Will Israel Play Proxy in Iran?

by Sarah Meyer Index Research

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Cheney and Olmert

Updated 17.05.09

The terrorists are determined never to surrender, and are ready to kill and be killed."Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi .

How much can go wrong in the two months before Mr. Obama takes the oath of office? The answer, unfortunately, is: a lot, wrote Paul Krugman in the New York Times (21.11.08). ... Most obviously, were in the midst of the worst stock market crash since the Great Depression, he said.

What Mr. Krugman did not address was the forthcoming meeting between the Lame Duck Vice President and President Olmert during his visit to Washington. Both men have had an interest in bombing Iran, the 4th largest world oil producer who allegedly wants/has nuclear warheads.

To assess the present Israel /US vs Iran aggression, first it is useful to look at Cheneys US-IRAQ statements, taken from Barton Gellmans recent riveting book, Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency .


IRAQ

If someone did not stop Saddam .. its the judgment of many of us that in the not-too-distant future he will acquire nuclear weapons.

"The vice president brought the disquieting news that Iraqs ability to miniaturize weapons of mass destruction particularly nuclear, had been substantially refined since the first Gulf war,' Armey recalled."

Several agencies assessed (incorrectly, it turned out) that Saddams government was shopping for equipment to enrich uranium.

See pp. 218 219 for Cheney-backed stories about enrichment in aluminum tubes.

See Cheneys stories about Iraq fitting drones (UAVs) with sprayers for biological weapons. (p 220); for Iraqs purchase of electronic maps of US. (p. 221).

Mr. Cheney claims that he thinks and acts for the good of his country. This is self-delusion and hogwash. Mr. Cheneys motives are the same as any other corporate fat cat. Mr Cheney does act for special interests i.e. oil - and his own personal profit.


IRAN

Cheney and Rumsfeld were advancing the theory that Iran had a secret uranium enrichment program, a plausible suspicion for which the CIA had found no evidence. (Gellman, p. 245).

The United States (Cheney) has come to believe that Iran was actively pursuing nuclear weapons in bald defiance of the international community. Eight months earlier [i.e. prior to June 2008], Cheney had accused Iran of speeding ahead with uranium enrichment while dragging out talks, practicing delay and deception in an obvious attept to buy time. Iran would not be allowed to win at that game. Our country and the entire international community cannot stand by as a terror-supporting state fulfils its most aggressive ambitions. The Iranian regime needs to know that if it stays on its present course, the international community is prepared to impose serious consequences we will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. (Gellman 368-9)

Disinformation and war-pimp stories on Iran have been rampant and consistent for years. Here is recent story:

Media Disinformation regarding Iran's Nuclear Program: Tehran rejects NY Times atom bomb story
21.11.08. globalresearch.ca. Iran has rejected a New York Times report which claimed the country has produced enough nuclear material to make 'a single atom bomb'. / The latest UN nuclear watchdog report on Iran, released Wednesday, disclosed that the country had 'produced approximately 630 kilograms [1,390 pounds] of low enriched UF6'. / UF6 is used in the uranium enrichment process that produces fuel for nuclear reactors and weapons. / Later, the New York Times, citing nuclear experts, reported that the amount of UF6 at the disposal of Iran 'was enough for a bomb'. / The nuclear experts, meanwhile, cautioned that the milestone was 'mostly symbolic' because to produce a nuclear bomb, Iran would have to 'breach its international agreements and kick out the (UN nuclear watchdog) inspectors' and put an extremely purified fuel -- which Iran does not possess the technology to produce -- 'into a warhead design', the report added.

Which side are you on? ElBaradei: Iran incapable of developing bomb now 21.10.08. ynet news. IAEA chief says Tehran yet to obtain necessary raw unenriched uranium to build even single nuclear weapon. Meanwhile another round of talks amongst UN Security Council members on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program fails to yield results. Even if Iran were to withdraw from the non-proliferation treaty today, the likelihood of the Islamic Republic assembling even a single nuclear weapon in the near future is low, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohammed ElBaradei, said on Monday. This report has now been superceded by a further (biased?) IAEA report. The IAEA report confirmed that Iran has managed to enrich uranium-235 to a level "less than 5 percent". Such a rate is consistent with the construction of a nuclear power plant. Nuclear arms production, meanwhile, requires an enrichment level of above 90 percent. / The Vienna-based UN nuclear watchdog continues snap inspections of Iranian nuclear sites and has reported that all "declared nuclear material in Iran has been accounted for, and therefore such material is not diverted to prohibited activities."But some experts argue that this amount, at least in theory, is enough to produce one atom bomb - if it undergoes further processing, and the enrichment is at a high level. The experts are divided. The implications of this latest report will be discussed in the last week of November. Iran has every right to develop nuclear energy: India 01.11.08. headlines India.

