[MOSSAD Motto]
1. The Military Option Is Dead
By Yossi Melman
Last update - 05:08 22/05/2009
Courtesy Of Haaretz NewsPaper
Israel's military option against Iran has died. The death warrant was issued courtesy of the new U.S. administration led by Barack Obama.
All the administration's senior officials, from the president to his vice president, Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and others are sending strong, clear hints that Israel does not have permission to strike Iran. Yet, given their familiarity with the Israeli client, they have not made do with simple hints and intimations. Washington dispatched the new CIA director, Leon Panetta, to Israel. Panetta made clear to Netanyahu, in so many words, that an Israeli attack would create "big trouble."
Perhaps Israel at one point had just a small window of opportunity to exercise the military option, or, in other words, the possibility of attacking sites in Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. This is assuming, of course, that Israel indeed has the military capability for carrying out such a mission - an assumption that raises many questions. This is a mission that requires gathering pinpoint intelligence, to identify the precise targets without harming thousands of innocent civilians.
Simply put, one of the targets of such a strike is the uranium enrichment facility in Isfahan, which lies in the heart of a congested civilian population. A realistic military option is also contingent on fighter jets finding undetected routes, as well as carrying a sufficient payload of bombs and missiles to inflict heavy damage on the targets.
Let us assume that Israel does, indeed, have a reasonable military capability which would enable it to strike at the targets, inflict heavy damage and set Iran's nuclear program back a few years. The opportunity to realize this capability arguably presented itself to Israel a few years ago. Iran at the time was subject to an intense international offensive. Inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency repeatedly exposed its lies and levied sanctions against the Tehran regime.
Threats made by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to wipe Israel from the map and his insistence on denying the Holocaust aroused great sympathy for Israel. This sympathy was buttressed by the Olmert government's willingness to hold peace talks with Syria and seek an agreement with the Palestinians. Above all, this friendly international atmosphere was backed by an accommodating Republican administration and a president who was ready to support (or to turn a blind eye to) any Israeli operation. In addition, Iran's ability to respond to an attack with missiles was limited.
But all this is now in the past. The sanctions are stuck. Ahmadinejad has, for the time being, softened his bellicose rhetoric. The production of Iranian missiles has doubled.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not ready to recognize the right of the Palestinians to a state of their own, nor does he have any intention of holding serious negotiations with Syria, regarding withdrawal from the Golan Heights. This position reduces international support for Israel. Yet, most importantly, there is a new president in Washington, one who has outlined a new policy vis-a-vis Iran. He has announced the start of negotiations with Iran, and even though he mentioned that the talks will have to be concluded by the end of this year, he did not set a clear deadline. All these factors, including the explicit statements made by administration officials, put Israel in its place.
The supreme tenet of Israeli defense policy states that Jerusalem must not launch any strategic initiative that stands in contradiction, or places in harm's way, the clear interests of the United States. This stance has underpinned every fateful decision taken by Israel relating to matters of war and peace. Israel embarked on the Six-Day War only after it was convinced that the U.S. would not oppose. In the hours leading up to the Yom Kippur War, Israel refrained from launching a preemptive strike for fear that Washington would blame it for starting the war. Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982 only after Defense Minister Ariel Sharon came under the impression that the U.S. would view the move with understanding. During the first Gulf War in 1991, the U.S. did not permit Israel to respond to Iraqi scud missiles, and Israel obliged.
If this tenet remains the cornerstone of defense policy, then Israel once again will not act against the explicit wishes of the U.S. Thus, when Israeli leaders say that "all options are open," this is nothing but a dog's bark being louder than his bite. Or, if you will, a mouse that roars. If the U.S. does not alter its policy, then Israel no longer has the military option at its disposal - if it ever had such an option at all.
2. Defense Min. Shuts Down Iran Unit
By Yossi Melman
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Courtesy Of Haaretz NewsPaper
Mossad chief Meir Dagan is displeased with the Ministry of Defense decision to shut down the unit dealing with Iran and headed by Uri Lubrani, a former ambassador to Iran.
The chief intelligence officer's anger stems from the decision being made at a time when there is growing belief that Iran is moving closer to the development of nuclear weapons.
Another aspect irking Dagan a great deal is that persons at the Ministry of Defense tried to insinuate that the request to close down the unit originated with Mossad.
"They tried to blame the closing on the Mossad," a source familiar with the matter told Haaretz, "and this angered Dagan very much."
The decision to dismantle the unit was probably made by Defense Ministry Director General Pinhas Buchris, for budgetary considerations. Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who had supported the existence of the radio station run by the small unit, authorized the decision.
A source in the Mossad said the organization is pleased with the unit's work because its operations complimented more clandestine intelligence work.
"This is strange because [during a time] when Israel and the Prime Minister are talking about the Iranian threat, the Defense Ministry decides to close down a group that follows what is happening in that country [Iran]," the source said.
Set up some 30 years ago, the unit is a small group, one of whose functions was the coordination of government and defense establishment activities in Lebanon, while in parallel following political developments in Iran.
In recent years, the unit's activity was significantly diminished and its budget was limited to NIS 5 million. It employed four persons, including Lubrani.
The main purpose of the unit was to maintain links with the Iranian community and political organizations, and follow the media in Iran. The unit also raised funds for a daily two-hour program in Farsi on Israel Radio.
Additionally, the unit ran a small radio station in the Galilee that broadcast into southern Lebanon. During the Second Lebanon War the station served the IDF by broadcasting messages to towns and villages, telling residents to leave their homes so they would not be hurt by shelling and air strikes.
Defense Ministry officials have made a number of attempts to shut the station down, but Lubrani, a veteran diplomat who served as Israel's ambassador to Iran, had connections in high places and prevented its closing.
Three years ago, then defense minister Amir Peretz assigned deputy defense minister Ephraim Sneh and his chief of staff, Brigadier General Michael Herzog, the task of evaluating the need for the unit. Sneh and Herzog concluded that the unit should continue its work and stressed its importance.
They also recommended that a steering committee be set up to oversee the content of materials being broadcast into Lebanon.
Two months ago Lubrani was informed that a decision had been made to shut the unit down.
3. Audio: CIA To Israel: Prepare For A Nuclear Iran
5/22/2009 2:43:00 PM
A7 Radio's "The Tovia Singer Show" with Tovia Singer
Courtesy Of The Israel National News
Aaron Klein, Jerusalem Bureau Chief for www.WorldNetDaily.com and author of “The Late Great State of Israel,” reports that during a secret visit here earlier this month, CIA Director Leon Panetta told Israeli officials the country should prepare for a situation in which Iran is a nuclear power with the ability to strike. Also, inspiring recording of the actual liberation of Jerusalem during the Six Day War is translated and explored on air.
Rabbi Tovia Singer is the founder and director of Outreach Judaism, an anti-missionary organization, addressing more than 200 audiences a year in Israel and the United States. He is the author of the book and accompanying audio CD series Let's Get Biblical. He has hosted the Tovia Singer Show since 2002. It airs live every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10:00 p.m. - 12:00 midnight Israel time / 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and is downloadable as a podcast on Israel National Radio.
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