Israeli prisoner swap may be prelude to attack on Iran

Israeli prisoner swap may be prelude to attack on Iran


JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to execute a 1,000-for-1 prisoner exchange last week despite his frequently voiced opposition to such lopsided deals is seen by several Israeli military commentators as an effort to “clear the deck” before possibly undertaking an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Amir Oren, the veteran military analyst for Ha'aretz newspaper, took note of Israel’s exchanging 1,027 Palestinian convicts for army Staff Sgt. Gilad Schalit, who had been captured by Hamas in 2006. Mr. Oren wrote that the price paid by Mr. Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak “can be interpreted only in a context that goes beyond that of the Gilad Schalit deal.”

He noted that Israeli leaders in the past have shown a readiness to absorb “a small loss” in order to attain a greater success, generally involving “some sort of military adventure.”

Mr. Oren also noted that, until recently, Mr. Netanyahu had faced opposition to attacking Iran from Army Chief of Staff Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi and Mossad intelligence chief Meir Dagan. Both retired earlier this year and have been replaced by men believed to hold a different view on Iran.


http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/oct/28/israeli-prisoner-swap-may-be-prelude-attack-iran/

That makes sense. They got their hostages back, and they are all out of bubble gum.


_

 

funny


what a crock,


if that war begins, then mark my words the only bigots left from israel will be the ones that can say "i ran"

 

If Israel attacks Iran, they will be going it alone.. The US has NO stomach for another costly war.

 

I certainly don't want to see anymore tax dollars going to wars. And nobody would accuse Obama of being pro-Israel, so it won't happen. I predict Israel will take out Iran's nuclear facilities with minimal casualties. There will be a Muslim uprising, but nothing Israel can't handle.

 

It will take 22 strikes to "take out" Iran's power plants... Minimal casualties? I think not.

What "Muslim" uprising? The whole Arab world is solidly behind a just peace in Palestine.. except Iran.. and Israel.

 

You guys need to keep up with current events:

U.S. Sells Bunker Busters To Israel

September 24, 2011

Two years ago, the Obama Administration secretly authorized the sale of 55 deep-penetrating bombs — or bunker busters — to Israel. That's according to an investigation by Newsweek magazine. The bombs could potentially be used in Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites. Weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz talks with Eli Lake, the reporter who broke the story.

Copyright © 2011 National Public Radio®. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

GUY RAZ, host: Here's another story we're following this weekend. Newsweek is set to publish a piece on Monday that back in 2009, the Obama administration secretly provided Israel with 55-deep penetrating bombs, so-called bunker busters. And there's some speculation that those bombs could be used in the event Israel decides to launch a military strike against suspected Iranian nuclear development sites.

Reporter Eli Lake broke the story, and he joins me now. And, Eli, first of all, these were the same bunker busters, I understand, that the Bush administration initially refused to sell to Israel. Remind us of the background here.

ELI LAKE: Yes. In 2005, the Israelis initially requested this particular kind of bunker buster, which is the top of the line. It can go through 20 feet of solid concrete. And the rationale at the time was deep concerns with Israeli transfers of military technology to China.

That issue was largely resolved by 2007. And in a secret letter from President Bush to Prime Minister Olmert, Bush agreed to sell the bunker busters. But that sale was then deferred two years into what became the Obama administration. And then Obama, very early in his administration, approved the transfer of 55 out of 100 that had - Bush had agreed to sell Israel in 2009.

RAZ: You write that the Bush administration did not sell them to Israel because there was concern at the Pentagon that it would send the wrong message about Iran, right?

LAKE: Well, the original concern was about the China transfer. But later on, the Pentagon did not have this concern, but it was described to me by the just-retired vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General James Cartwright, as a concern the administration that selling the bunker busters openly would send a message to the Iranians that the United States was not interested in the diplomatic outreach that President Obama tried in 2009. And also, it could send a message to Prime Minister Netanyahu that this was, in fact, a green light to attack Iran.

RAZ: Mm. But why did the Obama administration agree to do it?