To Each His Own Nuke
20.11.08. William Pfaff, truthdig. The propaganda argument usually made about Iran is that nuclear weapons would allow that country to threaten the United States, Israel and Europe. The missile defense that the Bush administration has wanted to build in Poland and Czechoslovakia is not meant to defend anything. It was designed to have a political effect by dividing old Europeans from the new ones who support the American proposal. Above all, it is meant to intimidate Russia. It is not directed at Iran, for whom a nuclear missile attack on the West would be nonsensical, as Teheran and Washington both know. / The purpose of U.S. pressure on the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency to provide further justification for Security Council sanctions on Iran is to prevent that country from obtaining the only feasible deterrence it could present to a future American or Israeli intervention in that country.

==
Iran feeling the pressure: Iran says it test-fired new surface to surface missile capable of hitting Israel (12.11.08. Haaretz)


Iran holds defence drills, warns on oil route
23.11.08. Reuters. An Iranian militia held civil defence drills on Sunday to prepare for any hostile air strikes and the military said it could close a waterway crucial for world oil supplies if Iran was attacked.

==
Poodle Pimp: Britain's Miliband calls Iran world threat (21.11.08. AP)

In Afghanistan, Robert Fisk reports that the Shias are asking their mullahs what they should do if America attacks Iran , and their mullahs told them that if this happens, they should support the Islamic Republic and attack all American and Nato interests in Kandahar."

That Iranian "Bomb"? Relax
20.11.08. Robert Dreyfus, The Nation. Ever since the U.S. intelligence community concluded, in that famous National Intelligence Estimate a year ago, that Iran had halted its secret weapons program, assorted neocons and hawks have tried to continue sounding the alarm about Iran, with only limited success. With the election of Obama, now, the hawks are regrouping -- see, the formation of the bipartisan collection of hawks flocking together in United Against Nuclear Iran -- and the usual suspects at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP) are venting their spleens. But it's clear that Iran isn't going to build a bomb next week, or next year, or even the year after, and that Obama will have lots and lots of time to deal with this problem in a leisurely manner. So relax.

Umm, Israelis? That means you, too.


ISRAEL

US-NATO has, in the quite recent past, involved Israel, who possesses nuclear weapons, in military exercises, and even suggested that Israel become a member of NATO. Israel wants a pre-emptive war against Iran, and has been pressuring the United States to help. The strong US/Israel alliance is the 'root' cause for unrest in the Arab world.

Israel source denies U.S curbing arms sales to deter Iran strike
14.08.08. Haaretz. [According to the current plan, American soldiers will control the radar, which will be connected to the Israeli Air Force's Arrow control room in Palmahim.

US Deploys Radar in Israel Amid Fears of Iranian Attack
28.09.08. global security.org. The U.S. has provided Israel with an advanced radar system to give early warning in the event of an Iranian missile attack. The system has been set up at an air base in the Negev desert in southern Israel. Israeli officials say 120 American military personnel have been deployed at the base to operate the radar. .. / "The Iranians should see this as a ratcheting up, that Israel and the United States are preparing to do something because they are worried about an Iranian counter attack and preparing to block that as well," Steinberg said.
The radar system will be activated (22.11.08, AFP)next month.

NEVATIM Air Base, Negev, Israel

US: IDF can't man Negev radar system
28.10.08. Jerusalem post. An IDF request to permit Israeli soldiers to control the new high-powered radar that the US has deployed in the Negev has been declined, senior defense officials told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday. .. / The X-Band radar's arrival in Israel last Sunday was kept under tight wraps until it was revealed over the weekend by Defense News, an industry newsletter. / The system, which came in a convoy of 12 transport planes and together with a 120-member crew, has been set up temporarily at the Nevatim air base in the Negev and will be moved to a permanent site in the next few months.

