(Updated: Originally posted December 13, 2006)
"Olmert's nuclear remark draws fire" by the Boston Globe December 13, 2006
JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spent Tuesday trying to put the nuclear genie back in the bottle, after a slip of the tongue in an interview was interpreted as confirming Israel has atomic weapons -- widely assumed to be true, but never officially acknowledged.
In an interview with a German television station broadcast Monday, Olmert appeared to list Israel among the world's nuclear powers.
Olmert, when asked by the interviewer about Iran's calls for the destruction of Israel, replied that Israel has never threatened to annihilate anyone:
"Iran openly, explicitly and publicly threatens to wipe Israel off the map. Can you say that this is the same level, when you are aspiring to have nuclear weapons, as America, France, Israel, Russia?"
This is disgusting when you see what is happening now and consider the Palestinians fate!
Olmert a lying Zionist!
Israel, which foreign experts say has the sixth-largest nuclear arsenal in the world, has stuck to a policy of ambiguity on nuclear weapons for decades, refusing to confirm or deny whether it has them.
Olmert, after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel, denied Tuesday that he had "outed" Israel's nuclear program:
"Israel has said many times -- and I also said this to German television in an interview -- that we will not be the first country that introduces nuclear weapons to the Middle East. That was our position, that is our position -- nothing has changed."
I'll hold you to that, asshole! It's amazing, isn't it?
Israel fails to even acknowledge their nukes (here is where they got 'em), is NOT a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (which Iran is), and Olmert confirms the worst stereotypes of Israel's Jews!
You ALREADY HAVE INTRODUCED NUCLEAR WEAPONS by HAVING THEM, shitter!!!!!
In fact, the U.S. is waging nuclear war right now on the Middle East with it's low-level, radioactive depleted uranium tank casings, artillery shells and bullets!
The comments came days after incoming Defense Secretary Robert Gates, in testimony to a Senate committee, identified Israel as a nuclear power. With Olmert's comments featured on the front pages of all of Israel's major papers Tuesday and with political rivals calling for his resignation, aides to Olmert hurriedly said the remark had been misinterpreted.
Olmert spokeswoman Miri Eisin said the prime minister had been listing not nuclear states but "responsible nations." The premier's office said the quote, made in English, was taken out of context, noting that in other parts of the interview, Olmert several times refused to confirm that Israel has nuclear weapons.
One newspaper wondered whether the list of countries raised the possibility the reference to "nuclear weapons" could apply to Iran, not the list including Israel -- but that grammatical nuance was lost on the rest of the Israeli media and political world.
Opposition lawmaker Yossi Beilin, head of the dovish Meretz party, criticized what he termed Olmert's "carelessness." Together with Olmert's perceived failures of leadership during the Lebanon war, Beilin said, "it might be an indication that he isn't fit to serve as prime minister."
Former Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom of the hard-line Likud, another opposition party, said the comment could hurt Israel's attempt to get the international community to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons:
"[Olmert] gave tools [to Israel's enemies, allowing them to say], 'Why are you dealing only with Iran while Israel is confirming that it has the same kind of weapons?'"
A senior Arab official echoed that, calling for punishing Israel.
Abdul Rahman al-Attiyah, secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council:
"The United States should not apply double standards since it calls for sanctions on countries that have nuclear programs that we have not ruled out are frameworks of nuclear weapons."
Defense analyst Amir Oren, writing in the Haaretz daily, gave Olmert backhand praise:
"Thanks to him, there is no longer any need to rely on real or bogus 'foreign sources' when referring to Israel's nuclear potential [a longtime requirement from Israel's military censor]."
Israelis and Arabs agreeing on something?
Anything? CAN'T BE!
And what to do about this nuclear rogue that has threatened to "go it alone, if necessary, against Iran?"
How exactly are the Iranians to take that?
How would YOU, reader?
A particularly relevant repost in light of today's news events, 'eh, readers!?
:-)
