Israel Matzav

Hmmm....

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, told the National Press Club in Washington last week that a nuclear Iran is an existential threat to Israel. That recognition has apparently led to something that could be important to stop Iran. Remember how I reported last summer that the US was not willing to let Israel install its own technology in the F-35 jets being purchased from the United States? That seems to be changing.

Ahead of Defense Minister Ehud Barak's visit to the Pentagon this week, Israeli military sources said they were satisfied with the progress in talks with their American counterparts over acquiring F-35 fighter jets. Israel will pay $135 million per jet if it buys 25, and $100 million if it buys 75.

Meanwhile, Washington has retracted its opposition to installing Israeli-made systems on the jets. However, a disagreement over Israel's request for complete access to the planes' computer systems is yet to be resolved.

At a conference at the National Press Club, Mullen said he has spent a significant amount of time with his Israeli counterpart, IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, and that "it's very clear to me that a nuclear weapon in Iran is an existential threat to Israel," according to a transcript released by his office.

"There is no doubt in my mind that's how the Israelis feel," he said, adding, "Given that view, [and] their sense of both focus and urgency ... it is up front. It is at the top of their list."

Hmmm.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:49 AM