The high-powered radar, known as FBX-T, will be hooked up to the US military's Joint Tactical Ground Station [risky] and, assisted by satellites, will be capable of picking up a ballistic missile shortly after launch at which point it can estimate the time and location of its impact. .. / According to the report, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert raised the issue in a meeting with US President George W. Bush in May. Bush, senior European diplomatic officials told the paper, said he would not support a strike on Iran and added that his position was unlikely to change as long as he was in office. / Bush's position was apparently the result of two factors, the sources said: The first was US concern over Iranian retaliation, which would likely include attacks on US targets in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as on trade routes in the Persian Gulf; the second was US fears that Israel would not succeed in disabling Iran's nuclear facilities in a single strike, while ongoing strikes could bring on a full-scale war. / Israel would likely have to fly over Iraqi airspace - of which the US has total control - in order to strike in Iran, the sources said, and so America would be blamed for any such attack, even if it did not actively support it.

Israel asks U.S. for arms, air corridor to attack Iran
09.11.08. Haaretz. About a month ago, Haaretz reported that the Bush administration had turned down an Israeli request for certain security items that could upgrade Israel's capability to attack Iran. The U.S. administration reportedly saw the request as a sign preparations were moving ahead for an Israeli attack on Iran.

Construction of Negev missile defense base run by U.S. troops completed
13.11.08. Haaretz. Pictures of an American anti-missile radar installed in southern Israel were released earlier this week, depicting a recently completed military base, which will house the first permanent U.S. force to be deployed on Israeli soil. Construction of the base was completed in the last few days at Mount Keren near the Ketziot prison in the Negev." VIDEO.

Israeli Firm to Sell U.S. Biodefense Drugs
20.11.08. nti. A newly signed deal establishes Medison Pharma as Israel's sole distributor of countermeasures manufactured by the Maryland firm PharmAthene, representatives from the U.S. firm said yesterday. They added that Medison Pharma would obtain government authorization for the drugs as well as promote and deliver them. / The companies did not disclose the agreement's financial details.

IDF chief to NATO: defeat global terrorism
20.11.08. jta. "At this time, our main objective is to defeat global terrorism and bring stability and tranquility to the worlds population," he said. "This is definitely a complex mission" since the "terrorists have financial support, resources and equipment from terror collaborators" and they are supported by radical states that sponsor terrorism. .. / Ashkenazi met with his American counterpart, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, as well as his counterparts from other countries, including Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Turkey, Spain, France and Poland. He also met with senior NATO and E.U. officials.

Israel has pressed hard for a U.S. attack on Irans nuclear facilities, not because it fears nuclear aggression by Iran, which is inconceivable and would be suicidal folly. Israels concern is that if Iran acquires one or several nuclear weapons, it would deter conventional attack by its enemies, notably the United States. William Pfaff (20.11.08, Truthdig)

Israel, who has US funding, is at the moment committing war crimes in Gaza and Palestine. IDF Chief of Staff, Ashkenazi, spoke at a
NATO Chiefs of Defense Conference (21.11.08). His hypocrisy was breathtaking. He said that "at this time our main objective is to defeat global terrorism and bring about stability and tranquility to the world's populationthis is definitely a complex mission sincethe terrorists have financial support, resources and equipment from terror collaborators". If Obama wants to have a "fresh view" on the US role in the world, there are many institutions which should be abolished, amongst them US-NATO.

Bush and Olmert to meet over Iran's nuclear ambitions
21.11.08. Times Online. President Bush is to hold White House talks with the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday after publication of a nuclear watchdogs report this week showing that Iran may have stockpiled enough enriched uranium to make a nuclear bomb. / The timing of the talks, between two lame duck leaders with only weeks to go before they leave office, is intriguing. Israel has stated repeatedly that it would be unacceptable for an Iranian regime to acquire nuclear weapons. .. / During his visit to Washington, which begins on Sunday, Mr Olmert is expected to meet the Vice-President Dick Cheney, the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Robert Gates, the Defence Secretary. .. / Intelligence sources have told The Times that the prospect of Israel taking preemptive military action to knock out Irans nuclear facilities appears to have become significantly more likely in recent weeks. Such an operation would require at least tacit US cooperation because it would almost certainly involve Israeli warplanes flying through US-controlled airspace in Iraq.

Which Side Are you On? Prospect of Israel war on Iran 'stronger' 21.11.08. presstv.com/ICH. Israeli sources told the Times on Friday that in the past few weeks Tel Aviv has witnessed an increase in the chances of launching an airborne attack on Iran's nuclear infrastructure. / The revelation comes as Israeli military officials recently sent mixed signals about a calculated attack on Iran. / In a Wednesday interview with German weekly Der Speigel, Israeli Air Force Commander General Ido Nehushtan claimed that his forces were ready to follow any order to bring Iran's nuclear program to a halt. / .. Former Israeli military general Moshe Ya'alon, meanwhile, claimed that Tel Aviv has the 'right capabilities' to launch a successful strike on Iran./ .. The head of the Israeli military's Diplomatic-Security Bureau Amos Gilad, however, said a military attack on Iran would pose a 'considerable challenge'../ Israel's military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin also dismissed an Israeli plan to strike Iran, saying the world financial crisis and Barack Obama's election as the next US president have dissipated the chances of wiping out the Iranian enrichment program.

