QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Israeli Knesset member Effie Eitam has a reputation as a hawk, but on the question of Iran and its nuclear program, he believes he speaks for the country's mainstream strategic thinkers. Diplomatic and political manoeuvres to rein in the Islamic state are feckless and doomed to fail, leaving Israel, with or without the co-operation of the United States, no alternative but to use military force to put an end to the nuclear threat, he says. 'Israel is preparing and will definitely take action,' Eitam predicted. [***] Eitam told The CJN that Israel may have to act alone against Iran within 'a window' to two to three years, but he suggested Israel would move before Bush leaves Office."—Paul Lungen, "Israeli MK predicts attack on Iran", The Canadian Jewish News www.cjnews.com, http://www.cjnews.com/viewarticle.asp?id=11329, (8 March 2007).
"The Israeli Regime while remaining outside the relevant international instruments continues quantitative and qualitative development of its nuclear weapons, without any concern, international pressure or monitoring. Those who are pushing Security Council to take punitive measures against the peaceful nuclear program of the Islamic Republic of Iran, continue to hinder any action by the Security Council against Israeli regime to force it to abide by the NPT regime. Doing so, they have given wide latitude to this regime and even encourage it to develop freely the clandestine and prohibited possession of nuclear weapons. [***] While Iran has been providing the Agency with access to all its nuclear material and facilities pursuant to its NPT Safeguards Agreement and the Agency is able to verify the non-diversion of declared nuclear material in Iran (as reflected in paragraphs 26-27 of the report), few countries have been making daily threat of resort to attack Iranian fully safeguarded peaceful nuclear facilities uttered at their highest levels, in clear violation of Article 2 (4) of the UN Charter. The Islamic republic of Iran has already documented these unlawful and dangerous threats by sending official letters to the UN Secretary General and the Director General of the IAEA. And while overwhelming majority of the international community has been calling for a peaceful negotiated solution and Iran has announced its readiness for such a solution, the United States and Israel which both have a high record of vertical and horizontal proliferation activities are continuing to make threats against Iran's full-scope safeguarded facilities."—Ali Asqar Soltanieh, Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors from Iran, in an address to the IAEA Board of Governors on 7 March 2007, "Full Text of Speech Delivered by Iran's Envoy to IAEA", Fars News Agency www.farsnews.com, http://www.farsnews.com/English/newstext.php?nn=8512160500, (7 March 2007).
"All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations."—Charter of the United Nations, Chapter 1, Article 2, Paragraph 4.
"I believe that either regime change in Iran or, as a last resort, military action is the only thing that will stop the Iranians from getting nuclear weapons[.]"—John Bolton, Former American Envoy to the United Nations, as quoted by Janine Zacharia and Bill Varner, "Bolton Says U.S. Should Seek 'Regime Change' in Iran", Bloomberg.com www.bloomberg.com, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a.m.58sr9RqM&refer=home, (1 March 2007).
"Ahmadinejad is the pusher of all the Muslim world toward fanaticism and extremism. In his case, he should be made to disappear from the arena. He has said he wants to become a shahid, a martyr, so I think he should get his wish and be sent to heaven[.]"—Meir Amit, Former Director of Mossad, as quoted by Aaron Klein, "Former Mossad chief: Assassinate Ahmadinejad. Iranian president 'says he wants to die a martyr so he should be sent to heaven'", WorldNetDaily www.wnd.com, http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54244, (14 February 2007).
"It is time for Israel or the US to bomb Iran now. Not next week, next month, or next summer, but now. As quickly and as hard and as painfully as possible. [***] So like it or not, time is of the essence, and there is not a moment to lose. The US or Israel should bomb Iran now, before it proves too late."—Michael Freund, "Right on!: Stop the atomic ayatollahs", The Jerusalem Post www.jpost.com,
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1170359851111&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull, (13 February 2007).
"'The only chance to convince Iran to dismantle without using brute force is if you choose a big enough stick and you wave it wildly enough,' Steinitz told The Jerusalem Post. The Likud MK added that the goal was to 'wave, in order to not to use it.'
'At this moment, Iran thinks that Israel is weak politically, so it would be better if the United States were to issue the threats,' said Steinitz. 'There is one leader of the world and it is not miniscule Israel. Iran is a global threat they are developing a nuclear project to become not just a regional player but a global Player.'"—Sheera Claire Frenkel quoting Knesset Member Yuval Steinitz, "Steinitz: US must stop Iran from arming", The Jerusalem Post www.jpost.com,
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1170359851884&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull, (14 February 2007).
Did Tzipi Livni, Foreign Affairs Minister and Vice Prime Minister of Israel, call for the elimination of the nation of Iran?
"The global Holocaust denial led by Iran is a political move meant to de-legitimize Israel, and it is unacceptable that a country that denies the Holocaust is accepted by the world as part of the international community[.]"—Tzipi Livni, Foreign Affairs Minister and Vice Prime Minister of Israel, as quoted in Lilach Shoval, "Anti-Semitism very much alive, says Livni", www.ynetnews.com, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3363734,00.html, (11 February 2007).
"ISRAEL has drawn up secret plans to destroy Iran's uranium enrichment facilities with tactical nuclear weapons.
Two Israeli air force squadrons are training to blow up an Iranian facility using low-yield nuclear 'bunker-busters', according to several Israeli military sources."—Uzi Mahnaimi and Sarah Baxter, "Revealed: Israel plans nuclear strike on Iran", The Sunday Times www.timesonline.co.uk, (7 January 2007).
"SPIEGEL: You said recently that Israel might have to stand alone and therefore must be ready to deal unilaterally with the Iran problem.
Lieberman: That is the worst-case scenario. The differences in opinion between Russia and Western Europe, between Europe and the U.S., between the U.S. and the United Nations have destabilized the global political system. We have to take into account that the international community may not do anything and that Israel may have to act alone."—"SPIEGEL INTERVIEW WITH AVIGDOR LIEBERMAN" conducted by Christian Neef and Christoph Schult, quoting Avigdor Lieberman, Minister of Strategic Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister of Israel, Der Spiegel, SPIEGEL ONLINE, www.spiegel.de, http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,465769,00.html, (12 February 2007).
"We must turn to Hillary Clinton and other potential presidential candidates in the Democratic Party so that they publicly support immediate action by Bush against Iran. We should also approach European countries so that they support American actions in Iran, so that Bush will not be isolated in the international arena again. We must clandestinely cooperate with Saudi Arabia so that it also persuades the US to strike Iran."—Brigadier General (Res.) Oded Tira, Former IDF Chief Artillery Officer, "What to do with Iran?", http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3346275,00.html, (30 December 2006).
"'Once you say that Iran is like Nazi Germany and that it is willing to use its nuclear weapons to destroy Israel regardless of the destruction it would bring to their own country, you are really arguing that there is no alternative but for Israel and the United States to attack first,' said M.J. Rosenberg, director of policy analysis for the Israel Policy Forum."—James D. Besser, "Leading Hawk Warns Of Hysteria Over Iran: Suggestion that war is only option misguided, JINSA official says", The Jewish Week www.thejewishweek.com, http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=13644, (9 February 2007).
"We must cry Gevalt before the entire world[. . . .] In 1938, Hitler didn't say he wanted to destroy [the Jews]; Ahmadinejad is saying clearly that this is his intention, and we aren't even shouting. At least call it a crime against humanity. We must make the world see that the issue here is a program for genocide."— Likud chair MK Benjamin Netanyahu, Ninth Prime Minister of Israel, as quoted in Mazal Mualem, "Netanyahu wants Iran president tried for genocide", www.haaretz.com, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/800838.html, (15 December 2006).
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