Israel Has Launched Long-Shot Attacks Before – Wall Street Journal
Israel Has Launched Long-Shot Attacks Before – Wall Street Journal – WSJ.com.
Iran should take heed: In 1967, a pre-emptive strike on Egypt seemed impossible too.
Former Prime Minister Levi Eshkol in 1965.
Gamma-Keystone/Getty Images
Last week, Israel’s outgoing ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren, sought to settle a long-running debate regarding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s willingness to use military force to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
“Certainly,” Mr. Oren told daily newspaper Haaretz, “[Mr. Netanyahu] was the one who succeeded in drawing the world’s attention to the threat. . . . But this success is not enough. The question he faces is similar to the question that [former Prime Minister Levi] Eshkol faced in May 1967.”
As a close confidant to the prime minister and an award-winning historian of the Six Day War, Mr. Oren’s comparison of Mr. Netanyahu to Eshkol is an ominous one that shouldn’t be ignored.
Throughout its short history, the state of Israel has repeatedly shocked the world with bold military operations previously considered impossible, unthinkable, or borderline suicidal. On June 5, 1967, Eshkol sent most of Israel’s air force into Egypt for a surprise preemptive attack, which left less than a dozen warplanes to defend the entire homeland. In the six days that followed, Israel defeated multiple threatening Arab armies, changing the face of the Middle East to this day.
Since the Six Day War, successive Israeli leaders have signed off on daring operations that have entered the annals of history: the 1976 hostage rescue in Entebbe, Uganda, the bombing of Saddam Hussein’s Osiraq nuclear reactor in 1981 and the sneak attack to spoil Bashar al-Assad’s own nuclear ambitions in 2007, to name a few. Premiers like Eshkol, Yitzhak Rabin and Ehud Olmert embarked on each of these operations after becoming convinced that even their staunchest allies would not come to Israel’s assistance.
In the face of such choices, forget the intelligence estimates and risk assessments. It ultimately takes a do-or-die, all-or-nothing mindset to make a decision which could either bring complete victory, or considerable military defeat and diplomatic isolation. In this context, Mr. Netanyahu not only views Iran as an existential threat comparable to the Nazi Holocaust—he also wishes to be remembered as the one who personally delivered its demise. On this point, sources close to the prime minister assert that he keeps in his desk drawer World War II-era letters from the U.S. War Department, which decline requests by the World Jewish Congress to bomb gas chambers at Auschwitz.
Amid turmoil now in Egypt, bedlam in Syria and musings of reform from Iran’s newly elected President Hassan Rouhani, Mr. Netanyahu now fears that his campaign to stop Iran from going nuclear has been put on the international community’s back burner. Israel’s ambassador to the U.N., Ron Prosor, has repeatedly warned the Security Council that Iran’s nuclear program is racing forward like an express train, passing diplomatic efforts that lag behind on the local route. Recent statements by the Netanyahu administration indicate they believe that Iran’s nuclear train will arrive at its final destination by Nov. 2013 unless the international community intervenes.
Last month, Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Yuval Steinitz revealed Israel’s assessment that Iran is close to stockpiling 200 kilograms of 20% enriched uranium and repeated that acquiring 250 kilograms would constitute Mr. Netanyahu’s so-called “red line.” His assessment is in line with th International Atomic Energy Agency’s May 2013 report, which alleges that Iran possessed approximately 182 kilograms of 20% enriched uranium. With Iran’s current ability to stockpile roughly 15 kilograms of 20% enriched uranium per month, Iran could trigger a preemptive Israeli strike in less than four months.
Meanwhile, while Mr. Netanyahu may have faced resistance in the past to launching a preventative strike, current conditions at home and across the region may be the most optimal he has ever had. Since Jan. 2013, Israel has provoked Iran and its allies (at least) three times with airstrikes against weapons convoys destined to Hezbollah in Syria, albeit without any reaction. The incidents, which served to reduce fears of a regional conflagration, have clearly resonated with Israel’s various security chiefs, who have refrained from voicing any concerns about a strike on Iran, unlike their predecessors.
On July 14, Mr. Netanyahu commenced a widespread public and back-channel diplomacy campaign to re-rally Israel’s allies to commit to both a convincing military threat and additional economic sanctions against Iran. His hope is that such a stance by the world community would deter Iran’s decision makers from taking advantage of Mr. Rouhani’s transition period to advance the nuclear program beyond the point of no return. Iranian officials, meanwhile, have stated that nuclear negotiations with the West should be put on hold until after Mr. Rouhani’s cabinet is inaugurated in August. It is Jerusalem’s fear that by the time Iran and its negotiating partners agree on a timetable and venue for new talks, it may be too late.
