A revolt from within: Why Netanyahu backed away from an Iran strike
The public row with Mr. Barak illustrated the magnitude of Mr. Netanyahu’s retreat and his difficulty in explaining it. He was left with implying that he had been undermined, if not betrayed by, his own defense minister. But that was not the full story of why he had blinked.
In fact, Mr. Netanyahu’s about-face resulted from a long-building revolt by Israel’s professional security establishment against the very idea of an early military attack, particularly one without the approval of the United States.
For months, former and even serving chiefs of Israel’s defense and intelligence communities have vigorously and publicly opposed Mr. Netanyahu’s case for attacking Iran sooner, rather than after all other means have been exhausted. Meir Dagan, the much respected former head of Mossad, did so to an American audience in an interview with Lesley Stahl broadcast last March by CBS’ “60 Minutes.” In Israel earlier, he had been quoted as saying that such an attack was “the stupidest idea I have ever heard.”
In addition, Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Barak had proved unable to win sufficient support for early military action from other members of the government. Despite months of sustained effort, Mr. Netanyahu was not able to muster a majority even in his nine-member informal inner cabinet, much less Israel’s larger security cabinet, whose agreement he would need before attacking.
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In before the neo-con screeds…
JohnGalt23 on October 13, 2012 at 1:28 PM
Who are you going to believe? The Israeli intelligence apparatus or some random people posting on a blog in the United States?
Dack Thrombosis on October 13, 2012 at 1:34 PM
It’s their country, their security, and their lives. Sometimes it takes a thousand or so innocents to die before everyone agrees to attack.
Daemonocracy on October 13, 2012 at 1:45 PM
I’d prefer a relationship in which they weren’t sufficiently dependent on us as to need to request our permission for their national defense.
WeekendAtBernankes on October 13, 2012 at 1:49 PM
Why Netanyahu backed away from an Iran strike? Probably because people know that he has been shouting hysterics concerning Iran’s nuclear program for 20 years.
Source
After 20 years lying to people about Iran’s nuclear program, why does anyone listen to him? Also note that then as now he insist that Iran be “uprooted by an international front headed by the US.” Why is this weasel continuously trying to drag us into his wars?
antifederalist on October 13, 2012 at 1:57 PM
israel has a dovish left every bit as awful as europe’s.
iow: worse than the usa’s and shai feldman is a very big part of it.
bibi’s presentation at the unga was great.
and as**oles like allison and feldman attacking him are no different than those who attacked churchill in the decade before ww2.
ditto antifederalist here. (above)
there was nothing bellicose about bibi’s speech.
acting preemptively to prevent a nuclear armed iran would be a defensive move.
it would not only remove a nuclear threat to israel and the entire middle east – and europe, it would remove the major backer of unrest in syria, jordan, libya, turkey and the gulf states.
doing nothing is not going to achieve a good result.
and sanctions approved by russia will never succeed.
as horrible as the retaliation might be – (and i emphasize MIGHT, as when israel destroyed iraq’s nuke program and also syria’s there was NO SERIOUS RETALIATION AT ALL!- a nuclear armed iran would be worse – and more destabilizing.
no amount of personal attacks against bibi or antisemitic attacks against israel will change that fact.
reliapundit on October 13, 2012 at 2:25 PM
Israel is part of this – powerful
Schadenfreude on October 13, 2012 at 2:29 PM
@antifederalist: If Netanyahu is the “weasel,” how come Barak (the leftist who tried vainly to appease Arafat) agreed with him for years?
Seth Halpern on October 13, 2012 at 2:49 PM
It wouldn’t surprise me if the focus on external enemies is a useful way to distract the public from domestic problems. Plus I’m sure there is a lot of political pressure to not openly disparage Netanyahu. In any case, both Barrak and Bibi are a couple of lying weasels as far as I’m concerned.
antifederalist on October 13, 2012 at 2:57 PM
@antifederalist: Right, because everybody knows Israelis are far too timid to criticize their own leaders and can be led around by the nose by the latter like a bunch of sheep.
Perhaps one day I and other earthlings will visit your planet.
Seth Halpern on October 13, 2012 at 3:05 PM
Feel free to come and visit Planet Reality anytime you’re ready to stop drinking the Kool Aid.
antifederalist on October 13, 2012 at 3:11 PM
Yeh. Mimicked from Juan Cole, Ron Paul, Mondoweiss, Occupy This or That, and every other site which loves to hate Israel.
Now go find the original full quote and the exact context it was said in. That’s the source you need.
Oh! Never mind! I found it for you. Can you spot the difference between the original quotes and what 1000s of sites claim?
Shy Guy on October 13, 2012 at 3:11 PM
Here’s a different view of the Netanyahu-Barak tussle.
