Well, it appears that the Times of London is capable of perpetrating anti-Iranian fraud and sometimes an honest bit of reporting. The paper’s Israel correspondent reports that the retired IDF general who once ran Israel’s nuclear weapons program disputes the government narrative that Iran is an imminent nuclear threat to Israel and the world:
A general who was once in charge of Israel’s nuclear weapons has claimed that Iran is a “very, very, very long way from building a nuclear capability”.
Brigadier-General Uzi Eilam, 75, a war hero and pillar of the defence establishment, believes it will probably take Iran seven years to make nuclear weapons.
The views expressed by the former director-general of Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission contradict the assessment of Israel’s defence establishment and put him at odds with political leaders.
…Eilam, who is thought to be updated by former colleagues on developments in Iran, calls his country’s official view hysterical. “The intelligence community are spreading frightening voices about Iran,” he said.
He suggested that the “defence establishment is sending out false alarms in order to grab a bigger budget” while some politicians have used Iran to divert attention away from problems at home.
“Those who say that Iran will obtain a bomb within a year’s time, on what basis did they say so?” he asked. “Where is the evidence?”
The Israeli general also argues against an Israeli attack against Iran’s nuclear facilities:
…Eilam argues “such an attack would be counter-productive”.
“One strike is not practical. In order to delay the Iranian programme for three to four years, one needs an armada of aircraft, which only a super-power can provide. Only America can do it.”
A breath of truth and fresh air. Is anyone listening there in Tel Aviv? H/t Dan Sisken.
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So tell me, on the basis of what expertise do you corroborate his views? What information do you have that allowed you to make the same judgment prior to hearing him state his own?
Corroborate? Why is it when Bibi tells you something you believe it w/o question, & when the Israeli general who ran Israel’s nuclear weapons program & who is still briefed regularly on nuclear issues by the intelligence services tells you something, you need corroboration???? Why would I need to hear him state his own views. I just read quotations from his own mouth in the Times of London??
Indeed, since when are opinions something needing corroboration? And it is quite interesting that an Israeli official would substantiate that Iran has no nuclear weapons capability. Not that Israel and dear Bibi, don’t already know this.
I doubt Tel Aviv would listen to this man; instead, they’ll vilify him. If Israel were interested in the truth about Iran’s nuclear program, they would not still be bloviating about this non-existent threat. Like Bush and his WMD’s in Iraq, Israel has created its own bete noire in Iran.
RE: “Those who say that Iran will obtain a bomb within a year’s time, on what basis did they say so?” he asked. “Where is the evidence?” – Gen. Eilam
ISRAEL DEFENSE ESTABLISHMENT’S ANSWER: We could show the evidence to you, but then we would have to ‘disappear’ you (because it’s all highly classified, of course). So, just trust us!
What is interesting is the following quote: “He suggested that the “defence establishment is sending out false alarms in order to grab a bigger budget” while some politicians have used Iran to divert attention away from problems at home.”
Basically, Israel would have the US start WWIII on their behalf for that ? And kill and maim thousands of Iranians in the process. I mean, I knew it was all BS, and I know that the tail wags the dog but can you imagine what type of people these Israelis are ?
I think that’s a bit of a blanket statement. Don’t forget it was an Israeli general who said the emperor has no clothes. I reserve my sharpest criticism for the political & military elite when it comes to Iran policy.
Let us keep in mind that it is not just the Israelis who seem to have a stake in selling Iran-as-boogeyman-du-jour-and-impending-nuclear-threat-now-that-Saddam-is-gone. It was quite some time ago that Obama’s rhetoric morphed, virtually unremarked (as no doubt intented) from “Iran’s nuclear program” to “Iran’s nuclear weapons program” despite the reality that so far the evidence overwhelmingly suggests that Iran does not have a nuclear weapons program. And I seemed to be the only one who noticed the change or thought it mattered.
I do not believe for a moment that Obama’s characterization of Iran’s nuclear program changed to accommodate Israel’s agenda. On the contrary, I believe the Obama administration is following its own agenda with regard to Iran, and it is looking disturbingly like the Bush regime’s Iraq-as-primary-threat-to-world-security deception. And of course the most terrifying thing about it is that the media and the public are showing no more skepticism about this scam than they did about the nearly-identical Iraq scam. Are Americans completely incapable of learning from experience?!
