Israel Matzav

Time to act against Iran?

In Friday's JPost, Caroline Glick makes some pretty persuasive arguments that time is running out to act against Iran's nuclear program.

Iran is just a heartbeat away from the A-bomb.Last Friday the Daily Telegraph reported Teheran has surreptitiously removed a sufficient amount of uranium from its nuclear production facility in Isfahan to produce six nuclear bombs. Given Iran's already acknowledged uranium enrichment capabilities, the Telegraph's report indicates that the Islamic Republic is now in the late stages of assembling nuclear bombs.

It would be a simple matter for Iran to assemble those bombs without anyone noticing. US spy satellites recently discovered what the US believes are covert nuclear facilities in Iran. The mullocracy has not disclosed these sites to the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency, which is charged with inspecting Iran's nuclear sites.

As to the IAEA, this week it presented its latest report on Teheran's nuclear program to its board members in Vienna. The IAEA's report claimed that Iran has taken steps to enable its Shihab-3 ballistic missiles to carry nuclear warheads. With their range of 1,300 kilometers, Shihab-3 missiles are capable of reaching Israel and other countries throughout the region.

Caroline goes on to list the action that the United States, Israel and the West are taking against Iran. All of which is likely useless.

None of these programs can do a thing against that uranium for six bombs that Iran removed from its plant in Isfahan. They can't stop those centrifuges in Natanz and in covert facilities throughout Iran from buzzing along. They can't destroy those Shihab-3 missiles. They can't kill the scientists assembling the bombs.

IN LIGHT of Iran's unrelenting and rapid progress toward the nuclear finish line, it is clear today that while positive in their own rights, none of the actions the West is taking will succeed in blocking its path to the atomic bomb.

For that matter, the one option short of war that might have put an end to the mullahs' race to the bomb three years ago - namely supporting the Iranian people in their wish to overthrow their regime - cannot be adopted fast enough to prevent the likes of Khamenei and Ahmadinejad from pushing the button now.

Today, there is only one way to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Israel must bomb Iran's nuclear installations. Such a strike will not end Iran's nuclear program. It will not overthrow the regime. It will not cripple Iran's economy. It will not end Iran's active support for international terrorist groups.

All an Israeli air strike against Iran's nuclear facilities will do is set its nuclear program back for a couple of years. Such a strike will buy Israel and the rest of the world time. And during that time, Iran will no doubt expand its diplomatic, terror and political offensives against Israel and the US. But if Israel and the US are wise, they can use the time as well.

Glick's bottom line is that it's too bad that there isn't a government in Jerusalem today. There may be a government in Jerusalem by the end of this week. But it's not likely to be capable of acting.

In a country of some 7.3 million people, 39,331 went to the polls and gave Livni 431 votes more than her main rival (16,936 - 16,505). With this slim margin, Livni lost critical momentum even before holding her first coalition-building session with Labor chairman Ehud Barak or Shas head Eli Yishai. Mofaz's "I'm taking a time out" bombshell, softly dropped at a press conference on Thursday afternoon, hurt her further still.

Had the exit poll number held true, and had Livni trounced Mofaz by 12 percent, her coalition bargaining position would have been much stronger.

But 431 votes? Over Shaul Mofaz, whom the pundits gave no chance of winning?

If she can barely beat Mofaz - the nay-sayers will now loudly nay-say - how can she beat Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu?

So get ready, again, for a booming reprise of the you-don't-have-a-mandate-to-govern argument that will be used against the possible prime minister at a time when critical - but, critical - issues are on the agenda.

...

One-half percent of the population (0.54 percent, to be exact) has spoken, and 0.23 percent have crowned Livni.

And the naysayers will be right. Livni has no mandate. Israel doesn't need a new President of the PTA. It needs a new Prime Minister and a new government with a mandate to act.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:24 AM