Peres: I believe Israel, world approaching military option on Iran nuclear threat
President Shimon Peres said Friday that he believes that Israel and the world may soon take military action against Iran. Despite this, Peres added that a distinction must be made between the public discourse and what happens in practice.
In comments to Israel Channel 2, Peres said "Intelligence services of all countries understand that time is running out and they are warning their leaders."
"It would seem that Iran is getting closer to having nuclear weapons," Peres said, adding, "In the time that remains, we must urge the other nations of the world to act, and tell them that it is time to stand behind the promise that was made to us, to fulfill their responsibility, whether that means serious sanctions or whether it means a military operation."
Peres also spoke about the Palestinians, saying, "We are in a situation in which all of the blinds in the Middle East are closing, whether due to revolutions or to increased extremism."
"Chance for Iran diplomacy fading, military option closer"
Peres said that Iran could be as close as six months from becoming nuclear-armed and it is Israel's role to warn the world of the danger. He suggested that the speculation about an attack on Iran may be a way of reminding the world of the Iranian threat.
Next week, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog, is expected to release a report that includes evidence of Iranian nuclear research which makes little sense if not weapons related, Western diplomats said.
"I propose we wait and see the IAEA report," Barak said, adding that he believes that if the UN nuclear watchdog will be "daring enough to say bluntly what they know about [Iran's] nuclear program," the world will understand the Iranian threat is international.
Security and Defense: Rattling the cage
Jerusalem is signaling to the world that it is time to get serious about putting a stop to Iran’s nuclear program.
On Wednesday, Israel test fired a long-range ballistic missile believed, according to foreign reports, to be a version of the Jericho 3 missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads up to ranges of 4,000 kilometers.
That same day, the Israel Air Force announced that it had returned from a week of joint maneuvers with Italy over Sardinia that included long-range flights, midair refueling and complicated bombing runs. On Thursday, the Home Front Command held a large-scale civil defense exercise aimed at preparing the public for missile attacks in the center of the country.
At the same time, these events are also part of Israel’s saber-rattling and are Jerusalem’s way of signaling to the world that it is serious about the need for Iran’s nuclear program to be put to a stop.
If the report is damning to Iran, it could serve as the basis for a major crackdown would likely focus on economic sanctions, for example against the Iranian Central Bank, which has yet to be targeted, before any military action would be taken.
On the other hand, the report could also serve as a justification for military action against Iran, either by Israel, by the US or by a coalition of countries.
Israel Navy intercepts Gaza-bound aid vessels; no injuries reported
The Israel Navy on Friday afternoon intercepted two boats that approached the coast of the Gaza Strip with the intent to violate Israel's naval blockade of the territory.
After the boats failed to heed calls to turn around or dock in Egypt or Israel, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Benny Gantz ordered naval forces to board the ships. Nobody was injured during the boarding of the ships, a military source said.
Ban: Israelis, Palestinians on collision course over UN bid
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday warned that Israel and the Palestinians were on a "collision course" as the two sides face-off over the Palestinian Authority's gambit to be admitted as a full member in the United Nations.
"Now is the time for all sides to exercise restraint so as to step back from the collision course,” a UN spokesman quoted Ban as saying while at the G20 summit in Cannes, France.
And below we see yet another good read from Caroline Glick:
Column One: Delegitimizing the delegitimizers
The only way to defeat those who deny our rights to our land, our nationhood and our history is to expose their corruption, and their hateful intentions towards the Jewish people.
You have to hand it to the Palestinians.
They decided to abandon the peace process and seek international recognition of the “State of Palestine” – a state in a de facto state of war with Israel. And they are pursuing their goal relentlessly.
In the end, the only way to defeat those who delegitimize Israel and deny our rights to our land, our nationhood and our history is to expose their corruption, and their malevolent, dishonest and hateful intentions towards the Jewish people and the Jewish state. That is, the only way to defeat the delegitimizers is to delegitimize them by proudly and consistently asserting Israel’s historic and legal rights and the justice of our cause.
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