‘Netanyahu is not bluffing on intention to strike Iran’
‘Netanyahu is not bluffing on intention to strike Iran’ | JPost | Israel News.
WASHINGTON – Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu “is not bluffing” on his intentions to strike Iran should the Islamic Republic continue its nuclear program for much longer, a former senior Israeli military official told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
“Bibi’s not bluffing. He thinks it’s the 1930s. The Iranians are the Germans, and history has a sense of humor with six million Jews now in Israel,” the retired official said.
While assuring journalists in the United States that he supports President Barack Obama’s diplomatic overtures to Iran’s new president Hassan Rouhani at the UN General Assembly last month, Netanyahu also called Rouhani a “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” who is not to be trusted.
Western powers suspect Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons, as it continues to enrich uranium well beyond the grade required for any civilian nuclear use.
The former senior official told the Post that Israeli intelligence assesses Saudi Arabia would not wait “a minute” after Iran acquires a nuclear weapon to build or buy one themselves, risking a nuclear arms race in the world’s least stable region.
“The Saudis have the missile technology already,” he said. “I’d be surprised if they don’t just take warheads from the Pakistanis. They’ve already paid for them.”
Emphasizing the importance of existing sanctions, the official said Iran would try to get the financial pressures lifted with as few concessions as possible.
While generally supportive of the prime minister’s policy, he said that the leadership of Israel’s intelligence community has repeatedly warned Netanyahu against striking and said that the tone of his speech to the UN last month was “a mistake.”
“He’s not the commander-in-chief,” he added. “But he can achieve consensus. And it can be done without leaks – it can be done.”
WarSclerotic 
October 13, 2013 at 9:23 PM
In times like these, people need a smile(i know i need one). So may be you’ll enjoy this caricature : http://www.americanthinker.com/cartoons/
October 14, 2013 at 4:13 AM
Ya know you, ya’ll have been ripping America and Obama while giving Netanyahu a pass, got to tell you it’s getting old. Look in the mirror and asked how Israel let itself get surrounded by 100,000’s of rockets and missles and Iran getting Nukes all under Netanyahu’s watch. Ask yourselves how two Iranian proxy armies we’re allowed to surround Israel and when the IDF took them on could not defeat them. How many Israelies will be killed when “Israel attacks” Iran because of the 100,000’s rocket and missles which can’t all be stopped start landing on Israeli citizens. Who will be held accountable for letting things get to such a state. Please don’t blame America, you’re responsible for your defence. If Iran snows the world and Israel does not attack, who will be held accountable if a nuke detonates in Israel, don’t blame America , you’re responsible for your own defence. Your putting all the blame on America. You’ll not get a pass if the worst comes to israel. You all say the vaunted IDF can do it all, better not be wronge, YOU’VE been totally out maneuvered by the Persians and left yourselves no margin for error. For those of you may be indignant at this all I can say if you can dish it, you’d better be able to take it.
October 14, 2013 at 5:41 AM
Joop had it correct all along when he said “Netanyahu watch your back.”
“Sergei Kiriyenko then went into action on the two tasks assigned him by Putin:
1. To bring the Russian-Iranian draft in line with the US-Russian accord.
2. If the Iranian experts balked at the draft, Kiriyenko was to turn to higher authority in Tehran – President Hassan Rouhani or Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran-AEOI to clear up points of disagreement.
If they too withheld approval of the draft, Kiriyenko put their objections before President Putin. He was to get together with Obama and return to the drawing board to compile a revised accord..
A senior Israeli defense official on a visit to Washington was asked last week what answer Ayatollah Khamenei would receive if he asked Salehi: “Can we develop a nuclear weapon whenever we want?” The answer would be “Yes,” said the Israeli official.
After the two presidents saw eye to eye, the text was referred to Secretary Kerry and Foreign Minister Lavrov, to be couched in formal language as accords. Buts of those documents will be put on the negotiating table as agreed proposals when the Six Powers and Iran meet in Geneva on Oct. 15.”
Netanyahu, what will you do? The ball is now squarely in your court.
October 14, 2013 at 9:50 AM
No Iran strike on the observable horizon, in our conception. May be later, by totally surprise. Yes, that can be. But not now, and not soon. This is what I think, I’m not saying that it has to be the pure truth.
October 14, 2013 at 10:14 AM
Of course Netanyahu is not bluffing on Iran
A few years ago Netanyahu held an in-depth discussion with Middle East expert Bernard Lewis. At the end of the talk he was convinced that if the ayatollahs obtained nuclear weapons, they would use them. Since that day, Netanyahu seems convinced that we are living out a rerun of the 1930s.
http://www.madisdead.blogspot.co.il/2012/02/crucial-piece-of-puzzle.html
Netanyahu quoted Bernard Lewis in his speech to the UN General Assembly in 2012
There’s a great scholar of the Middle East, Prof. Bernard Lewis, who put it best. He said that for the Ayatollahs of Iran, mutually assured destruction is not a deterrent, it’s an inducement.
http://www.madisdead.blogspot.co.il/2012/09/at-un-general-assembly-netanyahu-quotes.html
and what does Bernard Lewis say?
Particular importance should be attached to the policies, and perhaps still more the attitudes, of the present rulers of Iran, who seem to be preparing for a final apocalyptic battle between the forces of God [themselves] and of the Devil [ the Great Satan–the United States]. They see this as the final struggle of the End of Time and are therefore undeterred by any level of slaughter and destruction even among their own people . “Allah will know his own” is the phase commonly used, meaning that among the multiple victims God will recognize the Muslims and give them a quick pass to heaven.
In this context, the deterrent that worked so well during the Cold War, namely M.A.D. (Mutual Assured Destruction) , would have no meaning. At the End of Time, there will be general destruction anyway. What will matter is the final destination of the dead– hell for the infidels, and the delights of heaven for the believers. For people with this mindset, M.A.D. is not a constraint; it is an inducement…
http://www.madisdead.blogspot.co.il/2012/05/why-are-bernard-lewiss-views-on-mad.html