Israeli Air Force chief: We are ready to deal with Iran
22.11.08. defence.pk / jerusalem post. We are ready to do whatever is demanded of us" in order to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, IAF commander Maj. -Gen. Ido Nehushtan told German magazine Der Spiegel in an interview published Tuesday. Nehushtan told the magazine that whether a military strike is eventually decided upon is a political question and not an issue of Israel's military capabilities.

Olmert Eyes New Commitments on Iran During US Visit
22.11.08. AFP. Israel has repeatedly said that "all options are on the table," alluding to a military strike, to halt Iran's nuclear drive. The US and Israel accuse Tehran of covertly building nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian atomic program. .. / "For Olmert, this is a farewell visit from a close friend and ally. He wants to tie loose ends with regards to promises the Bush administration has given Israel," a government official said. / Olmert will press Bush and Congress to allow Israel to purchase dozens of F-35 stealth fighter-bombers, which would considerably boost the Israeli Air Force's ability to carry out long-range strikes. / In September, the Pentagon announced that the Jewish state had asked to buy up to 75 of the advanced warplanes, but Congress has yet to give the $15 billion deal a green light. / Over the past year, the US has considerably increased its already tight military ties with its ally, giving the Jewish state an unprecedented 10-year, $30 billion aid commitment. / Israel, the region's sole if undeclared nuclear armed state, considers Iran its main strategic threat because of its nuclear program, which Israel and the US claim aimed at developing an atomic bomb. Iran has denied the charge.

Lame-duck US, Israeli leaders to meet a final time
22.11.08. AP. The three-day visit beginning Sunday will focus on Iran's nuclear program and progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks launched by Bush last year. .. / Even with time running out for both Olmert and Bush, it is not too late for them to take bold actions, such as drafting a peace deal with the Palestinians or ordering an airstrike targeting Iran, said Avraham Diskin, a political science professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Iran to dominate last meeting of Ehud Olmert and George W Bush
23.11.08. T. Shipman, T. Butcher, Telegraph. Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, will seek new assurances that the US is determined to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon when he meets President George W Bush at the White House on Monday. .. / Bush has been sending mixed signals. "He's shown no sign of wanting to go out in a blaze of glory by supporting a strike, American or Israeli, but you never know."

Israel fears US will dither while Iran goes nuclear
23.11.08. Times Online. Israel is concerned that Bush will pass the Iranian hot potato to Barack Obama, the president-elect, while the last chance of destroying Tehrans nuclear bomb-making programme may be passing. / A Pentagon source told The Sunday Times earlier this year that Bush had given Israel an amber light to carry on with military preparations to attack Iranian nuclear sites. / The International Atomic Energy Agency , which has been inspecting Irans main nuclear facility at Natanz, published a report last week which concluded that Iran is rapidly increasing stockpiles of enriched uranium and may be on course to build a nuclear weapon by next year.

Divisions within Israel Israeli army brass advocate timely war on Iran 23.11.08. presstv. An Israeli security assessment has recommended devising contingency plans to attack Iran even if it means courting a conflict with the US. The leaked paper drawn up by Israeli military chiefs maintains that Tel Aviv has a 'limited' window of opportunity to act against Iran before the country obtains a nuclear weapon, claiming that in 2009, Israel might have to face a nuclear Iran 'alone'. / Senior Israeli officials had earlier expressed concern that an Obama administration might lead up to the restoration of Washington-Tehran relations. Israeli Military Urges Contingency Plan for Iran Strike 23.11.08. anti-war. Experts disagree on whether Iran even has the raw material to construct a single nuclear weapon if it chose to do so. They seem to agree, hawkish political sloganeering notwithstanding, that Iran has not diverted any of that material to military ends. Either way, the Israeli militarys annual security assessment sees them as a grave threat to Israels very survival, what with that non-zero possibility that they might hypothetically be able to make a single atomic weapon if they really wanted to. / To that end, the assessment calls for Israel to work discreetly on contingency plans for an attack on Iran, in addition to keeping a close eye on the US to prevent any deal between the Americans and Iran that would undermine Israels agenda. Israeli General Eyes Regime Change, Assassination in Iran 23.11.08. anti-war. In an interview, former Israeli military chief and potential future Defense Minister General Moshe Yaalon says that the Iranian revolution must be confronted immediately, and suggests some rather extreme measures which this confrontation might involve. / Firstly an Israeli attack, in the generals estimation, should not begin and end with striking Irans civilian nuclear power plant, presently being constructed by Russia. Rather, Gen. Yaalon envisions follow-up to prevent the regime from rehabilitating itself, and ultimately, regime change. Beyond that, Gen. Yaalon also proposes assassinating Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, though his aides later insisted that was taken out of context.

