Olmert indicates Israel has nuclear capability - JP

[Eugene]

Dec. 11, 2006 20:23 | Updated Dec. 11, 2006 22:22
Olmert indicates Israel has nuclear capability
By JPOST.COM STAFF

In a move unprecedented by any Israeli leader, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday
suggested that that Israel possesed nuclear weapons capability when he named Israel
in a list of nuclear nations.

In an interview with the German television network SAT 1, Olmert was asked about the
statement by newly-appointed US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates regarding Israel's
nuclear capability.

The prime minister became enraged when he was asked if the fact that Israel possessed
nuclear power weakened the West's position against Iran.

"Israel is a democracy and does not threaten anyone," Olmert exclaimed. The only thing
we have tried to do is to live without (threats of) terror, but we have never threatened
anyone with annihilation. Iran explicitly, openly and publicly threatens to wipe Israel
off the map."

-snip-

Full article: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1164881872535&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[UndertheOcean]

1. Thats news ?

?

[Eugene]

2. Isreal's official position is ambiguity and Olmert let this slip out,

"Can you say that this is the same level, when they are aspiring
to have nuclear weapons, as America, France, Israel, Russia?"

This hasn't gone down too well at home.

[Poll_Blind]

11. I think it's arguable that with Gates AND Olmert doing this it was more...

...than just a slip on Gates' part. Yeah, the hardcore are going nuts on the Ha'aretz message boards. Of course, they always go nuts over something. Probably because they're nuts to begin with. Anyway, I think Israel's about to come out of the nuclear closet. NO Israeli PM or official would ever, ever, ever even acknowledge a question which contains the words "Israel's nuclear weapons".

  I was watching a video recently on Dimona and someone was interviewing Shimon Peres (IIRC) and they asked him the question.

"My dear lady, you are asking that question to yourself." was the gist of Peres' replies. It's not like they don't go there, if you have a travel book with, on page 315, a half-page map of there they don't want to touch the damned thing.

PB

[Ediacara]

3. In other news, Lance Bass comes out of the closet

The whole world says, "So? We knew that already."

[Howardx]

4. does this mean

they are no longer eligible for the 2 billion a year they get from the us taxpayers?

[Tom Joad]

6. Well, yes, that's right. Of course the US breaks laws all the time.

Laws are for weak nations. Even the US following its own laws is not done. Laws are sometimes "just for show".

[Tom Joad]

5. I can't believe it, an Israeli leader telling the truth about its nukes.

Will Olmert have to spend 12 years in solitary confinement now?

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Poll_Blind]

7. I think after we openly broke the NNPT with India (who admits having...

...nukes), Israel realizes they don't have to play charades so much anymore. I think. Olmert listing Israel as a nuclear nation in an interview with foreign media really is a big deal, but specifically a big deal for U.S.-Israel relations. The rest of the world already knows beyond a doubt that Israel's "packing".

  What bugs me about this is the Bush's Administration is shitting all over the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

  This puts the next U.S. president, who will likely be a Democrat, in a very difficult position. How are they supposed to enforce this treaty, when A) This new "openness" reveals what everyone knew- that the U.S. has been lying through it's teeth about Israel's nuclear arsenal and B) The huge trade deal we signed with India was contingent on us ignoring the NNPT before they (the Indians) would sign it?

  How is a Democratic president going to get us back on the "lawful" side of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty with these 2 examples of pure disregard for the NNPT? What kind of position of hypocrisy does it put us in when trying to deal with North Korea's production of nuclear arms, for instance?

  This whole business is very very bad for stopping proliferation of nuclear weapons in any country.

PB

[Tom Joad]

9. I dont expect Bush to take this seriously, but I would like to see

US peace groups take this seriously. Peace Action rightfully fought long and hard against the India deal you are referring to. http://www.peace-action.org/PeaceBlog/wordpress/?p=122

Even though it lost, it waged the good fight. We also need to wage a fight against the unlawful military aid to Israel, that is engaged in the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and has not signed the NPT. US law simply prohibits military aid to any such country. An honest president would seek an exemption for Israel, or apply the law, or say the law does not apply when they don't feel like applying it (the latter option, is usually the Bush way of going about things).

[Poll_Blind]

10. Indeed. I can live with laws I don't like. What's maddening is...

...living with laws which are routinely broken by the highest echelons of our government. It reminds me of the corruption in a lot of third-world countries. I can't remember but someone does an index yearly of the most corrupt countries. The ones at the top of the list are usually the ones where the leaders are corrupt and so everyone on down adheres to corrupt practices because that's basically the model.

PB