routinely vetoes UN resolutions condemning the Israeli regime’s crimes. In your opinion, do US policies enable and sustain these aggressions? How can both regimes be held accountable?

A. One of the biggest myths the US has attempted to force the world to believe is that it is a beacon of freedom and democracy, and will support the democratic efforts of people around the world. This lie is not believed much outside of US borders, as so many nations around the world have been victimized by its skewed definition of democracy.

If the US really wanted to support democratic aspirations, it would support every UN resolution critical of Israel. It is only because of US support in the UN Security Council that Israel is able to continually commit war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Other world leaders must stand up for human rights and international law. They must sanction Israel, condemn Israeli and US leadership, and demand protection for the people of Palestine and the Middle-Eastern countries that support Palestine.

They must recognize and proclaim constantly the violations of international law that the aggression towards Iran and Lebanon is, and stress the appalling crime of genocide that Israel and the US are committing in Palestine.

World leaders must insist that international law be adhered to, that persons accused of crimes by the International Court of Justice must be held to account, and that that court and the International Criminal Court must be allowed to do their jobs and fulfill their functions without outside political interference.

Only then will the world be able to hope for international peace and justice.

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