Will George Bush put the brake on Cheney and Israels hope for a war on Iran?
UPDATE: Report: US Asked Israel Not to Start Any Major Wars Until Obama Takes Office . (24.11.08. anti-war) Amid several bellicose comments about the possibility of an impending Israeli strike against Iran Israeli Defense Ministry officials say they have been contacted by US officials who have asked them to refrain from launching any attacks against Iran until after President-elect Barack Obama takes office in January. Likewise, the officials reportedly have cautioned Israel not to launch its long-reported ground invasion of the Gaza Strip until after the inauguration. / An Israeli attack on Iran would almost certainly be interpreted as an American attack. BUT

Updates
US has never advised Israel against Iran strike: Olmert
25.11.08. AFP. The outgoing prime minister, who ends what is probably his last visit to Washington in office, said he had "spoke at length with Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the president on Iran." / "There is a basic, deep understanding about the Iranian threat and the need to act in order to remove threat," he told reporters.

Russian intelligence sees U.S. military buildup on Iran border
27.11.08. rian.ru. "The latest military intelligence data point to heightened U.S. military preparations for both an air and ground operation against Iran," the official said, adding that the Pentagon has probably not yet made a final decision as to when an attack will be launched. He also said the U.S. Naval presence in the Persian Gulf has for the first time in the past four years reached the level that existed shortly before the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. / Col.-Gen. Leonid Ivashov, vice president of the Academy of Geopolitical Sciences, said last week that the Pentagon is planning to deliver a massive air strike on Iran's military infrastructure in the near future.

IDF preparing options for strike at Iran without US assent
04.12.08. jerusalem post. While its preference is to coordinate with the US, defense officials have said Israel is preparing a wide range of options for such an operation. "It is always better to coordinate," one top Defense Ministry official explained last week. "But we are also preparing options that do not include coordination."


FINALE

Report Sees Nuclear Arms, Scarce Resources as Seeds of Global Instability
21.11.08, Peter Finn and Walter Pincus, Washington Post. The drive for dwindling resources, including energy and water, combined with the spread of nuclear weapons technology could make large swaths of the globe ripe for regional conflicts, some of them potentially devastating, according to a report released by the National Intelligence Council yesterday. / The report, Global Trends 2025, covers a range of strategic issues, including great-power rivalry, demographics, climate change, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, energy and natural resources. It makes for sometimes grim reading in imagining a world of weak states bristling with weapons of mass destruction and unable to cope with burgeoning populations without adequate water and food. One reader found the presentation superficial, gullible, self-contradictory, and suffering from historical amnesia.

Chris Hedges wrote an excellent book exploring the idea of Thanatos , which has destroyed our world community since the "War on Terror" following 9/11.

The United States was the first, and only, nuclear terrorist. It is heartwarming to read Andrew Bacevich (p. 178): For the United States, abolishing nuclear weapons ought to be an urgent national security priority. So, too, should preserving our planet. These are the meta-challenges of our time.

UPDATE: THE SOLUTION?

Try Tough Love, Hillary
01.12.08. Roger Cohen, Op Ed, NY Times. So, by saying Israel has been wrong, Olmert was also saying the United States has been wrong, even if he never mentioned America.In a frank September interview with the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, reprinted this month by The New York Review of Books, the Israeli leader chose to exit with a mea culpa for his country's policies. / Those policies have been encouraged by the Bush administration, whose war on terror was embraced by the Israeli government as a means to frame Israel's confrontation with the Palestinians as part of the same struggle. No matter that Al Qaeda and the Palestinian national movement are distinct. The facile conflation got Bush in lock step with whatever Israel did.

Israel and Washington have continued to thump war drums since this article was first published. In March 2009:


Israel draws 'red lines' for Obama on Iran
03.03.09. presstv. Israel prepares a set of red lines for Washington to inject into its Iran policy as the current US approach toward Tehran rankles Tel Aviv.

