Was the recent Israeli offensive against Gaza a “pre-introduction” to Iran?
In an unguarded speech, during which he was not aware he was being filmed by the media, Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Yuval Rotem, issued a strident warning against Iran.
“(He said) the country’s recent military offensives were a ‘pre-introduction’ to the challenge Israel expects from a nuclear-equipped Iran within a year,” Australia’s Seven News reporter Sarah Cummings was quoted in The Australian as saying.
Before Rotem realised he was on camera, he declared, “There is room to put together some more forces of moderates around a realignment of forces that can handle and address the main strategic challenge we are all going to face in the coming month, and that is going to be Iran… If you can switch off, please, the camera.”
Related posts:
Well, a nuclear-capable Iran is a concern for us all. There are some nuts in that country who is more than willing to kill themselves for the sake of jihad by setting off a nuclear bomb.
Hi Anil,
Still in Good Health?, watch your back you might have company for the work your are doing. Anyway keep up your good work.
Nuclear in the wrong hand will be harmful to all. Iran amature policy is basic divide & rule tactic concept. Wanted to be champion of Islamic Countries. The battle gound is poor Palestinian State using finacing Hamas. Here in Boleh Land boycott US product, why? cos some local product cannot compete with US standard. so take the apportunity la.
If really want to boycott US than stop working with US firms, stay home. Live with water & freshair Oops sorry air is not fresh anymore. I’m not supporting US but when we speak, Anil we use our brain la not thru A..H….
Quote ” Well, a nuclear-capable Iran is a concern for us all ”
Quote ” Nuclear in the wrong hand will be harmful to all”
Agreed !!! but Joe Penang and Vestu is referring only to Iran as if Iran is the devil ?
Forget bout US , forget bout Israil coz they know very well how to handle their nuke weapon ya ..?
To both of you ..your writting show how narrow minded you are indeed . Pity you guys
Comments sent here reflect the lack of exposure to issues and dependency on Bernard Lewis and Washington-Post-type thrash… wake up people!
Reality check time : It will take a few years for Iran to build a workable nuclear device. In the meantime Israels ability to destroy incoming missles and aircraft increase.
So sometime in the future a Iranian regime gone mad will attempt to launch 3-4 nuclear bombs possibly by missles at Israel. Lets say at least one gets through hitting Tel Aviv….
The response that everyone is aware of : Immidiate retaliation by Israel which sends 50 or more nuclear warheads towards Iran + its airforce will hit Irans defenses. The US will also hit Iran with every weapon imaginable. Some Arab countries jubilant at Tel Avivs destruction might be inclined to join in the festivities and the conflict will likely spread leaving much of the middle east and even Pakistan in ruins.
Israel will be badly injured, with Tel Aviv destroyed and all major cities damaged with heavy loss of life. We must also remember that in the carnage a large number of deaths will include Palestinians.Due to the close proximity of the West Bank and Gaza one cannot deny that stray and inaccurate bombs will fall on them not to forget the nuclear fallout from Tel Aviv..
As for Iran, Israel and the US will probably nuke every major city and wipe out all form of civilization. Its casulties will run into the millions as Iran lacks nuclear bunkers. The toll on other Arab nations will be equally horrifying as a cornered Israel will not hesitate to nuke other arab nations with whatever it has left.
The reason for all this : Palestine
Lets get real folks. Are we to believe that even a mad Iranian dictatorship will risk total destruction for the Palestinian cause?
When I was in the uni abroad,my room mate was an Iranian.We were room mates for a year.I learned a lot about these middle east hypocrisy from his behaviour.
Just imagine,a leader like Ahmadinejad, another hypocrite who cant make use of their petrodollars to improve their own country and human rights,but never fail to call for the wiping off ,of a certain country from the world map,will do when this sort of maniacs get hold of nuclear weapons?They will destroy the whole world..
Just,imagine folks,god gave them petrol, black gold,and what did the Israelis get?A barren land.See how they improved themselves and became one of the most outstanding race in this world,what did these middle eastern countries achieved with the petrolium gift from god?Basically nothing,other than killing each other and later on attack others just to divert attention for all their failures.All I know when I was studying with these Iranians and Palestinians was,hatred for each other.
……………….taken from Reuters, today…..
For our knowledge…………………
Iran says first own satellite for peaceful purposes
4:37am EST
TIMELINE: Iran launches first own satellite
4:38am EST
By Fredrik Dahl and Parisa Hafezi
TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran said it had launched a domestically made satellite into orbit for the first time on Tuesday, a move likely to worry Israel and Western powers further about Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
The launch of the Omid (Hope) research and telecom satellite was hailed by Iran as a major step in its space technology timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution that ousted the U.S.-backed shah.
