Posted on 02/17/2005 9:59:20 AM PST by IAF ThunderPilot
President George W. Bush on Thursday addressed the issue of Iran's possible nuclear armament, declining to offer his full endorsement of Europe's negotiations to get Iran to halt its suspected nuclear weapons program.
He said the United States and Europe share the goal that Iran must not develop a nuclear weapon. Still, he left it up in the air whether he fully supports Europe's approach.
"I look forward to ... discussing strategies, ways forward with the Europeans to make sure we continue to speak with one voice, and that is Iran should not have a nuclear weapon and how to work together to make sure they don't," Bush said.
Asked if was concerned that Israel might attack Iran to prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon, Bush said Israel is concerned about Iran's intentions.
"But clearly, if I was the leader of Israel and I'd listened to some of the statements by the Iranian ayatollahs that regarded the security of my country, I'd be concerned about Iran having a nuclear weapon as well," Bush said.
He said Israel "is our ally and in that we've made a very strong commitment to support Israel, we will support Israel if her security is threatened."
Bush spoke at a news conference where he announced that John Negroponte, the US ambassador to Iraq, would be the first US director of national intelligence, the powerful overseer of all 15 intelligence agencies.
In addition, Bush said Syria was "out of step" with other nations in the Middle East and said the United States would work with other countries to pressure Damascus to remove its troops from Lebanon.
Bush said he did not know if Syria was involved in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.
"I can't tell you yet," Bush said. "I don't know that. I'm going to withhold judgment until we know what the facts are."
Bush said he would consult with allies about Syria when he visits Europe next week, and said the United States supports an international investigation of Hariri's assassination.
The United States has withdrawn its ambassador to Syria, Margaret Scobey, and that "indicates that the relationship is not moving forward," the president said. He said Syria was "out of step with the progress being made in the greater Middle East."
The United States expected Syria to find and turn over former supporters of Saddam Hussein's regime and send them back to Iraq and stop supporting terrorism, Bush said. He said Syria also must comply with UN resolutions calling for it to withdraw from Lebanon. Syria has 15,000 troops in Lebanon.
Looking ahead to his European trip, Bush said he knows that some allies think that his only concern is national security, and he said that national security is at the top of his agenda.
Yet, he said, "We also care about hunger and disease. We care about the climate."
Many allies are upset with the United States for refusing to approve the Kyoto climate treaty.
"They thought the treaty made sense," Bush said. "I didn't." He noted that the Senate had voted 95-0 against the treaty. Yet, Bush said there were other ways to deal with the problem of global warming and that he would talk with allies about new technologies to deal with the issue.
Listen Mrs, I dont know how much you know about the current palestinian "intifada", but you probably have no idea about how many attacks the IDF prevented, how many terrorists were targeted by the Israeli Air Force and the Israeli Special Forces and how many Israeli lives were saved.
Since September 2000, more than 1000 Israelis were murdered in the Palestinian terror attacks, yet about 10,000 were saved thanks to the IDF and the policy of the Israeli government, led by PM Ariel Sharon.
If you have a better and realistic suggestion on how to fight terrorism, you are welcome to send e-mail to the Knesset/ Ariel Sharon etc. Or perhaps you should just become the new Israeli Defense Minister.
To be honest, I dont think that there is any other nation in the world that had to fight so many times for its right to exist and for teh freedom of its poeple since World War-II.
the IDF is preforming operations day and night in the purpuse of maintaining the life normal in Israel through "visiting" the palestinian territories and "visiting" outside of Israel, in the Wild Middle East, every day and every hour.
So please, before you launch your oral attacks, perhaps you should join an elite IDF unit and join to their missions.
Free Republic is such an interesting forum:
On one hand, I need to confront anti-Israeli posts claiming Israel is murdering innocent palestinians, and on the other hand, I need to confront anti-Israeli posts claiming Israel is not doing enough for its security.
Thank GOD that 95% of Freepers are pro-Israel.
You are probably talking about this:
-June 8, 1982- The Peace For Galilee operation (The Lebanon War): The destruction of the entire Soviet-Syrian air-defense system in Lebanon within few hours without a single warplane lost- Syria with the Soviet Union built up an overlapping network of SAMs, and the density of SAM site locations was unmatched anywhere in the world including the Soviet Union itself.
Also the IAF achieved a number of 100 Syrian planes shoot-downs, 88 of them in dogfights, without a single Israeli plane being shot down in dogfights.
The IAF proved that it has learned from the mistakes of the Yom Kippur War and proved once again that it is master of the skies.
;)
A ping that you'll like!
Yep. God, how I cheered when I heard about that!
There is a valid point though: The Iranians have modelled their nuclear facilities completely on the assumption that the US or Israel will come knocking. Hence we know they have widely scattered facilities, deeply buried, soeme in civilian neighbourhoods, etc. It will be more difficult then Osiraq by an orderr of magnitude and may well require teams on the ground co-ordinating the strikes.
We will support Israel if her security is threatened by Iran
............................................................
Britain, France and Israel are female but what is America?
Is it referred to as her or his?
It's about time we acknowledged Israel as a full partner with the US in the war on terror.
It seems as though Bush is saying to Israel, "If ya need a pair of brass balls, here...borrow mine."
