Taking one for l'Etat
This morning's Haaretz reports that President Bush reiterated that he would 'understand' if Israel felt compelled to attack Iran's nuclear installations, while Secretary of State Condaleeza Rice "did not express the same willingness to show understanding for a possible Israeli strike against Iran," but "did not discount the possibility that such an operation may take place." What's more interesting is the Fwench reaction:In recent talks with their Israeli counterparts, French government officials estimated that Iran would reach the "point of no return" in its nuclear program by spring 2007, in approximately five months.I think Israel ought to offer the Fwench a Faustian bargain: Israel - assuming that it has nuclear weapons - will set one up to target Paris, and in the event that Israel is hit by a nuclear missile, a nuclear missile will automatically be launched directly at Central Paris.
At that point, according to Israeli sources, Iran will be in a position to simultaneously operate approximately 3,000 centrifuges for enriching uranium.
Various estimates by international experts hold that Monday Iran is operating 340-600 such centrifuges.
In talks with Israeli sources several days ago, a French government official asserted that an Israeli military attack against Iran would be "a total disaster" in terms of its implications for the entire world.
According to the French official, such a strike would at best delay the completion of Iran's nuclear program by two years.
The attack would also result in Iran cancelling its membership in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, cause a great deal of agitation in the Arab world, lead to a rise in oil prices, and could result in a major Iranian military response that would not target Israel alone.
I'll bet the Fwench would change their position on an Israeli strike about thirty seconds after that missile was targeted (and note, I said "targeted," not "launched"). The Fwench reaction would look just like the Fwench army knife pictured above.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:17 AM
2 Comments:
The IAF is now preparing to attack installations in Iran. Our bumbling Olmert, no less than the bumbling Levi Eshkol in his day, is closeted with generals going over maps and flight paths in preparation for another extremely high-risk Jewish war of no choice. The question is, how are Bush and Blair spending their evenings.
Debka has been reporting the approach of four of five US battle formations into the Arabian Sea, but there is absolutely no talk anywhere of imminent war, not in the western press, not on the internet; a complete silence. On the contrary, statements from the US centers of power, changes in personel, all point to more diplomacy and concessions - and some absolutely unbelievable shit from Blair.
Is Washington (and London?) planning a sneak attack on Iran, Suez style, but this time with the roles of the US and France reversed? And if an attack is in the making, involving thousands of individuals at the decision-making level as it must, will the NYT and WaPo actually keep their mouths shut about it? Whatever the Dems and State Department have to say about the prosecution of the land campaign in Iraq, I am betting that all good Americans understand that this is the moment of truth. I am betting that Iran’s goose is cooked. And if that is the case, then there is hope for the free world
God Bless America.
We can all only hope and pray that you are correct.
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