Broadcast in prime time at 8 p.m. on its commercial television networks, Israel’s main newscasts, around which all Israelis are huddled, had the following lineup on March 10: Broad coverage of the event at the port of Eilat, where the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) presented Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe (Bogie) Ya’alon with the weaponry seized on the Klos-C vessel, which had been intercepted shortly before by the Israeli navy in the Red Sea, en route to Port Sudan. Carrying a cargo of dozens of heavy M-302 rockets, the ship also transported heavy mortar shells and other munitions which were intended for terrorist organizations in Sinai.

Both the prime minister and defense minister addressed the audience that attended the event. “There are those,” Netanyahu said, “who would prefer that we not hold this event. Nor would they want us to show to the world what is truly happening inside Iran. It’s hard for them that we unveil the truth behind Iran’s fake smiles. … The original bill of lading and the forged bill of lading that are presented here prove how Iran tried to disguise the loading of the munitions containers in its territory.” According to Netanyahu, this was corroborated by testimony from the ship’s crew, who related that the containers had been loaded in Iran’s main port of Bandar Abbas. That the international community ignores this, Netanyahu added, is another indication of the era of hypocrisy in which we live.

Ya’alon provided some more details: “This is another example of the fact that the Iranian regime is essentially the largest exporter of terrorism in the world.” According to him, there is not a single conflict in the Middle East that is not fueled by this regime, be it with weapons, ammunition, money or terrorist know-how. This spreads from Afghanistan to Bahrain, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and in this case the Gaza Strip. But this kind of activity is not restricted just to the Middle East, the Israeli defense minister qualified himself. We see merchant ships being exploited amid flagrant violation of international law to transfer missiles that would have ultimately been fired at Israeli cities. Moreover, this regime also uses diplomatic channels to transfer explosives to its embassies in Asia, South America, regardless of Israel. This is the face of Iran’s regime that underlies its charm offensive.

The prime minister and defense minister’s admonitory tone stems from deep frustration. Netanyahu and Ya’alon know that they have lost the West’s attention. They know that US President Barack Obama is not lending an ear to this news and that the Europeans are rather indifferent, too.