The long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit can also be used for launching warheads, although Iran says it has no plans to do so.
“Dear Iranian nation, your children have placed the first indigenous satellite into orbit,” President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a televised message, adding the launch was successful.
Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said Omid was orbiting earth. The ISNA news agency quoted him as saying: “We have established communications with it and the necessary information has been received.”
Sending the Omid into space is a message to the world that Iran is “very powerful and you have to deal with us in the right way,” an Iranian political analyst said.
Senior officials from six world powers — the United States, Russia, Britain, France, Germany and China — will meet on Wednesday to discuss the nuclear row with Iran. It will be their first meeting since U.S. President Barack Obama took office.
Obama has signaled that he will pursue direct talks with Tehran but has also warned Iran to expect more pressure if it does not meet the U.N. Security Council demand to halt atomic work the West fears has military aims.
Iranian state television showed footage of a rocket blasting off from a launchpad and lighting up the night sky as it streaked into space.
“With God’s help and the desire for justice and peace, the official presence of the Islamic Republic was registered in space,” Ahmadinejad said.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki also told reporters during a visit to Ethiopia that the satellite had peaceful aims.
“IRANIAN SPUTNIK”
But Andrew Brookes of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) think-tank in London said the news would prompt concern in Israel and elsewhere in the region.
“They will think that this civilian capability will soon be transformed to a military reconnaissance and intelligence gathering capability,” he said.
Isaac Ben-Israel, a former head of The Israel Space Agency, told Reuters in Jerusalem: “If they managed to fire a satellite into space it means they can also reach Western Europe.”
Iran is under U.N. and U.S. sanctions because of suspicions about Tehran’s nuclear plans.
The Islamic state, the world’s fourth-largest oil producer, says its nuclear work has no military goals but is limited to generating electricity to meet domestic needs.
Ahmadinejad has set tough terms for talks with Obama’s administration, saying it must change policy not just tactics toward Tehran and apologize for past “crimes” against Iran.
Tehran said in February last year it had tested an Iranian made rocket as part of its satellite program, a move the United States described as “unfortunate.”
In August, Iran said it had put a dummy satellite into orbit with a domestically made rocket for the first time. U.S. officials said that launch had ended in failure.
Tal Inbar, head of the Space Research Center at Israeli think-tank the Fisher Brothers Institute, said Iran was only the ninth country in the world capable of both producing a satellite and sending it into space from a domestically made launcher.
“We should regard this satellite as the ‘Iranian Sputnik’,” he told Israel radio, saying Iran was the first to join this club after Israel in 1988. “The main value is … propaganda.”
Western experts say Iran rarely gives enough details for them to determine the extent of its technological advances, and say that Iranian technology largely consists of modifications of equipment supplied by China, North Korea and others.
The television broadcast said the Omid would return to earth with data after orbiting for one to three months. Iran already had a satellite in orbit but the Sina-1 was launched by a Russian rocket in 2005, said the television.
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
Didn’t Ahmadinejad advocate the anihilation of Israel? – so what is wrong if Israel issues a warning to Iran?
Ironic that whenever Iran says anything, we are supposed to dismiss it. (akin to rantings of the mad and depraved, not to mention incompetent)
But if Israel says anything, all the bleeding hearts start bristling.
Admit it, u guys hold Israel to a much higher standard than u do Iran .
Iranian leadership thus far has proven to be illogical and prone to playing the gallery – a stupid act of bravado is not beyond them.
Fact:
In an interview with CNN on Monday, ElBaradei ruled out the contention that Iranian nuclear activities pose an immediate threat to stability, saying, “There is ample time to engage the country.”
“There is a concern, but don’t hype the concern,” ElBaradei said, referring mainly to US and Israeli warnings against Iran over its nuclear program. (PressTV)
Fact:
The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has not found conclusive evidence that Iran is developing nuclear weapons, a US magazine has reported. (BBC)
Fact:
The devil is in the detail, wiping Israel off the map suggests a physical genocidal assault, a literal population relocation or elimination akin to what the Nazis did. According to numerous different translations, Ahmadinejad never used the word “map,” instead his statement was in the context of time and applied to the Zionist regime occupying Jerusalem. Ahmadinejad was expressing his future hope that the Zionist regime in Israel would fall, not that Iran was going to physically annex the country and its population.