Many Israeli pundits, as well as Ambassador Oren himself, have compared Mr. Netanyahu’s diplomatic push to Eshkol’s last-ditch efforts to convince Washington of the existential threats posed by Arab nations in the weeks before June 5, 1967. As in 1967, this is a conflict that Israel has been anticipating for years, building previously unused military capability and practicing its strategy in preparation for another surprise feat, which may ultimately shock the world once again.
Having recently announced its willingness to negotiate with President-elect Rouhani, the Obama administration should heed this history lesson, lest the U.S. and the international community be caught off guard by another Israeli-induced regional earthquake.
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WarSclerotic 
July 16, 2013 at 2:02 PM
More wind no action get it into your heads The usa and NAto will not attack iran,Israel must do its own dirty work,for example the UK does not go to America and ask it to attack Argentina we do it ourselves,time Israel stopped hiding behind other country’s flags,you have been given the tools use them NATO will have your back
July 16, 2013 at 2:58 PM
July 16, 2013 at 2:18 PM
. and the international community be caught off guard by another Israeli-induced regional earthquake.
Wat an unbelievable bull shit.
July 16, 2013 at 3:09 PM
Not so fast Joop. Justice’s comment is quite right. I don’t think he meant this to be an affront against Israel. Actually, it’s good advice. Israel should be fully prepared to do the heavy lifting when it comes to her defense. While she may have very powerful friends, Israel alone is responsible for her defense and her fate.
And I truly believe NATO will have Israel’s back, although the USA will not play a leading role. You see, folks here in the states are extremely war weary and tired of seeing our young men and women return home in body bags. This steady drain of precious young life is a product of the ‘bullshit’ rules of engagement and we are sick of it. If war is needed, then by George, give them a real war, complete with collateral damage and follow through until the entire population of the enemy cries ‘Uncle!’. But don’t count on Obama and his political rules of engagement to do the job for you. Obama is a poll crazy fool and the polls say ‘no’ to more military intervention abroad. So, it’s up to Israel to be fully prepared.
July 16, 2013 at 3:20 PM
Keep on dreaming.
EU bans contracts between member states, settlements
New decree restricts any Israeli entity beyond 1967 lines from EU funding, prizes, grants. Housing Minister Ariel: Decision reminiscent of Holocaust
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4405638,00.html
July 16, 2013 at 6:26 PM
joops just a asshole no offense taken,Cameron fell off his chair laffing last week when the IDF staff ased the uk to attack Iran.israel is entitled in international law to preemptively strike Iran there is a clear president in law,ther is none for NATO no nato member is threatened by iran not even close pr ever will be iran is a joke.Joop is in holland he is talk and does nothing just a sad old fart if any one a troll its joop ,Want to hiy iran cut the shit and hit it and joop shut up you do nothing to help Israel the opposite in fact what a asshole,why dont you get the pathetic dutch army and navy to attack iran with its two ships and 20 aircraft ,oh they cant there all drug addicts and stung out whores,Why should we spend our money and our solders lives on your cause when in every fucking comment you fuck us that’s why no one s listening any more Blame it on the Israeli press and blogs,,,JOOP
July 17, 2013 at 12:22 AM
Quokka
July 17, 2013 at 12:57 AM
Yep england is backing up the Jews , like in 1939/1940 whit closing the borders for Jews, so they could be gassed by the nazi,s
Al least the usa had a import quota of 22,000 Jews a year.
But it is time to get over this defeat, i know it hurts.
The Raid on the Medway, sometimes called the Battle of the Medway, Raid on Chatham or the Battle of Chatham, was a successful Dutch attack on the largest English naval ships, laid up in the dockyards of their main naval base Chatham, that took place in June 1667 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. The Dutch, under nominal command of Lieutenant-Admiral Michiel de Ruyter, bombarded and then captured the town of Sheerness, sailed up the River Thames to Gravesend, then up the River Medway to Chatham, where they burned three capital ships and ten lesser naval vessels and towed away the Unity and the Royal Charles, pride and normal flagship of the English fleet. The raid led to a quick end to the war and a favourable peace for the Dutch. It was the worst defeat in the Royal Navy’s history,[1] and one of the worst suffered by the British military.[6]
The back up from england for Jews:
from nazi barbwire to englisch barbwire.
Yep glorious histories about backing up Jews !
On request i will gladly give you some more information about English backing up !
July 17, 2013 at 2:16 AM
Take a chill pill dude, no need to be so immature!!!!!!
July 16, 2013 at 3:23 PM
Nato can not even whipe there one ass whit out permission of the usa !
July 16, 2013 at 3:42 PM
Let me try to say it a bit blunt.
Do you realy think Israel can take on the rest of the world ?
Do you realy think we go to a ww3 over Israel ?
Nope we will have what we call ¨peace treaty,s after the smoke is gone and we offer Israel if it had never existed if necessarily
Do you not see the danger luring around the corner ?
