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Don't stick your neck out By Yoel Marcus Tags: Israel Where are the days when the word "nuke" was taboo in polite company? Where are the days when it was a no-no to drop even the slightest hint of Israel's nuclear capability? Where are the days when no one would have dared to talk about the fact that when a gloomy and dispirited Moshe Dayan uttered his doomsday prediction about the destruction of the Third Temple in the early hours of the Yom Kippur War, Israel (according to foreign sources) considered the possibility of a nuclear response? The official mantra devised in Israel ahead of the first meeting between David Ben-Gurion and John F. Kennedy was "Israel will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons into the Middle East." The censor would not tolerate any deviation from that wording, which even the biggest dimwit could see though. All you had to do was read between the lines of our leaders' declarations and denials to see that Israel had the potential for ultimate deterrence. We've come a long way since those days of fanatical secrecy. Nowadays, everyone and his brother knows who, what, when and how Israel will attack Iran. The Israeli showoff never dies. Advertisement Take the air force exercise in which a hundred of Israel's most sophisticated fighter jets took part, and was interpreted the way we wanted it to be - as a rehearsal for a strike on Iran. Instead of scaring the Iranians, Israel is providing them with justification for accelerating their nuclear program, especially the manufacture of long-range Shihab missiles, which even without nuclear warheads could wreak havoc in the heart of Israel's home front. Nobody knows exactly who is leaking this "information" about Israel gearing up to bomb nuclear facilities in Iran by the end of the year. The visit to Israel of the U.S. army's new chairman of the joint chiefs of staff was accompanied by a deluge of commentary in the American press about Israeli plans to attack Iran, citing sources in the Pentagon. This kind of information does not exactly serve Israel's security interests. Behind it are certain radical interest groups in the U.S. who want to use Israel to scare Iran, or possibly goad U.S. President George W. Bush into wiping out nuclear hotspots in Iran as a grand final? before leaving the White House. These threats, genuine or virtual, whether we are leaking them or others are leaking them in our name, come at a time when Israel is being led by a government unfit to deal with challenges of that scope. It doesn't feel very good to read in the papers that Israel, despite its tough guy image, is not really capable of a military strike against Iran. Maariv ran a story under the banner headline "Iran Fiasco" which claims that nuclear development has been neglected to the point where Israel now lacks the strategic capacity for an effective strike. It could be a tendentious leak, but it could also be true. In any case, it is not clear what good all this prattle and public intimidation do for us. Maybe America wants to use us to scare the Iranians: "Watch out: When these guys feel threatened they go crazy." But we are not the right address. The only one that can put a stop to the Iranian threat is the United States, if not by diplomacy then by military might. Israel should not be sticking out its neck and over-talking. All these speeches and threats do more harm than good. Got plans? Better to put the enemy to sleep. If we brag and then do nothing, they'll claim they scared us off. "If you're gonna shoot, shoot - don't talk," as they say in the cowboy movies. Let history be our guide: Was there anyone who talked or bragged or threatened or let out a peep before Israel bombed the Iraqi reactor? Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may be threatening Israel, but the ones who can and should put an end to the Iranian menace are America and the Quartet, and even more so the moderate Islamic countries in this region. The Israeli initiative should focus on appealing to the world, on explaining that economic sanctions have not worked, and it is the world's duty to stop the Iranian nuclear race, via pressure or brute force. But just as Israel should be lowering its profile and walking on tiptoe, who should stick out his neck if not Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, with his choice of this particular moment to pay a "secret visit" to the nuclear reactor in Dimona. What was he looking for down there? Morris Talansky's stash of envelopes? Bookmark to del.icio.us   Video attack West Bank settlers tie Palestinian man to phone pole and beat him. A static future Iran's nuclear program remains unchanged despite economic incentives.   1.   No, not envelopes. 09:52  |  Maureen Ann 04/07/08   2.   Morris Talansky`s stash of envelopes? 10:07  |  Absolute Israel 04/07/08   3.   US attack 11:25  |  Truth 04/07/08   4.   It does not feel good 11:47  |  Dror 04/07/08   5.   Yoel Marcus your last sentence says it all 12:00  |  Gil 04/07/08   6.   Yoel Marcus your last sentence says it all 13:34  |  Gil 04/07/08   7.   there is a way to stop iran without having to use.... 18:11  |  scallywag 04/07/08   8.   Marcus - !930s German Jewry Redux 00:47  |  Tod Zuckerman 05/07/08   9.   wise statements 12:11  |  saul a. readner 05/07/08   10.   ?But we are not the right address?. Only if we have a back up! 14:12  |  Simon 05/07/08   11.   Fanatical Knesset, `Neo-Conservatives` Real Threat 00:43  |  Jordan 06/07/08

Read & React Barak orders demolition of Jerusalem, yeshiva terrorists' homes Responses: 440 Mother of Kuntar victim: This monster will be a Lebanon hero Responses: 176 Peres: No chance of peace with Palestinians Responses: 231 Iran: Any attack on our nuclear facility will be beginning of war Responses: 323 Colombia hostage rescue: the Israeli angle Responses: 132 More Headlines 01:03 VIDEO: Settlers tie Palestinian man to phone pole and beat him 19:21 Iran: Our nuclear program remains unchanged 00:02 Dichter: Kadima's committment to public is to replace Olmert 19:17 Syria tells UN: Israel is burying nuclear waste in Golan Heights 21:22 IDF blockades W. Bank village after rallies against security fence 18:02 Hamas TV: U.S. bill to outlaw us aims at silencing free voices 00:11 Man rips off head of Hitler wax figure at new Berlin museum 04:10 Israel lobbies UN as Ban mulls appointment of new human rights chief 22:04 Barak slams Friedmann's call for probe into wiretapping in Ramon case 18:04 'Police called us smelly Bedouin, then they started to beat us' 20:59 Egypt uncovers three tunnels on border with Gaza strip 17:10 Syrian rights group: Islamist prisoners butchered in clash with warders 19:59 Barak orders demolition of Jerusalem, yeshiva terrorists' homes 14:33 Hamas vs. hummus: Guess who's on the loose in Middle East? Previous Editions Select Day 04 jul 03 jul 02 jul 01 jul 30 jun 29 jun 27 jun 26 jun 25 jun 24 jun 23 jun 22 jun

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