Israel on Iran

To me, Hassan Rouhani looks like really good news. Somebody with clout in Iran is sounding constructive, welcoming dialogue and rapprochement with the West. Nobody’s doing anything really silly, but it looks as though Obama also welcomes this, so after a decade of pointless confrontation this particular area of the globe might seem a bit more hopeful.

But not to the Israelis. The slightest thaw in the temperature sends them ballistic, insisting that Rouhani’s not to be trusted, and that the Iranians are the same reckless terrorists they always were. “Don’t take our bogeyman away”, says Netanyahu. “We can’t live without him.”