ALJAZEERA: Israel Rules Out Strike on Iran - For Now

[AntiFascist]

A happy holiday present from Israel. Now that Israel believes Iran is not an immediate threat, will the U.S. follow suit?

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A6C07283-4948-4F6F-9962-C2738298A348.htm

General Dan Halutz, Israel's chief of staff, has ruled out the prospect of a pre-emptive strike against Iran's nuclear installations in the near future.

<snip>

"There is no threat to the existence of the state of Israel as long as Iran does not possess nuclear arms."

<snip>

Meir Dagan, the head of the Mossad overseas intelligence agency, had told MPs earlier this week that Iran would be able to build an atom bomb within two years.

Halutz, however, said he did not believe Iran would actually complete manufacturing a bomb "before the start of the next decade."

<snip>

[alcibiades_mystery]

1. Great news

Israel generously decides to abide by the UN Charter.

What beneficence...

[tatertop]

2. Sharon greatly prefers spending US lives

However, he will gladly detonate some nukes in the name of his
un-Holy War.

[frylock]

4. mighty bro of them

[daleo]

3. If Israel did plan to attack this could be disinformation

Meant to lull Iran into a false sense of security. I wouldn't take this too seriously if I was in Iran.

[ny_liberal]

10. Exactly

[sarcasmo]

5. Don't breathe to easy, a little push from the west and Israel will pull

trigger.

[billbuckhead]

6. Sounds exactly like the bulls#it Bush was saying about Iraq

I wouldn't put much credence in this news item.

[Roy]

7. Maybe they realize.....

that it takes more than just rantings to whip the masses into blind hysterical followers.

[Wordie]

8. kick

[Behind the Aegis]

9. The comments here are sickening!

"damned if she does, damned if she doesn't" That should be the Israeli motto at DU!

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

11. Why bother when *bush is going to do it himself?

Let the US take the rap for it. It's planned for some time in March, isn't it?

[AntiFascist]

12. Not if there's enough public opinion against it...

To the other posters I would point out that Sharon has left the Likud party, probably in part due to shifting public opinion. This may have been more of a breakthrough than people are attributing to Israel. Neoconservatives are losing support here and abroad.