With the US sending clear public signals to Israel that it is opposed to military action now against Iran, and a cacophonous debate on the matter in Israel, senior Iranian officials continue to threaten Israel with destruction.On Wednesday it was the turn of Brig.- Gen. Gholamreza Jalali, the head of Iran's Passive (civil) Defense Organization and a former commander of the Revolutionary Guards, who during a speech ahead of Al-Quds Day, an anti-Israel event initiated by Iran, said that in order to liberate Palestine there was no other option but to destroy Israel"[Al-Quds Day] is a reflection of the fact that no other way exists apart from resolve and strength to completely eliminate the aggressive nature and to destroy Israel," Jalali said, according to a report by Iran¹s ISNA news agency.Jalali said that the message of Khomeini's Al-Quds Day initiative was that the Muslim world must support the "oppressed people of Palestine" in a show of resistance against "the Zionist usurpers."An Israeli government official responded to Jalali's comments by saying it was simply a "reaffirmation of what we continually hear from the Iranian leadership."
The official said that the statement was "not an aberration," and that Israel was taking the Iranian threat very seriously. "We urge others to do the same," he said. "The Iranians use unequivocal language, and their words speak for themselves."
The top two U.S. defense officials today publicly doubted whether Israel was capable of effectively neutralizing Iran’s nuclear threat. It’s not clear why the American government is choosing to undermine a key ally on the possible eve of a major war in the Middle East. But that is what has just happened. “A possible Israeli strike on Iran‘s nuclear facilities may be able to hinder the Islamic Republic’s atom ambitions but it will no destroy its nuclear program, General MartinDempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday,” reports Ynet News. “In a press briefing held in the pentagon, Dempsey and US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta were asked for their opinion of a recent media report suggesting Israel was closer than ever to undertaking a unilateral strike against Iran, and whether they believed such military action would be effective….”
Yes, it is possible that Israeli leaders could be bluffing. Yes, it is also possible that they are simply trying to pressure the U.S. and international community to take more decisive action to neutralize the Iranian nuclear threat. But reading the latest tea leaves, I believe evidence is rapidly mounting that this could really be it — Israel could be just days or weeks away from a massive preemptive strike against Iran.
I believe there are significant changes in the way Israeli leaders are speaking about the possibility of war. One fact that has particularly caught my attention in the last 24 hours is that Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon is telling reporters that it is time for the world to admit that diplomacy has not worked, and that Iran only has “weeks” and not “months” to cease nuclear activity.
To be clear: I’m still praying for the peace of Jerusalem and the epicenter everyday, as we are commanded in Psalm 122:6. I’m not advocating war. I would be so glad if Israel and/or the world could find a way to neutralize Iran without violence and bloodshed.
But I don’t want to see a Second Holocaust either, and that’s surely what Israel would be facing if Iran gets the Bomb. I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu believes he is out of other options, and it’s clear to him thus far that the Obama administration is not going to act decisively to prevent Iran from getting the Bomb in time. There could be numerous detours on the journey in the days and weeks ahead. But unless something dramatic changes quickly, I believe that everyone in the corridor between Tel Aviv and Tehran are on the verge of a massive and imminent war.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar