Obama administration to J Street: Peace is 'long-term interest' of Israel, Palestinians and world

[Scurrilous]

In remarks echoing AIPAC speeches, Obama's advisers say administration is committed to a 'just and lasting peace;' former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Kurtzer calls on Israel to freeze settlement construction.

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"U.S. President Barack Obama's senior adviser Valerie Jarrett spoke to the J Street conference participants on Monday about the administration's "commitment to a just and lasting peace". Like Obama several times before, she acknowledged on the second day of the conference that some people were frustrated with the state of the peace process. "We have a lot of work ahead, but peace is the long-term interest of Israeli and the Palestinian people, region, US, world," she said.

Some remarks sounded exactly like those made at the AIPAC conference - Jarrett spoke about Obama's "ironclad" commitment to Israel's security, closer cooperation with Israel, joint exercises, and more. "I've known this president for 20 years - he means what he says and says what he means", she said.

Speaking about Iran, Jarret said that "the president is determined to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon." Another U.S. administration official, Vice President Joe Biden's National Security advisor, stressed the importance of preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. However, Tony Blinken warned against "loose talk of war [that is] incredibly counterproductive… it benefits Iran, because the price of oil goes up and the money goes from our pocket to Iran's pocket." He added that "our approach is different - we believe now it's time to talk softly. It's possible to be smart and tough. Israel and the U.S. both assess Iran doesn't have yet the nuclear weapon."

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/obama-administration-to-j-street-peace-is-long-term-interest-of-israel-palestinians-and-world-1.420859



Intel shows Iran nuclear threat not imminent

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"The United States, European allies and even Israel generally agree on three things about Iran's nuclear program: Tehran does not have a bomb, has not decided to build one, and is probably years away from having a deliverable nuclear warhead.

Those conclusions, drawn from extensive interviews with current and former U.S. and European officials with access to intelligence on Iran, contrast starkly with the heated debate surrounding a possible Israeli strike on Tehran's nuclear facilities.

"They're keeping the soup warm but they are not cooking it," a U.S. administration official said.

Reuters has learned that in late 2006 or early 2007, U.S. intelligence intercepted telephone and email communications in which Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a leading figure in Iran's nuclear program, and other scientists complained that the weaponization program had been stopped.

That led to a bombshell conclusion in a controversial 2007 National Intelligence Estimate: American spy agencies had "high confidence" that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in the fall of 2003."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/23/us-iran-usa-nuclear-idUSBRE82M0G020120323