'Israel seriously considering military action against Iran'
05.03.09. Jerusalem Post. Israel is seriously considering taking unilateral military action to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, according to a report by top US political figures and experts released Wednesday./ The report, "Preventing a Cascade of Instability," was put out by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP). It also argues that international sanctions against Iran need to be intensified urgently for the engagement the Obama administration is planning with Teheran to be effective. / An early draft of the report was endorsed by Dennis Ross before he withdrew upon joining the Obama administration

Officials: Iran does not have key nuclear material
10.03.09. AP. Iran does not yet have any highly enriched uranium, the fuel needed to make a nuclear warhead, two top U.S. intelligence officials told Congress Tuesday, disputing a claim by an Israeli official. U.S. National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Michael Maples said Tuesday that Iran has only low-enriched uranium which would need to be refined into highly enriched uranium before it can fuel a warhead. Neither officials said there were indications that refining has occurred. Their comments disputed a claim made last weekend by Israel's top intelligence military official, who said Iran has crossed a technical threshold and is now capable of producing atomic weapons. See also jazeera
here.

Ashkenazi in U.S.: IDF must prepare to strike Iran
17.03.09. Haaretz / legitgov. During a visit to Washington, D.C., Ashkenazi met with Dennis Ross, the designated U.S. envoy to the Persian Gulf, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton [both AIPAC suppoters] to discuss the Iranian issue.

Study on a Possible Israeli Strike on Iran's Nuclear Development Facilities
16.03.09. CSIS / ICH. This report provides a detailed analysis of Israeli capabilities, possible flight paths, sorties requirements, battle damage capabilities relative to target hardening, and the other details of possible Israeli strikes.

IDF to U.S.: Israel Closing In on Taking Military Aim at Iran
18.03.09. israel natioanl news. The newspaper quoted sources that claimed Lieutenant-General Ashkenazi told American officials that Israel is preparing for a military attack

Commander confirms Netanyahu war plans
23.03.09. presstv.ir/ICH. Israel is preparing for all-out war on multiple fronts that include Iran, Syria and Lebanon, a senior military commander claims.

Manufacturing Consent for War

Petraeus Says Israel Might Choose to Attack Iran
01.04.09. Bloomberg. Army General David Petraeus told Congress that "the Israeli government may ultimately see itself so threatened by the prospect of an Iranian nuclear weapon that it would take preemptive military action
See also:
Amnesty: US Arms Delivery to Israel Threatens "Mideast Peace"
02.04.09. almanar / ICH. The delivery of munitions in the Zionist entity from the US earlier this month has thrown President Barack Obama's commitment to maintaining peaceful relations between Israel and Palestine into question, according to Amnesty International.

Obama tells Netanyahu: U.S. committed to Israel's security
01.04.09. Haaretz. U.S. President Barack Obama called newly sworn in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to congratulate him on his new position, and to reaffirm steadfast U.S. commitment to Israel and its security.

War is Coming to Iran and Israel
02.04.09. pak alert/ ICH. The primary imperative for the United States and President Barack Obama is to put an end to Iran's nuclear race, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said before his swearing-in Tuesday, adding that if the US failed to do so Israel might be forced to resort to a military strike on the Islamic Republic's nuclear installations.

Netanyahu and threat of bombing Iran
06.04.09. Huff Post / ICH. In an interview with Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic, incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed to have told President Barack Obama that either America stops Iran or Israel will. Not surprisingly, the interview sparked quite a controversy and only a day later, General David Petreus told the Senate Arms Services Committee that "the Israeli government may ultimately see itself so threatened by the prospect of an Iranian nuclear weapon that it would take preemptive military action to derail or delay it." / So once again, in spite of President Obama's best efforts, the military option was put back on the table and the atmosphere for dealing with Iran was turned into "Do as we say - or else..." Even if the President wants to give diplomacy a chance, disbelievers have been quick to limit Obama's options by seeking to set arbitrary deadlines for negotiations - or by threatening Israeli military action if America doesn't act with its military might.

IDF planninglargest-ever drill to prepare Israel for war
07.04.09. Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz /. ICH.
The Home Front Command is preparing to hold the largest exercise ever in Israeli history, scheduled to take place in about two months, in hopes of priming the populace and raising awareness of the possibility of war breaking out.

Israel carries out missile test - Defence Ministry
07.04.09. the star / ICH. Israel carried out a test launch of its Arrow II interceptor missile on Tuesday, the Defence Ministry said, a system designed to defend against possible ballistic missile attacks by Iran and Syria.

