Israel 'would bomb Iran nuclear plant'

[ClubMed]

Israel has made plans to bomb an Iranian nuclear power plant if it begins producing weapons grade material, it was reported today.

Military commanders have mapped out a route Israeli fighter jets would take to destroy the Bushehr reactor on the Persian Gulf, officials told the Washington Times.

Russia has been helping Iran to build its first nuclear plant for eight years in a deal worth about £500 million to Moscow.

Both countries say it is purely for civilian purposes.

But the US claims Iran could use the technology to build a nuclear bomb, and President George Bush is expected raise the issue with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at next month's Camp David summit.

Russia said this week it would stop building the plant if the UN nuclear watchdog presents "concrete evidence" that Tehran is secretly developing banned weapons.

Iran has tested 600-mile-range ballistic missiles that can reach Israel and carry nuclear, biological or chemical warheads.

In 1981, Israel bombed the Iraqi Osiraq nuclear-power plant, near Baghdad, in an operation that drew widespread international criticism.

Source: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_814399.html

It’s amazing how the boundaries of irony are pushed further and further all the time. It’s okay for Israel to have developed nuclear weapons, it is also okay for them to keep an arsenal of nuclear weapons, also, to add insult to injury, Israel has denied weapons inspectors access to it’s plants and was never punished, invaded (‘liberated’) or put under sanctions.

But it is not okay for other countries to pursue the same goals, I guess the latest trendy excuse is that Middle Eastern or Islamic countries and/or governments are just too diabolical, bent on world domination and ‘global islamisation’ to have nuclear toys…

[Theophylact]

Well, ClubMed, it wouldn't exactly be new, you know. In 1981 Israel bombed Iraq's Osirak reactor, becasue they figured it was intended to make plutonium for bombs. So you can hardly expect them to turn scrupulous with respect to Iran.

Yeah, Israel's nukes are a dirty little "open secret". But South Africa had them as well, probably with Israel's help, though (they say) they've gotten rid of them. And I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Argentina and Brazil had them as well. Japan doesn't have them, but it's got so much plutonium it probably could have them any time it wants. And of course India, Pakistan, China, France, Russia, Britain and the US all are declared members of the club.

Of course it's hypocritical for those who have nukes to complain about other nations getting them. But other things being equal, the fewer nuclear powers the better. Look up references to the "n-Country Problem."

[427Windsorman]

Israel has had to deal with every country in their region wanting to destroy them. If they were not so tough, and determined, they would be gone. Notice that Israel has not used a Nuke, but have had them for years? The same cannot be said of Iran as far as restraint.
America has been isolated from the type of existence Israel has endured. Until 09/11/2001. We got a taste of what Israel endures on a daily basis. We responded by going to war, and attacking terrorists wherever they are. Israel is doing the same thing.

[daveleau]

You have to determine the intent and the 'personality' and history of the nation, CM. Israel is a peaceful nation who defends itself from outside attacks when necessary. (ie the recent peace accord was broken when Hamas bombed Israel. Israel retaliates to apprehend and punish the terrorists and it is game-on again w/ a Hamas-free-for-all. All was quiet until Hamas started murdering again. This is history repeating itself for the umpteen-millionth time.) Iran has been known to support terrorism.

A parallel example:
If Canada developed nukes, nothing would be done. Why? They don't threaten world safety and world peace.

If Syr...(I can't do that to you CM J/K)...If Yemen (a terror-supporting state) tried to develop nukes, something would have to be done.

[427Windsorman]

Originally posted by daveleau
You have to determine the intent and the 'personality' and history of the nation, CM. Israel is a peaceful nation who defends itself from outside attacks when necessary. (ie the recent peace accord was broken when Hamas bombed Israel. Israel retaliates to apprehend and punish the terrorists and it is game-on again w/ a Hamas-free-for-all. All was quiet until Hamas started murdering again. This is history repeating itself for the umpteen-millionth time.) Iran has been known to support terrorism.

A parallel example:
If Canada developed nukes, nothing would be done. Why? They don't threaten world safety and world peace.

If Syr...(I can't do that to you CM J/K)...If Yemen (a terror-supporting state) tried to develop nukes, something would have to be done.

Good post.