Hey didn’t the US want to “wipe the commies off the map too”??? NEWS FLASH, what is meant is that Zionisim is abolish and Israel has a new form of Government. Nobody wants to commit genocide, unless you’re a Nazi….or possibly some occupying force putting illegal settlements on other people’s land…hmmm which country would that be….don’t think too hard now!
Fact:
The Star Students Of The Islamic Republic
Forget Harvard—one of the world’s best undergraduate colleges is in Iran.
By Afshin Molavi | NEWSWEEK
Published Aug 9, 2008
UM or USM now better than Harvard issit…???
Fact:
Iran: Number Of Female University Students Rising Dramatically
By Golnaz Esfandiari
In recent years, the number of young Iranian women who have been admitted to universities has risen dramatically. In the last five years alone, Iranian women have made up more than 60 percent of university entrants.
How does that compare to secular Malaysia? …
Fact:
Dr. Masoumeh Ebtekar was the VP of Iran.
Wow a female Dr. in crazy “mollahi” Iran as a Vice President. I must be dreaming…. But at least here we have Kak Pidah, king of AP. Wow, so good in this semi-secular country, where women are so powerful to have so much AP.
Fact:
Iran is under trades embargo. Is Israel also undergoing an Embargo? You want to compare a country undergoing an embargo against one which is not???? Let’s lift the embargo and see how both countries do.
Yup, let’s destroy every country in the Middle East to ensure Israel’s existence.
Why the bleeding heart Europeans didn’t locate Israel in Europe is another story.
Well said Sarah. TQ
sarah on February 4th, 2009 at 12.21am
Didn’t Ahmadinejad advocate the anihilation of Israel? – so what is wrong if Israel issues a warning to Iran?
——————-
So what did Ahmadinejad actually say? To quote his exact words in farsi:
“Imam ghoft een rezhim-e ishghalgar-e qods bayad az safheh-ye ruzgar mahv shavad.”
That passage will mean nothing to most people, but one word might ring a bell: rezhim-e. It is the word “Regime”, pronounced just like the English word with an extra “eh” sound at the end. Ahmadinejad did not refer to Israel the country or Israel the land mass, but the Israeli regime.
It does not matter whether Ahmadinejad’s speech referred to genocide or politicide. For the record, I’m inclined to believe the latter. At the end of the day, it’s the same. Denying the right of the Jewish people to exist as a nation.
I’m just pointing out the fact that annihilate Israel is an incorrect phrase to use. Just like the popular “wiped off the map” phrase. So I would like to apologize if that offends you.
Look at the map of Palestine/Israel. Which nation is slowly being “wiped off the map” or at the very least turned into inhabitable cantons ?
No one is denying the Jewish people of having any homeland. Just don’t do it at the cost of others.
Hamas is willing to go back to the Jun ’67 borders with a very long term truce or ceasefire. Just dismantle all illegal settlements and go back to the ’67 border.
oops, I meant uninhabitale.
uninhabitable. argggghhhhhhh!!!
But that’s the problem. We need a permanent settlement, not a truce. A secure Israel side-by-side with a viable Palestine. There are politicians in Israel who are willing to consider the pre-67 border status. But Israel must be and feel secure. When Israel dismantled, by force that is, 95 percent of the settlements in Gaza, including abandoning the greenhouse which were home to various agricultural produce, these were immediately destroyed. Hamas used the “unilateral withdrawal” to launch rocket attacks against Israel.
You are talking about 95% of the illegal settlement in Gaza and expect the Palestinians to be happy? The BULK of the illegal settlements are in the West Bank NOT Gaza.
I take 80% of your land, and give back 20% of it. Then you get angry. I then tell you, I have made a serious reconciliation effort towards a lasting peace by giving back 100% (of the 20%) which I illegally took, yet you are still angry. Why?
Listen to what British MP Gerald Kaufmann (a Jew and a Zionist) said about how the people of West Bank are “treated like dirt” with checkpoints etc, and land being cut into pieces by illegal settlements. This is not a sign of serious commitment towards a viable Palestine.
There are not enough Israelis who hold power, who are committed enough to roll back to he ’67 border. Benjamin Netanyahu already said he is not willing to give up any of the settlements if he is voted into office. I also really doubt that the daughter of Eitan Livni is willing to be “generous”.
If you want a viable peace solution, rollback to ’67 the border. We can then look at a more permanent peace solution then. But I am afraid it will not happen .
