Ynet says, Iran is not an existential threat:
Former Mossad Chief Ephraim Halevy warned against an Israeli strike on Iran, saying that the results of a confrontation could be devastating for the Mideast.
“The State of Israel cannot be destroyed,” he told Ynet on Friday. “An attack on Iran could affect not only Israel, but the entire region for 100 years. “The former head of the Israeli secret service said Thursday during an army boarding school reunion that while Iran should be prevented from becoming a nuclear power, its capabilities are still “far from posing an existential threat to Israel.” “The growing haredi radicalization poses a bigger risk than Ahmadinejad,” Halevy said, adding that “the ultra-Orthodox extremism has darkened our lives.”
Netanyahu thinks that the heads of Mossad and Shin Bet may have leaked plans for the attack so as to undermine them. Netanyahu is good for Israel like Nixon was good for the Republican Party.
Brits said to be thinking of Iran attack— Sullivan can’t imagine a crazier strategy, with devastating consequences… (thanks to Voskamp)
Israel will rot from within, no doubt of it. But how much of the world will still be standing by the time it collapses into a puddle of black goo?
Halevy cites “ultra-Orthodix extremism” without (as quoted here) explaining what he means. He might mean the settler movement, the settler-price-tag movement, the settler-pogrom movement, or merely shutting down certain public bus-lines on Saturdays.
I’d like to know what he meant and what average Israelis understood him to mean. Can anyone help with this question?
Are these the same ultra orthodox people around in 70AD? It didn’t end well then either.
Halevy is irresponsible and wants to have his cake and eat it too. If Iran is attacked and there are dire consequences, which there no doubt will be, he can say I told you so.
Like most Israeli and their supporters the double standard that allows israel to have nuclear weapons without signing the non proliferation treaty or allowing any inspectors while condeming Iran which does not yet have these weapons but has signed the NPT seems perfectly normal.
Force will be needed to stop iran from acquiring the bomb so if you against iran having nuclear weapons you are a hypocrite if you are against the use of force to stop iran from acquiring any.
He doesn’t explain what or anything should be done about the “ultra-Orthodox” because he doesn’t want to be responsible for anything done to them.
In any case the war has already started with cyber attacks, assasinations, and who knows what else. The US is waging an undeclared war on Iran because the Iranians have the audacity to want a tiny fraction of the same arms that US and Israel have.
I hope iran gets nuclear weapons quickly because it maybe the only way to deter us agression. Pakistan, China, India, North Korea, Russia have enough nuclear weapons between them to destroy the world. Did anybody lose any sleep last night worrying about these weapons? The world will be safer with a nuclear iran.
sullivan shares some of Bruce Riedel’s analysis
They don’t need to rely on Mexican drug cartels to hit inside America.
i find it almost inconceivable we could attack iran and not expect (and deserve) retaliation inside our country. no wonder ows doesn’t want us to focus on foreign policy. it just keeps getting worse and worse.