Will Israel Attack? Mixed Messages from Washington Could Lead to Catastrophe in Iran
13.04.09. Roane Carey, Tomdispatch.com/alternet. Anything short of a categorical, even vociferous U.S. refusal of an Israeli attack could have horrific consequences. Israel has been steadily ratcheting up pressure on the United States concerning the grave threat allegedly posed by Iran, which seems poised to master the nuclear fuel cycle, and thus the capacity to produce nuclear weapons. The new Israeli prime minister, Likud Party hawk Benjamin Netanyahu, has warned President Barack Obama that if Washington does not quickly find a way to shut down Iran's nuclear program, Israel will.

Peres on Ahmadinejad: We'll strike him
12.04.09. presstiv. Israel 'will' launch its much-predicted military strike against Iran, should Washington's overture to Tehran prove to be of no avail. In an interview with Kol Hai Radio, Israeli President Shimon Peres launched into a tirade against Iran and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warning him about his stance.

U.S. troops take part in ISRAEL X-Band radar test
13.04.09. Stars and Stripes. U.S. troops took part in a missile defense exercise in Israel last week that for the first time incorporated a U.S.-owned radar system deployed to the country in October. [Just the ticket to keep the Muslims happy? ] About 100 Europe-based troops continue to operate the X-Band radar, which is intended to give Israel early warning in the event of a missile launch from Iran.

Don't flash the yellow light
13.04.09. al jazeera. Mixed messages from Washington could lead to catastrophe in Iran. Israel has been steadily ratcheting up pressure on the United States concerning the grave threat allegedly posed by Iran, which seems poised to master the nuclear fuel cycle, and thus the capacity to produce nuclear weapons. The new Israeli prime minister, Likud Party hawk Benjamin Netanyahu, has warned President Barack Obama that if Washington does not quickly find a way to shut down Iran's nuclear program, Israel will.

Israel stands ready to bomb Iran's nuclear sites
18.04.09. Times Online. The Israeli military is preparing itself to launch a massive aerial assault on Iran's nuclear facilities within days of being given the go-ahead by its new government. … The distance from Israel to at least one of the sites is more than 870 miles, a distance that the Israeli force practised covering in a training exercise last year that involved F15 and F16 jets, helicopters and refuelling tankers. … “Many of the leaks or statements made by Israeli leaders and military commanders are meant for deterrence. The message is that if [the international community] is unable to solve the problem they need to take into account that we will solve it our way,” Mr Kam said.

What would be the timetable for Israel strike on Iran?
19.04.09. Haaretz / anti-war. The timing of Saturday's Times of London article , which claimed that the Israel Defense Forces is training for an attack on Iran on very short notice, is certainly no coincidence. Israel is trying to make clear that even though the United States plans to begin a diplomatic dialogue with Iran, it holds a realistic military option against Tehran's nuclear program. Without a deal that assuages Israel's concerns, there may be no other choice but to attack.

Putting the screws in - wrong way around –
GET RID OF YOUR OWN NUKES, ISRAEL!

Israel Puts Iran Issue Ahead of Palestinians
22.04.09. Wash Post. The new Israeli government will not move ahead on the core issues of peace talks with the Palestinians until it sees progress in U.S. efforts to stop Iran's suspected pursuit of a nuclear weapon and limit Tehran's rising influence in the region, according to top government officials familiar with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's developing policy on the issue.

Lieberman tells Russian newspaper: U.S. will accept any Israeli decision
21.04.09. Lily Galili and Barak Ravid, Haaretz / uruknet. The Obama Administration will put forth new peace initiatives only if Israel wants it to, said Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman in his first comprehensive interview on foreign policy since taking office. "Believe me, America accepts all our decisions," Lieberman told the Russian daily Moskovskiy Komosolets.

The danger of an Israeli strike on Iran
24.04.09. CS Monitor. The US needs to make it clear it will not tolerate a first strike.

using ‘swine flu’ as excuse for bioweapons

Israel Updates Biodefense Program to Counter Terror Threat
27.04.09. nti. Israel has updated its biological defense efforts to counter threats from terrorists and regional rivals such as Iran, the Jerusalem Post reported yesterday. / "A bioweapon can be dispersed in a hall full of people and the consequences would only be felt a week later," Eiland added. "This is unlike a chemical attack, which would be felt immediately. The swine flu (that has broken out in Mexico and, apparently, other countries) helps illustrate the threat of bioweapons."