I would also like to point out that Avi Shlaim (Oxford) pointed out that eventhough he deplored Hamas, it (Hamas) stuck by the cease fire and tried to curb any sort of rocket attacks (by other militant groups) going into Israel (pre-cease fire 179 rockets, post-ceasefire 3/month). On 4/11/2008 the IDF assasinated 6 Hamas members in Gaza resulting in Hamas’ retaliation. This in turn started the Gaza war.
The point of this post is to show that Hamas, however you may hate them for their ideology, can be trusted vis-a-vis border rollback. Even Jimmy Carter said so.
Anil,
With due deference to you,if you gonna censore most of what we say,than how are we, the progressive netizens and citizens gonna engage each other in a debate,discourse or discussion?We cant always write what others wish to hear.The truth has to be told no matter what it is.TQ
Dear Alias, Hamas is a terrorist outfit which has its own brand of Islamism. Hamas maims and murders dissidents, plans terrorist attacks and is not interested in government. Hamas was democratically elected in 2006 and violently ousted Fatah in 2006. The overt aim of Hamas is the destruction of the State of Israel. Rolling back the borders pre-1967 is one option to be considered. It should not be rejected outright. However, there can never be such a step unless Israel is secure.
When Israel left Gaza, the response was rocket attacks, never mind the destruction of the economy left behind. The moderate Fatah is also bent on the destruction of Israel although not overtly. It pursues the politics of demography by pursuing the issue of right of return. On Avi Shlaim, he belongs to the New Historians which are left-wingers. Left-wingers have an ideological affinity with Islamists, not least because they share a common hatred for the US. US is definitely not an angel. However, the US notwithstanding the CIA, is the lesser of the two evils compared to Iran and by extension Hamas. Nonetheless, left-wingers have every right to associate themselves with Islamists or pro-Palestinian cause. The New Historians have gone out of their limb to distort history too, because of their strong sympathy for the Palestinian cause. Please note that they have not persecuted in Israel for their convictions. But if you support Israel’s right to exist in Gaza or even West Bank, you might end up alive. Please google Benny Morris and look out for his new book. If I am not mistaken, it’s called 1948 and something. Benny Morris was the leading New Historian until the scale fell of his eyes because of the second intififada.
Jason,
I’m quite familiar with Hamas. I’m also quite familiar with what Dahlan (backed by Bush) and his thugs tried to do to the democratically elected govt of Haniyeh. What would happen if somebody tried to topple our federal government by force? I don’t expect any kindness going to the perpetrators way.
However I am really not interested in talking about ideologies. Zionism, Islamic Fundamentalism, Extremism, etc. I think I’m already passed that.
Yes, Benny Morris, the person who said ethnic cleansing in ’48 was justified. And maybe we can add the “scholarly” works of Joan Peters too? Well at least Benny Morris was honest.
I’m not too concerned about these terms of leftists or “new” historians. I feel these issues of labeling, along with trying to insert one’s opinions and ideologies are nothing more than ways to detract from the real issue. Someone will always have a label for this person or that person, or this scholar or that scholar, and it will end up being “well in my opinion” vs “well in my opinion”.
I’m arguing about what the highest world bodies (UN, ICJ) have to say about :
1-Illegally occupied territories
Resolution 242 clearly says the territories be returned. Now there are those who say “it says territories, not ALL territories”. But look at the actual resolution’s wording, “Emphasizing the inadmissibility of acquisition of territory by war …” (UNSC)
So these are NOT Disputed territories, they are ILLEGALLY OCCUPIED territories.
And maybe:
2-Illegally erected wall
“…the Court because it has already declared the construction of the wall to be illegal and has already determined the legal consequences by demanding that Israel stop and reverse its construction and further…” (ICJ)
I’m not going to go into Iran for now. The country which incidentally has never invaded other countries but has been labeled the “lesser of two evils” . Perhaps when Iran has invaded a few countries, sponsored coups in a few others (i.e. Mossadegh) , dropped a couple of A-bombs here and there, a couple of Napalms here and there, then we would say it is the lesser of the many evils… as it would be on par with the US….right?
I’m quite familiar with Hamas. I’m also quite familiar with what Dahlan (backed by Bush) and his thugs tried to do to the democratically elected govt of Haniyeh. What would happen if somebody tried to topple our federal government by force? I don’t expect any kindness going to the perpetrators way.
What did Dahlan, the security chief do to Hamas a terrorist outfit???
“However I am really not interested in talking about ideologies. Zionism, Islamic Fundamentalism, Extremism, etc. I think I’m already passed that.”