Shy Guy on October 13, 2012 at 3:12 PM
Were you able to find the original quote from 1992 (the year of the quote that is attributed to Benjamin Netanyahu in the CS Monitor)? The quote in the source you linked has is from 1995:
The $64 question is what is taking Iran so long to develop a nuclear weapon? After all, we all know that they are hellbent on wiping Israel off the face of the map.
antifederalist on October 13, 2012 at 3:24 PM
Here is Bibi lying to Congress about Iraq’s nuclear program in 2002
antifederalist on October 13, 2012 at 3:25 PM
Try reading the Netanyahu quote carefully.
What’s taking so long? Could it be that Iran is “slightly” behind in cutting edge technologies? Who’da thunk!
More like a 64 cent question. Actually, not even 2 cents.
Where’s the 1992 Netanyahu quote? You tell me!
Shy Guy on October 13, 2012 at 3:38 PM
Where is the lie? List the time mark(s).
Shy Guy on October 13, 2012 at 3:40 PM
Back to my original source
antifederalist on October 13, 2012 at 3:44 PM
I didn’t ask what your source is. CSM is as much a parrot as all the other junk sites are. I asked you what all the hate site’s are using as a source. Simply find the detailed transcript of this 1992 quote by Netanyahu. The original source with a detailed reference. Get it?
Incidentally, I cannot find it even when googling for the item in Hebrew.
Shy Guy on October 13, 2012 at 3:49 PM
Concerning Iraq’s nuclear program he insisted that there was “there is no question whatsoever that Saddam is seeking and is working and is advancing towards the development of nuclear weapons” Where were Iraq’s nukes? What was the state of the their nuclear program? Netanyahu was lying and manipulating people as he usually does.
After 20 years of shouting the same hysterical claims about Iran’s nuclear program over and over and over and over and over again, I am calling bravo sierra. I need to ask the question, where are Iran’s nukes? According to him, sometime around 1998 and 2000 Iran should have had the prerequisites to develop and nuclear weapon. I ask again, where are Iran’s nukes?
antifederalist on October 13, 2012 at 3:54 PM
Netanyahu was no different than all of your American “liars”. You’re a real ignoramus. This was a major failure of many intelligence agencies.
And yet, there is still documented proof that Saddam, while holding off his WMD developments, was looking forward to restarting them when international pressure who ease up. I’ll leave it to others to give you the numerous links.
They’re in Tower Number 7.
/sarc
Shy Guy on October 13, 2012 at 4:04 PM
I have already cited a credible source that Netanyahu made this claim in 1992. You have provided a source that Netanyahu made a similar claim in 1995. The bottom line is that Bibi has been crying wolf about Iran for the last 20 years. In 2012 both the CIA and Mossad have agreed that Iran has not yet decided to pursue a nuclear weapon. So you refuse to believe that Netanyahu is lying to you? When are you going to stop guzzling the Kool-Aid and realize that you are being manipulated?
antifederalist on October 13, 2012 at 4:05 PM
And of course your dear leaders would never lie to you. They never seek to manipulate you. It is always someone else’s fault but it is never that your dear leaders are lying to you. And of course we all know that Saddam was chomping at the bit to restart is nuke program. After all, our dear leaders have assured us of this.
Straw man argument.
Thanks for the intelligent reply
/sarc
antifederalist on October 13, 2012 at 4:10 PM
No you haven’t. CSM does not source their quote. You don’t seem to understand what that means. Did they take it from a 1992 NY Times article? Which one? From a book? Which one?
It is an unauthenticated quote. Do you understand what that is?
You have obviously failed reading comprehension 101. Here is the quote from the article I provided you with:
1995: “The best estimates at this time place Iran between three and five years away from possessing the prerequisites required for the independent production of nuclear weapons.”
Source: Benjamin Netanyahu, in his book “Fighting Terrorism: How Democracies Can Defeat the International Terrorist Network”
Let’s see. 1995+5=2000. That should be easy enough for you.
Do you know what the word “prerequisites” means?
Here’s an interesting article which sure makes it sound like US intelligence agencies knew what Iran was up to in 2000, if not already in the 1990s.
The only one lying here is you. I’ve had enough pointing out the obvious to you. Maybe someone else will volunteer wasting their time responding to you.
Shy Guy on October 13, 2012 at 4:18 PM
Care to notice that I said he made a similar assertion? You do understand that similar does not mean the same?
Yes I do. Based on Bibi’s quote I made an assumption that this meant that Iran would have the raw materials, equipment, and technical knowledge to produce a nuke.
Yep. And 2012-2000 = 12. So for according to Bibi for 12 years Iran has had the prerequisites (raw materials, equipment, and technical knowledge) to produce a nuclear weapon. Furthermore, Iran is hellbent on wiping Israel off the face of the map. And US and Israeli intelligence organizations are saying that Iran has not made the decision to pursue a nuclear weapon. Once again I ask, where are the Iran’s nuke? Are they hidden with Saddam’s nukes?
Conclusion, Bibi is lying and manipulating people into fighting a war.
antifederalist on October 13, 2012 at 4:29 PM