:)
No one is saying that a specific operation will be easy, however, never say "impossible".
I'll explain this through one of my favorite quotes:
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert."
-David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel.
I'd agree witth that. I think the best Israeli demonstration of that in action was the Cherbourg operation....
"It's about time we acknowledged Israel as a full partner with the US in the war on terror."
And its too bad that it still hasn't happened because of the Euro-Arabo positions, despite of the fact that Israel has 30 years of expirience in dealing with modern terrorism.
Israel would have helped you much more in 1991 and 2003 than France or ROFL- Saudi Arabia.
With your permission, I'd like this to be my new tagline.
Listen Mrs, I dont know how much you know about the current palestinian "intifada", but you probably have no idea about how many attacks the IDF prevented, how many terrorists were targeted by the Israeli Air Force and the Israeli Special Forces and how many Israeli lives were saved.
>>> As it happens, I am.
Since September 2000, more than 1000 Israelis were murdered in the Palestinian terror attacks, yet about 10,000 were saved thanks to the IDF and the policy of the Israeli government, led by PM Ariel Sharon.
>>> That's what I rail against, Israel's tolerance policy of allowing X number of Jews to be slaughtered every year. Insane. It is safer to be in the IDF than a citizen! Insane!!!
If you have a better and realistic suggestion on how to fight terrorism, you are welcome to send e-mail to the Knesset/ Ariel Sharon etc. Or perhaps you should just become the new Israeli Defense Minister.
>>>I do. Kill the terrorists. Stand up. Fight. Quit sitting back and taking it from the genocidal monsters. No negotiations. No land. No guns. No prisoners. No dialog. No appeasement. Kill them. Kill them. Kill them.
To be honest, I dont think that there is any other nation in the world that had to fight so many times for its right to exist and for teh freedom of its poeple since World War-II.
the IDF is preforming operations day and night in the purpuse of maintaining the life normal in Israel through "visiting" the palestinian territories and "visiting" outside of Israel, in the Wild Middle East, every day and every hour.
>>> Visit more. Much more. Visit until *they* visit no more.
So please, before you launch your oral attacks, perhaps you should join an elite IDF unit and join to their missions.
>>> I am quite familiar with their current rules of engagement and would never go into combat as long as those rules applied.
Free Republic is such an interesting forum:
On one hand, I need to confront anti-Israeli posts claiming Israel is murdering innocent palestinians, and on the other hand, I need to confront anti-Israeli posts claiming Israel is not doing enough for its security.
Thank GOD that 95% of Freepers are pro-Israel
And a strong commitment to our friends!
Love it!
Us paratroopers used to say, "We have been doing so much with so little for so long that we are now qualified to do anything with nothing."
Now Bush is off to Europe in order to make nice with Chirac et al?
Ha, man that is some bold Diplo-speak.
Our French "Allies" and others are probably furious already.
No.....
More like Double OH Israel....
"As it happens, I am."
-As I see, no you are not.
"That's what I rail against, Israel's tolerance policy of allowing X number of Jews to be slaughtered every year. Insane. It is safer to be in the IDF than a citizen! Insane!!!"
-No one gives any x number of Jews to be slaughtered. Its impossible to stop and catch all the terrorists.
You should know (although its easier for you not to) that from 2004 and until now, 95% of the attacks against Israelis were prevented.
Its safer to be in the IDF than a citizen? Have you been to Israel lately? or ever? Probably not.
"I do. Kill the terrorists. Stand up. Fight. Quit sitting back and taking it from the genocidal monsters. No negotiations. No land. No guns. No prisoners. No dialog. No appeasement. Kill them. Kill them. Kill them."
-Tell me, what do you think the IDF is doing with the terrorists when it finds them? Playing cards with them?
When the intelligence passes an information about the location of a terrorist, the IDF elite forces are on the way (or the IAF). The goal is to catch them alive, but if its impossible then to kill them.
Now, perhaps you don't know, but even the well expirienced Israeli intelligence can't find all the terrorists.
It finds 95% of them- higher than any other intelligence force in the world.
When a terrorist is not found and he manages to enter Israel then you see on CNN the latest report on a bombing in Israel.
Yet, the CNN never shows the 95% attacks that are prevented, neither any other media source- because they don't know about it (and don't care).
Perhaps you think that the IDF deliberately doesn't stop terrorists when it knows about their location.
In such case I must say that you must be sick.
"Visit more. Much more. Visit until *they* visit no more."
-There is a "visit" anytime and anyplace its needed- when there is an intelligence report. Your conspiracy theory is probably your belief at this story as well.
"I am quite familiar with their current rules of engagement and would never go into combat as long as those rules applied."
-From our nice conversation I understand that you know nothing about the elite forces of the IDF.
Thats OK- I can promise you that I know maybe 10% of their "rules" and methods of work, while you know about 0.0001%.
In a conclusion:
Free Republic is such an interesting forum:
On one hand, I need to confront anti-Israeli posts claiming Israel is murdering innocent palestinians, and on the other hand, I need to confront anti-Israeli posts claiming Israel is not doing enough for its security.
Thank GOD that 95% of Freepers are pro-Israel
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