That’s fine. But the fact remains Hamas is committed to the destruction of Israel, engages in wanton rocket attacks against Israeli civilian population, maims and murders its political opponents. So, it’s hardly a legitimate government by any means. Hitler was democratically elected too, by the way.
I’m not going to go into Iran for now. The country which incidentally has never invaded other countries but has been labeled the “lesser of two evils” . Perhaps when Iran has invaded a few countries, sponsored coups in a few others (i.e. Mossadegh) , dropped a couple of A-bombs here and there, a couple of Napalms here and there, then we would say it is the lesser of the many evils… as it would be on par with the US….right?
You are right. I do not mean to say that US is much much less evil than Iran in the *quantitative* sense. But Iran is repressive towards Muslims who have a different understanding of Islam and the non-Muslims – mass killings of dissidents, ferocious persecution of Christians, Zorostarians, Bahai, resulting in murders of religious leaders, etc. We are not even talking about politics here. And of course incitement of politicide is one thing the US has never been guilty of. The US was wrong in plotting the downfall of Mossadegh, the Iranian nationalist prime minister. But Iran is guilty of sending waves of young men against the artillery barrage of the Iraqis during the 1980-1901 War on the promise of paradise recited by the Shiite clerics.
I’m arguing about what the highest world bodies (UN, ICJ) have to say about :
1-Illegally occupied territories
Resolution 242 clearly says the territories be returned. Now there are those who say “it says territories, not ALL territories”. But look at the actual resolution’s wording, “Emphasizing the inadmissibility of acquisition of territory by war …” (UNSC)
So these are NOT Disputed territories, they are ILLEGALLY OCCUPIED territories.”
Why were they :”occupied” (not that I agree with the term, but for the sake of argument) IN THE FIRST PLACE? WHY?
Because three countries, that is Syria, Egypt and Jordan combined to attack Israel in 1967. What happened in 1947? The UN wanted to partition the Mandate of Palestine into two. More than half of the proposed Israeli territory would be desert, arid land. Consult the Negev region. What was the response? Israel accepted, but the Arab countries, ostensibly speaking on behalf of the Palestinians rejected. This strain of rejectionism runs through Palestinian thinking today. Not only did they reject, they attacked Israel in 1948, the first major Arab-Israeli War, including Jordan which was formed out of 80 percent of the original Mandate territory. Two-thirds of Jordanians are actually Palestinians. The Hashemite monarchy is actually a minority monarchy transplated from the plains of Ejaz. The West Bank therefore originally was part of Jordan. Gaza Strip was administratively linked to Egypt. Egypt formally renounced its claim in the 1970s and Jordan’s “title” to West Bank died a natural death.
2-Illegally erected wall
“…the Court because it has already declared the construction of the wall to be illegal and has already determined the legal consequences by demanding that Israel stop and reverse its construction and further…” (ICJ)
This same ICJ has also indicted Omar Al-Bashir, the president of the Sudan for genocide against the Darfurians.
“Yes, Benny Morris, the person who said ethnic cleansing in ‘48 was justified. And maybe we can add the “scholarly” works of Joan Peters too? Well at least Benny Morris was honest.”
The works of Joan Peters, to be fair to you, can be said to be the right-wing equivalent to the works of the earlier Benny Morris, and left-wing Avi Shlaim, Ilan Papper, etc. Benny Morris said that ethnic cleansing which was never the official policy of the State of Israel was justified. Hamas is committed, as its charter stipulates, to the destruction of the State of Israel. One is keen to maintain the Jewish character of Israel whilst considering the existence of Palestinian state side-by-side. The other is committed to wiping out Jewish claim to their ancestral homeland. Israel has a 20 percent Arab population, the vast majority of which are Muslims. They are not required to serve in the military. Arab-based parties are allowed to exist and two of the three main parties have called for the extermination of the State of Israel, the very nation that gives them the right exist politically. There are 10 Arab MPs by proportional representation. An Arab MP can shout at the top of his lungs that Ehud Olmert is a mass murderer and nothing happens. Try that with Ismail Haniyeh.
Also, please refer to the Oslo Accords which is the road-map to a sustainable solution – the two-state solution. PLO is a signatory to the Oslo Accords. Israel maintains responsibility for external defence, joint-responsibility for internal security, economic assistance, etc. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo_Accords]. Israel has withdrew from Gaza. Gaza is not under occupation. The West Bank settlements are contrary to the Oslo Accords. Although, the similar situation of forcible evacuation of some settlements as in Gaza (formerly known as Judea) will have to be made if and when the conditions are ripe for progress towards a viable Palestinian state.
