Former Israeli Chief of Staff: Confront Iran Regime, Assassinate Ahmadinejad
In an opinion piece in the Sydney Morning Herald News, journalist Paul Sheehan wrote Israel’s former Chief of Staff, Moshe Ya’alon, had tough talk during an interview in Israel regarding the current regime in Iran: “confront the Iranian revolution immediately” and “all options must considered” including “considering killing” Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.
Ya’alon was Israel’s Chief of Staff from 2002 to 2005. Prior to Chief of Staff, General Ya’alon served as deputy leader of the Israel Defense Forces from 2000 to 2002.
Sheehan wrote that “Ya’alon is preparing the political groundwork for a military attack on Iran’s key nuclear facilities”.
“We have to confront the Iranian revolution immediately,” he (Ya’alon) told me. “There is no way to stabilise the Middle East today without defeating the Iranian regime. The Iranian nuclear program must be stopped.”
Defeating the theocratic regime in Tehran could be economic or political or, as a last resort, military, he said. “All tools, all options, should be considered.”
Sheehan then asked Ya’alon if “all options” included “decapitating the Iranian leadership by military strikes, including Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has called for Israel’s destruction?” Ya’alon responded with an affirmative: “All options must be considered”.
Sheehan wrote that Ya’alon has decided to run for the conservative party Likud in the upcoming February 10 election.
2010 – “Ground Zero” for Israel
Sheehan also interviewed Eran Lerman, a former senior member of Israel’s Directorate of Military Intelligence. Lerman believes time is of the essence in dealing with Iran:
“Unless the pace [of developing Iran's nuclear program] is slowed down, we will need to face some bitter decisions within a year. The sanctions have failed.
“The Iranian regime’s need for a nuclear bomb is a reflection of the profound crisis in which it finds itself after almost 30 years in power. They promised the earth and the country is in disarray. The regime has failed to create or sustain stable social structures. So the last validated remnant of the Iranian revolution is to destroy Israel.”
Sheehan’s headline was highly informative: Israeli hawks ready to fly on Iran, and caught the eye of the Iran’s Press TV whose headline read: ‘Kill Ahmadinejad, halt Iran’s N-drive’.
Within 24 hours, Iran’s Press TV reported that Ya’alon’s remarks about “killing Ahmadinejad” had been “taken out of context” with a quote from an “unnamed” Ya’alon aide:
“The Ya’alon aide responded by confirming that the Israeli Legion-of-Merit holder had alleged it to be possible to defeat Iran through economic, political, diplomatic pressure and military means.
“Any other quotes on this matter are incorrect and have been taken out of context,” Ha’aretz quoted the unnamed associate as saying.”
What’s also interesting to note is the not so subtle difference in the description given by Press TV concerning Iran’s nuclear program.
From the 1st Press TV article:
“The US and its allies have been accusing Iran of developing nuclear arms; Iran, however, says its nuclear activities are aimed at peaceful purposes. The UN nuclear watchdog has announced that it had not found any evidence proving the US’s allegations against Iran.”
To today’s:
“The UN nuclear watchdog, which has extensively monitored Iran’s nuclear activities since 2003, concedes that it is not in a position to fully clarify the nature of the Iranian nuclear program.
The nuclear agency declared, however, that UN inspectors had conducted announced and some twenty unannounced visits to Iran’s fuel enrichment plant to find that the country has only managed to enrich uranium to a level of ‘less than five percent’.
The rate is consistent with the development of a nuclear power plant — nuclear arms production requires an enrichment level of above 90 percent.”
From “The UN nuclear watchdog has announced that it had not found any evidence proving the US’s allegations against Iran, to this: “The UN nuclear watchdog, which has extensively monitored Iran’s nuclear activities since 2003, concedes that it is not in a position to fully clarify the nature of the Iranian nuclear program.”
Ahmadinejad has been very vocal in his desire to “wipe” Israel off the Global map while ABC News reported that an Iranian nuclear bomb could be possible by 2009:
“Iran has more than tripled its ability to produce enriched uranium in the last three months, adding some 1,000 centrifuges which are used to separate radioactive particles from the raw material.
The development means Iran could have enough material for a nuclear bomb by 2009, sources familiar with the dramatic upgrade tell ABC News.”
In 2005 CNN reported the now infamous “wipe Israel off the map” quote by Ahmadinejad:
“TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) — Iran’s new president has repeated a remark from a former ayatollah that Israel should be “wiped out from the map,” insisting that a new series of attacks will destroy the Jewish state, and lashing out at Muslim countries and leaders that acknowledge Israel.”
The occasion: Iran’s month long protest, “World Without Zionism”.
“Ahmadinejad quoted a remark from Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of Iran’s Islamic revolution, who said that Israel “must be wiped out from the map of the world.”
The president then said: “And God willing, with the force of God behind it, we shall soon experience a world without the United States and Zionism,” according to a quote published by IRNA.”
Ahmadinejad has since denied he made any such remarks yet another quote from the same source and “occasion” is highly illuminating:
“Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation’s fury.”
Paul Sheehan is an Australian journalist and author who resides in Sydney.
By LBG
Image – Treehugger.com
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That’s not tough talk, that’s crazy talk.
As if being like Ahmadinejad is the way to counter him!
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This kind of commentary is just as bad if not worse than anything said by the Iranians. Seems like Iran and Israel are two peas in a pod. Sheehan however did not do his due diligence when asking questions. The president of Iran (who by the way is a figurehead only and holds no real political power) never stated that Israel should be wiped off the map (in other words should be physically destroyed) as is often mistakenly translated, especially in the US press. He only commented that it should be politically subsumed in a greater Palestine. The assassination of such a man would not make one iota of a change to Iran’s policies towards Israel. Only a change in Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians and the rest of the middle east can change Iran’s policies. Israel and the US must come to understand that just as the US is no longer able to control the world in a unipolar environment so Israel cannot control the middle east. It must come to satisfactory terms with its neighbours so all can live in peace.
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