Israel furious at US findings on Iran
"On Tuesday morning, Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper called the U.S. findings 'a blow below the belt.' An analysis in the competing Haaretz newspaper suggested that Israel might come to be viewed as a 'panic-stricken rabbit' and said that the U.S. intelligence estimate established 'a new, dramatic reality: The military option, American or Israeli, is off the table, indefinitely.'"
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By Dion Nissenbaum, McClatchy Newspapers Tue Dec 4, 1:29 PM ET
JERUSALEM — Israeli officials, who've been warning that Iran would soon pose a nuclear threat to the world, reacted angrily Tuesday to a new U.S. intelligence finding that Iran stopped its nuclear weapons development program in 2003 and to date hasn't resumed trying to produce nuclear weapons.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak directly challenged the new assessment in an interview with Israel's Army Radio, and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the new finding wouldn't deter Israel or the United States from pressing its campaign to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapons capability.
"It seems Iran in 2003 halted for a certain period of time its military nuclear program, but as far as we know, it has probably since revived it," Barak said.
"Even after this report, the American stance will still focus on preventing Iran from attaining nuclear capability," Olmert said. "We will expend every effort along with our friends in the U.S. to prevent the Iranians from developing nuclear weapons."
Probably no country felt more blindsided than Israel by the announcement Monday that 16 U.S. intelligence agencies, in a stunning reassessment, had concluded with "high confidence" that Iran had halted its nuclear program in 2003 and with "moderate confidence" that it hadn't restarted that program as of mid-2007.
For years, Israel has been at the forefront of international efforts to isolate Iran , with Israeli intelligence estimates warning that Iran was on the brink of a nuclear "point of no return," an ominous assessment that often fueled calls for a military strike.
Israeli officials also have sought to isolate Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad , citing his calls for Israel's destruction and his skepticism that the Holocaust took place.
The U.S. intelligence finding said that evidence "suggests" that Iran isn't as determined as U.S. officials thought to develop a nuclear weapon and that a diplomatic approach that included economic pressure and some nod to Iranian goals for regional influence might persuade Iran to continue to suspend weapons development.
On Tuesday morning, Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper called the U.S. findings "a blow below the belt." An analysis in the competing Haaretz newspaper suggested that Israel might come to be viewed as a "panic-stricken rabbit" and said that the U.S. intelligence estimate established "a new, dramatic reality: The military option, American or Israeli, is off the table, indefinitely."
"This is definitely a blow to attempts to stop Iran from becoming nuclear because now everybody will be relaxed and those that were reluctant to go ahead with harsher sanctions will now have a good excuse," said Efraim Inbar , the director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Israel's Bar-Ilan University .
The estimate created an awkward situation for Israeli leaders, who mostly tried to sidestep direct criticism of the Bush administration.
Olmert sought to focus on the report's finding that Iran had been deterred in 2003 from pursuing its nuclear weapons program by international pressure. That, said Olmert, made continued sanctions essential.
Barak was tougher and promised that the report wouldn't influence Israeli policy.
"We cannot allow ourselves to rest just because of an intelligence report from the other side of the earth, even if it is from our greatest friend," he said.
Israeli officials also highlighted where the U.S. and Israeli assessments agree.
They noted that while the latest U.S. assessment said that the earliest Iran was likely to develop enough weapons-grade material for a nuclear bomb was 2010, Israeli assessments weren't dramatically different, finding that Iran could develop the workings for a nuclear bomb by 2009.
Gerald Steinberg , the chairman of the political science department at Bar-Ilan University , suggested that the findings might increase the chances that Israel will attack Iran because they reduce the chances that the United States will act.
"I think it may introduce a lot of stress in the Israeli-American relationship," he said.
But Emily Landau , the director of the Arms Control and Regional Security Program at Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Security Studies , said it would be very difficult for Israel to launch an attack without explicit support from the United States .
"If Israel were to carry out a military action, it would have to be in coordination with the United States , so if the United States is moving away from that option, it would have implications for Israel as well," she said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20071204/wl_mcclatchy/2773393
If the Israelis want to go to war so badly against Iran, why don't they do it without the US sending our young people to die for those parasitic cowards? It's about time that Israeli dog caught the Iranian car it's been chasing. Nothing like a mouthful of chrome to stop behavior like that. Maybe Bolton or some of our politicians would send their offspring to fight these wars.My sincere apologies to dog lovers the world over for mentioning dog and Israel in the same sentence!! I love dogs too!!
Thanks for sharing!
I knew that things were falling apart at the seams for them.
This is very good news - I hope they gnash their teeth until they bleed.
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"Money" has no value - people do.
really is losing its grip.
0-for-2.
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"Money" has no value - people do.
My take on this is, despite the Zionist pressures, the Smirking Chimp's War Staff realizes there ain't no way they can manage two war fronts simultaneously, since the Iraqis didn't exactly welcome us as crusading heroes. It was inevitable and this way, he can at least save face and try to play the "intelligence report" card, not that he ever cared about facts before...
Doesn't sound like they've given up on attacking Iran entirely, but it would go over like a lead balloon in the U.S.
If the warhawks in Israel want to give it a try however, have at it. I'm sure Joey Lieberman will drop what he's doing and enlist for the good of Mama Israel - NOT!
I notice also that Gen. Betray-Us is trying to work the British hostage issue and goad the U.K. into jumping back in the frying pan. The hostage-takers are "known to have been funded by Iran" - yet they sport AR-15 rifles, interesting!
of the incident at the UN the other day (link in comment above).
Like the proposed UN resolution on Annapolis, this report was released before israelis had a chance to look at it - they were caught off guard - it was "a blow below the belt."
This is a sure sign that israel is losing its control over American politics. But, just as they tactlessly used their lackey deputy ambassador to the UN to revoke the proposed resolution, they're trying to use their lackey US president to 'revoke' the report.
But, in the process, they are revealing themselves, their intentions, and their modus operandi in all its bloodthirsty glory.
They're exposing themselves more and more by the minute. They will be their own undoing.
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"Money" has no value - people do.
Let's not forget the Dark Lord himself, Cheney.
Cheny sat on this report for over ONE year, working behind the scenes to get the report altered to fit his demented vision of reality.
One has to wonder what ther original report said before Big Dick got his corpulent claws on the report.
Cheney Tried to Stifle Dissent in Iran NIE
A National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran has been held up for more than a year in an effort to force the intelligence community to remove dissenting judgments on the Iranian nuclear program, and thus make the document more supportive of US Vice President Dick Cheney's militarily aggressive policy toward Iran, according to accounts of the process provided by participants to two former Central Intelligence Agency officers.
In February 2007, Giraldi wrote in The American Conservative that the NIE on Iran had already been completed, but that Cheney's office had objected to its findings on both the Iranian nuclear program. and Iran's role in Iraq. The draft NIE did not conclude that there was confirming evidence that Iran was arming the Shi'ite insurgents in Iraq, according to Giraldi.
Anti-War
Guess that Iranian general kidnapped by elements of the MOSSAD/CIA didn't pay off and give the WH war mongers what they wanted.
This is serious!
The Americans, with or without the complicity of Viceroy Bush have had the audacity to attempt stealing Israel's war on Iran!
If this development is allowed to go on unchecked the next thing might be an outright US declaration of independence from Israel!
Brace yourselves for an Iranian nuclear attack on the US, courtesy Mossad, probably in New York where it appears that a bomb is installed already in the Israeli consulate general.