“The West Bank settlements are contrary to the Oslo Accords”
NOT contrary.
Jason said:
“But Iran is guilty of sending waves of young men against the artillery barrage of the Iraqis during the 1980-1901 War on the promise of paradise recited by the Shiite clerics. “
Sorry, but I think this is a preposterous argument. I am not going to waste much time arguing about ideologies and I will make this my final response for this particular issue. Sayyid Khomeini, Sayyid Beheshti, etc only asked what any patriotic person would do. Defend one’s land with what you have. Iranians were united in defending their land, secular or otherwise. In fact I don’t think the cleric even had to do anything. Even an atheist American would defend his/her land if it was being invaded. I hope you were not cheering for the US/European/Al-Khaleej sponsored terrorist Saddam Al-Tikkriti?
Jason said:
“What did Dahlan, the security chief do to Hamas a terrorist outfit??? “
Dahlan is a dirty terrorist thug working for Fatah’s security services, with a mission to oust Hamas with the help of Dayton, Rice and gang. It was quashed. I’m not going to defend Hamas for any wrongdoings they did while quashing the coup however. Vanity Fair and Christian Science Monitor wrote articles on this issue that I have no wish of cutting and pasting to waste this space. You can support this terrorist thug if you wish.
Jason said:
“The West Bank settlements are NOT contrary to the Oslo Accords. “
Well this is what the accord says
Oslo Accord:
The aim of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations within the current Middle East peace process is, among other things, to establish a Palestinian Interim Self-Government Authority, the elected Council (the “Council”), for the Palestinian people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, for a transitional period not exceeding five years, leading to a permanent settlement BASED ON SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS 242 and 338.
.
.
and so on.
Let me re-iterate UNSC Resolution 242:
Resolution 242 clearly says the territories be returned. Now there are those who say “it says territories, not ALL or THE territories”. But look at the actual resolution’s wording in the preambulary, “Emphasizing the inadmissibility of acquisition of territory by war …” (UNSC)
Also:
Article 49 of the Geneva Convention:
The Occupying Power shall not deport or TRANSFER parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.
In other words, no illegal settlements. Building settlements will not help solve this problem.
Jason said:
“This same ICJ has also indicted Omar Al-Bashir, the president of the Sudan for genocide against the Darfurians.”
We may dislike their resolutions, but they are binding if we are members of the international community and the UN. This same ICJ was where Malaysia took its case for Sipadan and Batu Puteh. Malaysia won in the case of Sipadan but lost Batu Puteh to Singapore by ICJ’s ruling. Should we disrespect that ruling, invade Batu Puteh and cite Israel’s belligerency towards the Israel’s towards ICJ’s ruling on the wall as a “precedence”?
I do not agree with many of the points in either 242 or ICJ’s ruling, but it’s a common standard that most of the international community recognize and is a good starting point.
Jason said:
“Because three countries, that is Syria, Egypt and Jordan combined to attack Israel in 1967. “
That is factually incorrect. According to Bailey, Israel attacked Egypt (Sinai, Nile Valley, Suez on 6/5/67). Then it was on to Syria, and then before UN’s Gen. Bull was able to warn King Hussein, Jordan was engaged. Also you did not mention that Iraq was also involved. So there were 4 countries engaged with Israel in which Israel started off first. Dayan said that the confrontation with Syria was (80% according to Dayan) instigated by Israel. They sent in farm equipment in a demilitarized zone, pushing it further until Syria responded and was then used as a pretext to attack Syria on the basis of a hostile act.
All intelligence in ’67 pointed to the fact that Israel was not under threat to lose any war. President Johnson said to Aba Ebban that Israel would demolish the other armies. And when Israel started the offensive, the results proved this, that Israel was knew very well that they were not going to lose any war. One of the main goals of Israel was to put the “Arabs in their place” as one form of deterrence.
I would like to point out that that Hamas is willing to discuss, even settle with the ’67 borders and push for a long term truce. Jimmy Carter already affirmed this, vis-a-vis this particular 2-state solution plan, Hamas can be trusted. His words, not mine. This is a good first and positive step instead of justifying more buildups of illegal settlements.
Sorry Anil, will no longer waste space on this issue.
have you seen these 2 clips featuring Dr Azzam Tamimi blasting Israel and Fatah?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2byD6yGtw8I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC67z_VasWA
phew! somebody got to invite him to Malaysia
Jews, Christians and Muslims Unite Against Evildoers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmJt33TmAKg&feature=channel_page