Gingrich to AIPAC: Attack Iran
04.05.09. Israel national news. The Bush administration was too soft on Iran, which should be in the crosshairs of the American armed forces, former Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich said in a speech on the opening day of the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) meeting Sunday.

Israeli Planes Prepare for Airstrike on Iran
05.05.09. Israel national news. Israel Air Force planes conducted exercises between Israel and Gibraltar, including midair refueling, according to a report published Saturday in the French weekly L'Express.

An astonishing comment from a country that has already ‘gone nuclear':

Israel's new U.S. envoy to AIPAC: We won't let Iran go nuclear (05.05.09. Haaretz)
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Israel would inform, not ask U.S. before hitting Iran
06.05.09. Reuters. While no one questions Israel's willingness to attack should it deem U.S.-led talks on curbing Iranian uranium enrichment a dead end, such strikes would almost certainly entail at least last-minute coordination with Washington. Israel would want to ensure that its jets would not be shot down by accident if overflying U.S.-occupied Iraq... One U.S. diplomat envisaged Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak telephoning Pentagon chief Robert Gates, unannounced, "to give a heads-up and explain" once the mission were under way.

The Bomb Iran Faction
12.05.09. Gary Leupp, Counterpunch / ICH. There is clearly a faction of the power elite that is, and has for some years been pressing, for a U.S. military attack on Iran. It is not advocating a war, at least openly, or an occupation of that vast nation; rather, it is advocating an operation similar in concept to the Israeli attack on Iraq's French-built Osiraq nuclear reactor in 1981. In a word, it is both advocating an Israeli-like action and justifying it explicitly as one on behalf of Israel.

Are We Being Conditioned To Accept a Pre-emptive Attack on Iran?
12.05.09. rds2301, Daily Kos / ICH. President Obama is concerned that Iran has sought nuclear weapons and its leaders "allegedly" deny the Holocaust and threaten Israel. Publically, Obama and Biden believe that it was reckless for Congress to give George Bush any justification to extend the Iraq War or to attack Iran but President-Elect Obama didn’t wait for his inauguration to appoint "saber-rattling" Hillary Clinton Secretary of State and retained Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense. / … The historical precedent for the hatred fomented against the "alleged" Arab terrorists and Iran would be the Nazis in Germany, not Arab terrorist in Iraq.

Manufacturing Consent For Attack On Iran

Iran very close to getting nuclear arms: Israel
12.05.09. AFP. "Iran is at the moment very close to getting a military nuclear arsenal," Amos Yadlin told parliament's foreign affairs and defence committee, adding that "Iran can manage to stabilise its military nuclear programme by 2010."

Obama courts Israel with pact against Tehran
17.05.09. Times Online. PRESIDENT Barack Obama hopes to tempt Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli leader, into making concessions to the Palestinians by holding out the prospect of a “grand alliance” of moderate Arab states against a nuclear Iran.
See recent updates at Iran: No Change in Obama's Diplomacy?

Sarah Meyer is an independent researcher living in the UK

The url to Will Israel Play Proxy in Iran? is http://indexresearch.blogspot.com/2008/11/will-israel-play-proxy-in-iran.html

The shorter url is:http://tinyurl.com/564w84

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REFERENCES

Iran War: Resource Info (24.01.07, some updates)

UK and US Weapons to Israel: see here. (30.07.06).

US-NATO 'Missile Shield' Programme: Index Timeline Part II (03. 04.08, continuously updated)

See all "No Change" articles

Obama's Iraq: No Change

Iran: No Change for Obama

Israel: Obama's Foreign Policy - No Change

Obama's Rhetoric vs. Damning Evidence on Guantanamo, Rendition, Torture


Obama: Our Seamless President Elect
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Airfields, Israel (global security)


More on US Joint Tactical Ground Station
(global security)

The Co-President at Work
20.11.08. David Bromwich, NY Book Review. The man who held decisive authority in the White House during the Bush years has so far remained unaccountable for the aggrandizement and abuse of executive power; for the imposition of repressive laws whose contents were barely known by the legislature that passed them; for the instigation of domestic spying without disclosure or oversight; for the dissemination of false evidence to take the country into war; for the design and conduct of what the constitutional framers would have called an imperium in imperio, a government within the government.
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Andrew J. Bacevich The Limits of Power , Metropolitan Books, August 2008

Video interview with A. Bacevich (21.11.08. al jazeera / ICH)



Chris Hedges War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning , Anchor, June 2003



Barton Gellman, Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency , Penguin Press, September 2008

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TAGS
Index Research, USA, IRAN, Israel, Cheney, Olmert, NATO