Barak: Iran developing nukes, not 'Avatar-like long bows'
Defense Minister calls on world powers to 'not remove any options from the table' regarding Iran.
By Haaretz Service Tags: Ehud Barak Israel news Iran nuclearDefense Minister Ehud Barak said that Iran is developing nuclear weapons, not "Avatar-like long bows," in a CNN interview aired on Sunday.
Barak told interviewer Christiane Amanpour that although he supports the U.S. effort to place sanctions on Iran, "We have to take this situation seriously."
"I believe and hope that [sanctions] will work," Barak said, but added that, "We recommend to other [countries] not to remove any options from the table."
He continued by stressing that sanctions against Iran should continue until their effect is clearly seen.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is under pressure from world powers to end Iran's nuclear program, has in the past called for Israel to be "wiped off the map."
Speaking about the Goldstone report on last winter's conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Barak said the report encourages terror.
The Goldstone report charged both Israel and Hamas with war crimes, following Israel's Operation Cast Lead offensive in Gaza, as well as acts that amounted to crimes against humanity. The war followed a sustained period of heavy rocket fire from Gaza into Israel's southern communities.
"After years of Israel being terrorized by rockets from Gaza - the report is biased, extorted and totally unexplainable," Barak said.
He added that Israel had investigated what happened in Gaza "long before Goldstone wrote his report."
Amanpour asked Barak about Israeli intentions for a pre-emptive attack on any of its borders.
Barak responded, "We are not interested in a conflict in the north or the east. But, if it is imposed on us, we know how to respond."
Regarding Lebanon specifically, Barak emphasized that Israel would not chase down individual Hezbollah fighters.
If attacked on the northern border, "we will hit Lebanon and whatever is under the responsibility of Lebanon's government," Barak said.
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should be "the 'findings' of the report encourage terror". and of course, there is no great revelation in this statement, since it's long been known that israel's heavy handed military excesses, along with its occupations and settlement encroachment, are powerful elements which fuel the volatile flames of discontent that provides recruits, from throughout the region, to international terrorist groups. in other words barak, it's NOT the report that is responsible, it's what the report REVEALS...which is that the idf's guidelines and methods of operation remain unchanged from the past, despite all its sanctimonious rhetoric otherwise.
any country has the right to develop nuclear energy for "PEACEFUL" purposes. Should I spell PEACEFUL for you? The clown you have as a leader keeps threatening to "wipe" Israel off the map. So no nuclear for you, that's simple. And I am ready to bet that you won't go nuclear this decade.
Correct. At the moment Iran is exercising it's RIGHTS under the NPT to develop civilian nuclear technology including uranium enrichment. If the rest of the world would deal fairly with Iran and stop screaming about the Iranian "bomb" the Iranian government would not be nearly so rhetorically aggressive. But keep acusing them of developing nuclear weapons and eventually they will do so in sheer self-defence.
hello ali from iran welcome to an israeli newspaper! hopefully the normal iranian people will eventually manage to remove the current iranian dictators from power. then a peaceful iran will prosper and ordinary people won't be drawn into battle from either side.
but added that, "We recommend to other [countries] not to remove any options from the table my question is , wich county's is he talking about ? afraid to attack Iran on your own ? only USA will help Israel , Europe wont do it because they have to much Muslims living in Europe , they can't sell another war to the europeans. so it will be : Israel + USA vs Iran , Syria , Lebanon , Palestine and maby other groups/county's ???? the future doesn't look nice for both sides. why dont the leaders fight themselves instead of dragging the normal people in to it.
"Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that Iran is developing nuclear weapons" Barak is LYING to the Israeli people and the world, just as Bush and his Neo-Cons did in regards to Iraq, in order to start a disastrous and illegal, and entirely seneseless, war of aggression. Are you really going to stand for this betrayal?
The anit-"Zionists" will connect the Israel-Palestine conflict with any and every news item. I've already seen it on the Haiti earthquake. I imagine they'll do it too on the Chile earthquake. Reminds me of the old joke about "The Elephant and the Jewish Question".