Weapons inspector: Israel knew Iraq had no WMDs

[dudeness]

Former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter told ynet Sunday that the Israeli intelligence community was well aware that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction.

In reaction, MK Ehud Yatom (Likud) – a member of the Knesset Security and Foreign Affairs Committee said Sunday evening that Israel had always maintained and believed that Iraq did, in fact, retain weapons of mass destruction.

Earlier, MK Roman Bronfman (Meretz) said that if Ritter was right, it meant that the government had purposely misled the Israeli public. "This just shows what price Sharon's government is prepared to pay in order to seed panic and evade undertaking any political action," he said.

Ritter, a former US Marine, was a weapons inspector in Iraq from 1991 to 1998 and a vocal critic of the Bush administration's policy on Iraq.

snip..

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1075609218717&p=1008596981749

[IndianaGreen]

1. Israel and her American allies were part of the WMD disinformation

campaign. It is an outrage that we allowed a foreign government to dupe the American public into thinking that Saddam was an imminent threat.

[Gimel]

5. Classical scapegoat

to caste the blame on Israel because you are unable to accept responsibility for your own actions.



:thumbsdown:

[IndianaGreen]

6. It is called "accountability"

Bringing into account all of those that plunged this nation into the Iraq quagmire: from Bush, Rice, Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld and Powell, to those that voted for IWR, to those that lobbied for war, including AIPAC.

[Gimel]

8. No one knew

Before the war inspectors failed to find any WMD and Israel never lobbied for the war. Your political groups in the US, are not synonymous with Israel, even if they support Israel.

[IndianaGreen]

9. For Israel Lobby Group, War Is Topic A, Quietly (Washington Post)

For Israel Lobby Group, War Is Topic A, Quietly
At Meeting, Jerusalem's Contributions Are Highlighted
By Dana Milbank
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 1, 2003; Page A25

This week's meeting in Washington of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee has put a spotlight on the Bush administration's delicate dance with Israel and the Jewish state's friends over the attack on Iraq.

Officially, Israel is not one of the 49 countries the administration has identified as members of the "Coalition of the Willing." Officially, AIPAC had no position on the merits of a war against Iraq before it started. Officially, Iraq is not the subject of the pro-Israel lobby's three-day meeting here.

Now, for the unofficial part:

As delegates to the AIPAC meeting were heading to town, the group put a headline on its Web site proclaiming: "Israeli Weapons Utilized By Coalition Forces Against Iraq." The item featured a photograph of a drone with the caption saying the "Israeli-made Hunter Unmanned Aerial Vehicle" is being used "by U.S. soldiers in Iraq."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A63578-2003Mar31?language=printer

[kalian]

15. "Greater Israel" comes to mind...but shhhhh....that's taboo.....

:eyes:

[Gimel]

17. Because of sales?

Weapons bought by the US military from wherever, does not implicate the producer in US war actions. It is certainly a matter of pride that Israel has advanced technology and uses it for production in various fields, including medicine and agriculture and military products.


If Israeli-made medical equipment was used in Iraq you'd want to give Israel the credit for making it, but the personnel using the equipment, and the organizations sponsoring the clinics would be given credit for the work done.

[David__77]

21. You are correct in a sense.

This is not aquestion of being "duped by Israel." The war mongers are in Washington, London and Tel Aviv, but the decision to launch war against Iraq originated in the Bush administration. That said, rightists in Israel have clamored for war against Iraq for a long time, hoping to push the US into such a confrontation.

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. I still remember Netanyahu's prompt t.v. appearance after 9/11

What a hawk. They're so eager to shed American blood in order to pad their plans of expansion. It's time Israel seriously consider compromise.

The more they think they have a fat, dumb but strong relative like the U.S. to manipulate, the less likely they will resort to peaceful options.

[MikeGalos]

20. Been reading the Hamas Charter again, Indy?

They blame the Zionists for the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, World War I and World War II...

Guess the International Zionist Conspiracy needed something to do last year when they were done throwing the 10 Commandments out of the Alabama courthouse so they convinced poor, innocent George Bush to do their evil bidding...

:tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat:

[onebigbadwulf]

2. Ritter has been saying Iraq had no WMD's since 3 years ago

[Scurrilous]

3. More...

<snip>

"One report, penned by veteran IDF intelligence officer Col. (ret.) Ephraim Kam, the deputy head of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, claimed Israeli intelligence was correct in assuming Iraq had the capability and intention of striking Israel during the recent US invasion, if only to play it safe following the previous conflict, in which Israel had been hit by 39 conventional warheads fired by Iraqi Scud missiles.