We did it before and we will do it again trowing country’s under the bus.
I think BIBI see it sharp as a butchers knife !
The whole world is made ready for this shit, look to the msm , teli and so on, the un etc etc !!
Stop dreaming the world do not have the back of Israel.
July 16, 2013 at 4:04 PM
OK Joop. So the world doesn’t have Israel’s back. Then what?
July 16, 2013 at 11:51 PM
Yep that is the 1000, dollar question, I see a very bleak future for Israel as independent Jewish democratic state .if the big plan FOR A NEW WORLD ORDER NOT CHANGE
Then what, mm, just surviving , just surviving as individual or as a group of people whit in the new situation., as done for 1000 of years.
July 16, 2013 at 4:25 PM
As foretold.
“There will only be one left standing in the Middle East.”
The longer Israel waits, allowing the EVIL surrounding it to strengthen, the less likely it will be Israel. It is written.
July 16, 2013 at 5:49 PM
The idea that Eshkol ”send” the IAF to execute the air blitz on the Egyptian air force in ’67 is highly deceptive and historically inaccurate; It was Ezer Weizman, the commander of the IAF who, together with Moshe Dayan, thought and implemented the plan that will make the Israeli Army famous and gave history the Six Days War. Levi Eshkol was hesitant and wanted to wait until the last moment but the pressure of the high ranks officers army was high, so the operation got a ”go”. In that faithful morning, the Egyptian pilots just had their coffees near the sea, when at eight minutes to eight in the morning the Israeli jets, coming from the sea direction, started to destroy the Egyptian planes on the ground and enter in the History.
July 16, 2013 at 5:58 PM
I cant see an all out strike on Iran I just really cant anymore
July 16, 2013 at 6:22 PM
Then Isarel is doomed!
July 16, 2013 at 6:23 PM
Is that not written?
July 16, 2013 at 6:38 PM
I’m afraid it is if Iran builds Atomics. They will not just build one but hundreds. Then others in the region will build. Israel will eventually be surround by radicals with Atomics. I see a short shelf life for Israel if that happend. IT IS WRITTEN!!!!!!!!!!!
July 16, 2013 at 7:09 PM
Don’t be pessimists here and don’t underestimate Israel potential to take action and defend itself, even that wont be in the very moment that we, the spectators, are thinking that Israel must act.
July 16, 2013 at 7:25 PM
And luis you are bang on right.israel is its own man and no one doubts her.NATO really does have your back and really means it as soon as iran retaliates at Israels nato allies WE will absolutely level Iran and her Allies epically the big ones,but it is Israels call not ours we have grown tired of nearly 13 years of war with our sons coming back with Flags draped over their coffins,protecting Israel Is still important but like in 1967 its your call
July 17, 2013 at 12:36 AM
Read this show how we have the back of Israel !
http://www.israelnetz.com/aussenpolitik/detailansicht/aktuell/eu-verursacht-erdbeben-in-israel/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=13-07-16&cHash=338064181918f5155442e39f51bc4a8b
EU caused “Earthquake” in Israel
A binding Decree of the EU prohibits Brussels / JERUSALEM (inn) – any award of scholarships, research funding or awards to Israelis living in settlements in the West Bank, the Golan Heights or East Jerusalem. Also the cooperation with the Israelis and their financial support was forbidden. The decision is binding for all 28 EU Member States. Over half a million Jewish Israelis are affected.
According to the new policy, in the future any agreement between a Member State and Israel must contain a clause that the settlements are not part of the State of Israel.
The members and Deputy Minister Ofir Akunis spoke of a “wrong and regrettable decision”. “Such steps, even before the Palestinians have declared a return to the negotiations, move peace talks in the distance, rather than speed it up.”
The Minister for regional development, Silvan Shalom, said the scheme shows how “Advanced” is Europe of the reality in the Middle East. Europe excludes itself from a stake in the peace process.
The Office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanjahu’s silent yet to the new EU decision.
A high-ranking Israeli officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has according to the newspaper “HA’ Ha’aretz ‘ the new regime known as”Earthquake”. For the first time, the EU, have published an explicit written policy. So far there were silent understandings and agreements, according to which the EU not beyond the green line (called the Armistice line of 1949, of Palestinians also 1967-border) become active. Now, it was a formal, binding policy.
The official went on to say: “We are not prepared to include this clause in our contracts with the European Union and sign.” The practical result could be a stop of all cooperation in the fields of economy, science, culture and sport.
“Unilateral partisanship for Palestinians”
The “territorial clause” in the paper amounted to a European recognition of the Armistice line of 1949 as border of Israel, what constituted in accordance with first Israeli comments of a unilateral espousing of the EU for Palestinian positions. While Israel insists to negotiate borders, the Palestinians on an unconditional Israeli withdrawal and a renewed Division of Jerusalem are where an American Friedensvorschlages by December 23, 2000 the large settlement blocs and parts of East Jerusalem by Israel should be in accordance with.
