Israel Matzav: Independent claims Israel going after Iranian nuke scientists

Sunday, August 09, 2015

Independent claims Israel going after Iranian nuke scientists

Some of you might remember that newspaper front page. It's from when Defense Minister Moshe "Boogie" Yaalon called US Secretary of State John Kerry 'Messianic' and 'obsessive' for his continued pursuit of a 'two-state solution' long past the point where it was clear that it was not going to happen. Now, with Kerry having negotiated a deal to make Iran a threshold nuclear state, Yaalon has given an interview to Germany's Der Spiegel, which ends with this.

SPIEGEL: If your army or military chiefs were to inform you next week or next year that Iran has violated the terms of the deal and reactivated its military nuclear program, would you recommend air strikes against the nuclear facilities?

Yaalon: In such a case, we will have to discuss it. At the end, it is very clear. One way or another, the Iranian military nuclear ambitions should be stopped. We can in no way tolerate an Iran with nuclear weapons. We prefer for this to be done through a deal or sanctions, but in the end, Israel should be able to defend itself.

SPIEGEL: So will we see further deaths of Iranian nuclear scientists through attacks or malware compromising Iranian computer networks?

Yaalon: We should be ready to defend ourselves. I'm not responsible for the lives of Iranian scientists.

The last question assumes that Israel is responsible for a series of deaths of Iranian nuclear scientists - a point that Yaalon seemingly glosses over. But London's Independent clearly sees the answer as a threat.

Israel’s Defence Minister has appeared to imply that his country is prepared to assassinate Iran’s nuclear scientists following a historic deal with the West.

What do they expect us to do - roll over and play dead?

Luckily for Israel, Yitzchak Buji Herzog isn't in charge, because 'roll over and play dead' is exactly what he seems to want to do.

"The agreement with Iran is bad, but the dispute with the US is a family matter- it should not be conducted in public, where our enemies would enjoy seeing us disagree.

"I am convinced there is certainly enough time to reach an understanding between us which will prevent seriously damaging the relations between Israel and the United States in the short and long term," he said.

He furthered stated in the meeting with Democratic congressmen that while he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have major differences in their opinion concerning the Iran deal, he remains critical of the deal's legitimacy.

He added, however, that it is not Israel's place to interfere in American foreign policy: "I have no intention of interfering with American politics, and do not wish to publicly confront the US President or his administration. The relations between Israel and the United States are a key component to our national security."

In other words, if this is what Obama wants to do, we shouldn't try to stop it? Now you know why Herzog is not the country's leader.

Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Binyamin Netanyahu, Iran Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Iran sanctions regime, Iranian nuclear threat, John Kerry, Moshe Yaalon, nuclear scientists, Yitzchak Herzog