The other report, by Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Shlomo Brom claimed Israeli intelligence not only was a 'full partner' in the failure to correctly assess Saddam's capabilities and intentions, but had participated in an 'exaggerated assessment' with the Americans and British.

While not overtly political, this was mainly due to 'excessive intelligence anxiety' to adopt the worst-case scenario in order to be 'heroes' if validated, and forgiven if their bleak prophecies did not materialize. Brom warned that the good reputation enjoyed by Israeli intelligence could be jeopardized by the failure and hinted there may have been subtle political influence on the intelligence assessment."

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

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

[unblock]

4. EVERYBODY knew iraq had no wmds

it was the single most thoroughly inspected nation in the world.

the only reason anyone thought they might was because the administration pushed the idea bigtime.

oh, that and the fact that the bushies SOLD them some back when saddam was a useful paying customer,....

[slor]

7. What the American public needs to be reminded of...

is the fact that inspectors were on the ground, and the U.N. asked for 3 more months to avoid war. Bush said no, and the world knows it!

[democract]

11. I think

a lot of people knew there were none. But now that we have a bipartisan commission all of this will come to light - not.

[frylock]

12. kick for the west coast..

:kick:

[dArKeR]

13. Israel knew Iraq had no WMD - IOL

Jerusalem - A government critic said on Tuesday that Israel was aware before the war against Iraq that Saddam Hussein did not possess weapons of mass destruction, but Israel did not inform the United States.

Israel put itself on war footing before the US invasion last year, passing out gas mask kits to its citizens and then ordering them to open the kits, a step that eventually will cost millions, since components would have to be replaced.

But lawmaker Yossi Sarid, a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, said on Tuesday that Israeli intelligence knew beforehand that Iraq had no weapons stockpiles and misled US President George Bush.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=3&art_id=qw1075852801225B262&set_id=1

[IndianaGreen]

16. Israel "passing out gas mask kits to its citizens" is the equivalent

of Tom Ridge yelling "Orange Alert," a good way to keep the people off-balance and fearful so they don't have time to question their own government.

[GabysPoppy]

18. No it is not

Israeli's are reminded on a daily basis do be fearful of terrorist attacks. Cars and trunks are inspected as you enter any shopping mall. People are electronically inspected before entering a store or restaurant. Passing out of gas mask kits is unfortunately a way of life and to compare security precautions in Israel with Ridge's crayolas is totally absurd and lacks any awareness or understanding of daily life in Israel for an Israeli.

[David__77]

22. Why do you support Lori Berenson?

She was working with the MRTA, an armed group that most certainly killed civilians in the course of its armed struggle. Was the MRTA conducting a just struggle? I ask this because I wonder if you believe that the MRTA's kindred groups in Israel/Palestine, such as the DFLP or PFLP are also just.

[Darranar]

23. She was?

Really?

How do you know this?

Because the Peruvian government says so?

[David__77]

24. She praised it as a "revolutionary movement."

http://www.freelori.org/news/01jun20_ap_b.html

I don't know a lot about the case, but she did defend MRTA and lived with MRTA members. Certainly I think someone under similar circumstances in the West Bank might be considered a terrorist sympathizer if they praised Hamas and lived in a Hamas house.

[GabysPoppy]

27. You're correct

You don't a lot about the case and very little about Lori.

[David__77]

31. OK.

I do know, however, that many defenders of Lori are supportive of the MRTA. International Action Center (Workers World) comes to mind. I'm sure many do not as well.

I'm certainly not saying there's anything wrong with supporting them.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

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

[MikeGalos]

19. Actually

Israel's response to Bush's Iraq policy was that Iraq wasn't a threat but if you'd look at Syria we'd appreciate it. Of course, Bush ignored Syria and attacked Iraq and ignorant bozos around the world tried to blame Israel (again)

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

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

[MikeGalos]

28. To Quote the Immortal Tom Lehrer

Oh, the Protestants hate the Catholics,
And the Catholics hate the Protestants,
And the Hindus hate the Moslems,
And everybody hates the Jews.

[Muddleoftheroad]

30. Tom

Remains one of the all-time great minds.

[Darranar]

29. The Sharon government = The Jews?

I don't think so...

In fact, I think this could well be true. Bush lied - he could have pressured his allies into lying, as well.