According to Israeli media, the new directive allow a cooperation with Israeli authorities in East Jerusalem, such as the Ministry of Justice, but only for activities within the “1967 borders”. It is unclear whether academic institutions such as the Hebrew University of Jerusalem are affected, because she employed faculty residing in East Jerusalem or settlements. As well, athletes residing “beyond the 67-er borders” project of the EU, such as EUROMED youth meetings, could be excluded in the future. Had Israel been asked already, to include the territorial clause during negotiations in Brussels to projects of EUROMED, reports “HA’ Ha’aretz ‘.
According to the newspaper, in the future all spheres of life of Israelis would be included if the EU requirements should apply also for scientific cooperation, youth exchanges and even for the tourism industry. The guidelines could avoid strictly any aid of Israel to Palestinians and pilgrimage tours of Israeli companies stop after Bethlehem and Jericho, a major source of income of the Palestinian Authority (PA). Unclear, its own development assistance to Palestinians in Israel managed area C in the West Bank will process from is in the future too, such as Germany. The Federal Minister for economic cooperation and development, Dirk Niebel, said recently in Jerusalem that Israel was the recognized administrative power in the occupied territory, and that therefore development projects such as solar systems and sewage treatment plants could be built only with Israeli consent.
The honour of the EU Embassy in Tel Aviv, Sandra de Waele, told Israeli radio that the EU does not recognize the Israeli presence in the West Bank and the Golan Heights “has always been” and “illegal” under international law consider the settlement.
David Kriss, spokesman for the EU delegation in Tel Aviv, stated on request, that the Commission already on 30 June had adopted the new guidelines that your wording will be officially released only on July 30. The rules apply from 2014 to 2020.
According to data by the Jerusalem Mayor NIR Barkat in the newspaper “HA’ Ha’aretz ‘ the EU plan further steps, such as VI
Bing translation.
July 17, 2013 at 3:21 PM
And here is the answer to your POOP joop this is why the USA and EU have done this and theirs more to come,
http://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1284141/netanyahu-bows-china-us-lawsuit
July 16, 2013 at 7:22 PM
Everyone here remembers Israels great military accomplishments of bye gone years. Think a little more current. Not nearly as impressive.
July 16, 2013 at 8:03 PM
There is no doubt that the IAF is formitable force, but let’s face a few facts here; this isn’t ’67, and Iran isn’t just next door, as Egypt is. In order to strike Iran, the IAF has to fly 930-1,120 miles, crossing either Saudi or Turkish air space (it’s a sure thing that Irari airspace is out of the question!), refuel, in air, get past Iran’s air defense systems, bomb the targets, and get back home. And this won’t be a one and done, like Iraq and Syria was; this will have to be done over and over, again and again, in a sustained air campaign, lasting at least a month or more. The IAF just doesn’t have that capability.
July 16, 2013 at 8:34 PM
It wont be necessary, for the IDF to do the Iranian job over and over again. And, by the way, this is exactly the reason this operation isn’t executed, yet. At the hour of need, after an allegedly Israeli operation in Iran, the repair of their nuclear program will be the last thing the Iranians will want to do. They will have to discover the fire, first.
July 16, 2013 at 8:48 PM
Luis, if you’re inferring atomics and what else could you be inferring.
You’re now realizing how desperate Israels situation has become.
Years of delay and attempts of pushing others to do the dirty work… Well, the chickens have finally come home to roost.
July 16, 2013 at 8:51 PM
If Netanyahu does not attack Iran soon… this only means he has found out Iran’s real intentions is only to strike Saudi and Kuwaiti oil-wells in order to create world-chaos thus and being able to export Iran’s own oil again. This way Iran can control the Sunnis and the entire Muslim world and in the long run attack Israel. If this happens even Obama will wake up to defend his beloved sunnies and destroy Iran completely.
July 16, 2013 at 9:22 PM
Even in this less plausible scenario, Iran must be knocked out from the play, long before bad things can happen. Nobody – not the Israelis and not the Arabs – can afford a military nuclear Iran. I assure all our friends here: this wont happen.
July 16, 2013 at 10:14 PM
Luis, then batten down the hatches, because the last grian of sand is about to slip through the hour glass.
July 17, 2013 at 1:01 AM
I see some development that can change the game completely, hard to get my head around it, but is see a couple of smart movers from BIBI.
July 17, 2013 at 1:12 AM
A bit more about backing up our friends , do you mean Cyprus, when Turkey invade Cyprus, quality backing up , yep realy you can trust your friends when geo politics are involved.
.
July 17, 2013 at 1:22 AM
You see realy backing up
EU Redraws Israel Borders to 1949 Lines
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/169966#.UeVAcW2XeSp