It is the American agenda, definitely, which explains why Israel is allowed to behave as a loose cannon in the region. Something is very odd when a country already engaged in two wars would be setting the stage for a third; but that appears to be the case.
Shirin, I also noticed Obama’s change in rhetoric (and attitude) after his election, not only as it concerns Iran, but also as it concerns the middle east after he made his famous Cairo speech (which, predictably, turned out to be nothing but hot air). The Nobel Prize speech was a 180 degree turn from Cairo, and to anyone concerned about the future of the world, it was an Orwellian nightmare.
I seriously believe that the American public has been TV’d out of any ability to think or analyze, and I have noticed that there seems to be a big increase in the number of people who do not pay any attention to what is happening. It seems that this incuriosity makes for a news media who also feels it is not obligated to provide fair and detailed coverage of world events. I do not know whether this accounts for the collective amnesia of the American public; it could just be built into the culture, that we should blindly trust our politicians and “get behind them” even if they decide to blow up the whole world. To me, Iran smells like World War III, and I am wondering why no one else seems to be picking up the scent as well.
Mary, I presume you are not American. What ails the American public is not amnesia, nor anything built into the culture. It is just that the public has been conditioned and brainwashed by a conforming media – press, TV, radio. The “bad guys” had been trying to usurp the country for the past forty or so years, and the final coup came in 2000 with the appointment of the GWB administration. The country is now owned lock stock and barrel by a nefarious oligarchy that will run it into the ground. Obama is merely the step ‘n fetchet for the oligarchy. There is no longer a scent to pick up. The whole thing stinks, period!!
Gene, why would you presume I am not an American? My problem is that I don’t think all hope is lost – yet. But I’ve also been fortunate to have lived outside of the US and to have many friends in other parts of the world, and this influences my thinking. I agree with much of what you say, but I don’t believe in any of the numerous conspiracy theories out there – Bilderberg, Rothschild, 9/11 truthers, etc. My personal opinion is that democracy is intrinsically flawed, in the sense that it is like a delicate hot house plant, needing a lot of attention and care to survive. Unfortunately, the US has sadly neglected its democracy for many years, trusting its politicians and drinking the kool aid of exceptionalism and nationalism. Obama is no step’n fetchit, and that rather racist description of him actually lets him off the hook as a mere lackey, when in fact he is a full participant in what this country is and does. It is so easy to wring one’s hands and claim the US is in the clutches of evil forces, but it’s also quite silly because it is our country, has always been our country, and unless we continue to stupidly give it away to lobbyists and right wing demagogues, it will continue to be our country.
George W. Bush??? Sure. We stopped thinking intelligence matters; Bush is a cretin. But we let him into the White House, so who is really to blame? By the same token, it is horrifying to see that there really are people out there who want Sarah Palin to be president in 2012. And beyond horrifying is the real possibility that it will happen.
However, America has always blindly followed its leaders from one war to another. This is nothing new. The US has been at war almost constantly since its history began. Being convinced of itself as a peacemaker, it wreaks wanton destruction on weaker countries, on a regular basis, all in the name of “freedom.”
The difference here, in the case of Iran, is that Iran is not some third rate backwoods outhouse of a country that the US can throw against a wall, occupy and exploit. We’re looking at a very dangerous situation here, and the foolish US and Israel are walking into an explosives warehouse and are about to light a match, to supposedly stop Iran from possessing nuclear weapons it does not possess. Both of them know exactly what they’re doing. Gene, if you and I know, then why do you assume Obama doesn’t know?
Mary, I don’t assume that Obama doesn’t know. And I’ve never said he wasn’t intelligent. Therein lies the danger. He has chosen the side of the evil ones. And they chose him because they knew they could manipulate him. He had all the appeal the progressives wanted, hoping he was a man of change. He conned the American public into believing he was on their side, but he sold out. Hence the “step’n fetchit” monicker. It was not intended to be racist. John Kerry would have merited the same had he been elected.
Yes, democracy is a like a delicate plant, but it has not only been neglected in America, it has been trampled on and completely crushed. In its place fascism has grown like a weed, and it will take more than our lifetimes before a good gardener will come along and root it out, so that democracy can once again flourish.
But then, this is not new in America. We have always been an imperial country, but imperialist tendencies have been held in check because we had a relatively educated class who could recognize and thwart the dangers. No longer. For your edification on this matter, may I recommend to you a new book by James Bradley “The Imperial Cruise; A Secret History of Empire and War.” It will open your eyes to a lot of neglected US history.