[Chuckiechan]

Interesting that the Isralie politicians wouldn't sell their country down the river for votes in the next election. We could learn a lot from them.

I think Israel will attack Iran and should be applauded for taking action instead of waiting for some moron mullah to push the button, yelling "death to infidels!"

[ShawnD1]

Iran developing a nuclear power plant is more than just a LITTLE suspicious. Iran has tons of oil.... way more than enough to generate the power to run the entire country 100x over yet they want a nuclear plant?? wtf??? Suspicious? I think so.

[ClubMed]

All interesting opinions, yet most of them only address one side of the coin. The other side is this: Israel is a terrorist state that has been condemned by the UN on numerous occasions for it’s abhorrent disregard of basic human rights, it’s collective punishment and the ongoing illegal military occupation of, and illegal expansion in, the Palestinian territories.

It also comes as no surprise that most of you fail to see or mention that the people who founded and are in control of the state of Israel were and are religious fanatics who relied on holy scriptures to claim Palestine, kick out the Palestinians and follow expansionist ideologies; the term ‘Greater Israel’ should be of help here.

Nuclear weapons in the hands of religious fanatics is something very scary and is often used as the main reason against certain nations having such weapons. But double standards and irony are prevalent, people are brainwashed into seeing the fanaticism in one nation while they are blind and ignorant to it in another nation. And as far as Israel is concerned the expansion has not been completed yet.

But as usual it is not possible for certain individuals here on the forum and elsewhere to see the whole picture (or both sides of the coin) because that would ruin the nicely ‘black and white, Good vs. Evil’ image that they constantly paint.

So while most of your posts do explain ‘the Israeli side of the story’ they do nothing more, and hence they cannot be seen as being realistic or accurate until you take into consideration (and actually mention) both sides of the coin.

Yes, Israel has the right to protect and defend itself. But so do all other nations. The reasons constantly given for Israel’s right to absolute defense and protection are biased and misleading, in reality it is the politics of power-play. The ‘Good vs. Evil’ fairytale prevalent in the mass media for the legions of uninformed sheep will not impress everyone.

The day Israel ceases to be an apartheid state, basing it’s existence in religious fanaticism is the day I will give more weight to the claim that Israel is a ‘victim’ that has to defend itself at all costs.

This is why I see Israel’s decision to be a ‘hero’ if necessary and to bomb Iranian plants as laughable, especially since the Israelis denied weapons inspectors access to Israeli plants, to this date the international community has no idea what the Israelis are up to. Also, you can use google.com to read about the case where the Israeli government built fake plants and control rooms (at Dimona) and showed them to American and Norwegian weapons inspectors, the scandal was revealed a short while later.

Of course none of you bothered to address this case that I mentioned (of Israeli denial, deception and prevention of inspections) in your posts, yet all off you had quite a lot to say about the partly true and partly false claims to Israel’s defense and protection requirements concerning ‘evil’ nations.

[Toadman]

CM, do you think these "religious fanatics" in Israel would launch a pre-emptive unprovoked nuclear strike against any Middle Eastern nation? They surely could remove the threat to their existence, being surrounded on all sides by nations wishing they were gone.

The day Israel ceases to be an apartheid state, basing it’s existence in religious fanaticism is the day I will give more weight to the claim that Israel is a ‘victim’ that has to defend itself at all costs.

Wow, Judaism is a fanatical religion?
An apartheid state? Do you mean they should be a Muslim nation like the others? Sound like intolerance at minimum and continued hatred of the Jews at max.

[Chuckiechan]

I agree sort of.

If I was a Hamas member, dedicated to the destruction of Israel, I may feel Israel is a terrorist because they are still there. They just won't lay down and die!

You probably agree that North Korea has the right to be free from the "terrorist attitudes of the United States", and build and sell whatever it wants to sell.

ClubMed, you illustrate the flawed thinking recently labeled as "moral equlivance" since you see no moral difference between good and evil, since "evil" is a value judgement. Therefore, since the USA has nukes, it's ok for their enemies to have them too. Following that logic, since we killed Saddam's troops, it's OK for him to kill ours.

You must take a stand. You are either for evil or against it. If your evil is Israel, join Hamas and be counted. Don't sit on the fence spitting mental silly putty to those who are actually threatened.