LAKE: I think the Obama administration has done a lot of things continuing with initiatives under President George W. Bush that really drew the Israeli military much closer to the United States. And one example is a concept of trying to link the missile defense systems of the entire Middle East region together in sort of one coherent missile defense group. So that is another thing that Obama has asked the State Department to pursue, again, very quietly, something that's fairly significant in Israel's favor in a sense that missile defense requires far more geographic territory than Israel has to just do it in a national level.

RAZ: Eli, as you know, there are some American Jewish voters who regard the Obama administration as insufficiently pro-Israel. And I wonder whether this leak or whatever it was by the administration was a deliberate or maybe a subtle attempt to send a message to those voters.

LAKE: I have to tell you, I don't like to discuss my sources on the air. But I would say that I reported the story and I've been working on this story for some time. I would say that it's off to say that it was politically motivated.

RAZ: That's Eli Lake, national security correspondent with Newsweek. His story on how the U.S. transferred bunker-busting bombs to Israel back in 2009 will appear in the magazine on Monday. Eli, thanks.

LAKE: Thank you.

http://www.npr.org/2011/09/24/140773755/u-s-sells-bunker-busters-to-israel

 

I see your definition of minimal casualties is different from mine. And yes, the whole Arab world is behind Palestine. That's a given. I was referring to any additional uprising from the norm.

 

By whom? The GCC is opposed to Hamas and Hezbollah and Iran's funding of both because those two groups give Israel endless excuses to refuse peace.

 

By the usual groups. They'll continue to lob bombs on Israel and make lots of noise, but I don't see any wars in the offing. (And yes, I'm aware of the GCC.)

 

Which "usual groups".. Be specific.

 

Are you serious. It's not Israel that's refusing peace. The Islamists need to be removed from Iran. Period.

 

Of course it is Israel..

The Saudi Peace initiative has been on the table since 1981.

The Israelis simply want more land.

Iran is at odds with the whole Arab world...

 

Americans have to many problems to be worrying about Iran right now, and Israel can always stop expanding illegal settlements if it does not want to encourage gullible Americans to hate or blame innocent Semites.

 

Then why did Netanyahu turn down the peace proposal offered by the Triallateralist Barrack Obama?

Iran is a legitimate democracy. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_presidential_election,_2009 ) For the democracy of the United States to attack Iran would be the upmost in hypocrisy.

 

sure it is.

they want jeruselem and jeruselem aint israel

they hold a concentration camp (gaza) and the ashkaNAZI people should be paying reparations for such oppression

that has got to be the stupidest claim i ever read on iran.

there are more muslims in one city of iran, than the whole country of israel combined.

<<< MOD EDIT: INSULT REMOVED >>>

 

i have always wondered that if the US armed israel with nuclear weapons and basically offers no resource of quality to the US

then why wouldnt russian, china, india, or pakistan arm iran, when they have more resources than israel could ever even think of times 10

heck the very scientist in them iranian nuclear facilities are russian.


israel blowing up them plants would be the stupidest thing next to believing jews are 'chosen ones, by god' for anyone on this earth to support


this thread is sharing just how ignorant some people are.

 

Having a country that is poor and destabilized as a neighbor is always a non starter.

Israel has yet to learn that.

 

What I like about this thread is that it shows that many followers of Israel generally demand for Israel to be the regional aggressor so that they can use Israel as a cover to attack Semites with racist hatred. The only "benefit" of attacking Iran is that racists would blame the Arabs for such, arguing that Israel had to attack the Persians since the Arab Semites are evil, in their view.

 

and even if iran was arming rebels, iran is not in wars across the earth nor making weapons as the best source of GNP

 

Israel wants security. Does Israel have the right to exist?

 

I would answer that and be fair; yes.


Now, you answer my question:

Lies and the misleading of material evidence is the cause of the majority of wars on this earth. Do liars have a right to exist?

 

Everyone has the right to exist. If we start killing everyone who lies, then why not kill everyone who pisses us off? Where do you stop?

 

Palestine wants security. It is wrong to reject Palestine's right to exist, unless one believes that Israel has no right to exist.

 

2 Waves of 75 IDF Fighter Jets each wave leaving one hour appart .

 

Then, why is the heavily retarded US government (on middle eastern matters) still rejecting the nation of Palestine? Don't Palestine and Israel have the right to exist, or is it wrong for America to exist?