This is amazing. Since WWII the US has had only two consistent, reliable friends, Britain and Israel. All we’ve done for the past few years is to ignore and dishonor them. And now, our Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff used a visit in Britain to throw Israel under the bus. One wonders why the general didn’t resign, rather than act so dishonorably.
In its bluntest message yet, the US govt, declared that Israel is on its own if it decides to go for Iran’s nuclear program with a military operation. Thursday, Aug. 30, Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the JCS, offered the view for the third time in as many weeks that an Israeli attack would “clearly delay but probably not destroy Iran’s nuclear program.” But this time, talking to journalists in London, he added impatiently: “I don’t want to be complicit if they (Israel) choose to do it.”
Dempsey then astonished his audience by saying he did not know Iran’s nuclear intentions, “as intelligence did not reveal intentions.” What was clear, he said, was that the “international coalition” applying pressure on Iran could be undone if Iran was attacked prematurely. Sanctions against Iran were having an effect, he said, and they should be given a reasonable opportunity to succeed. The general’s timing on this assertion was unfortunate. As he spoke, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported a 31% jump in Iran’s 20% enriched uranium to 189.4 kilos from 145 in May. It was therefore obvious to the world that Iran cares not about the sanctions, and is continuing its gallop towards a nuclear weapon capacity, a race that will continue so long as nothing effective is done to stop – or even delay – its progress. One wonders how the general can live with himself.
The mistimed Dempsey remarks are the clearest sign yet that our president is fed up with hearing about Iran and its nuclear goals. He wants to be left alone to make his own judgments and decisions on the intelligence put before him – even though he might be too slow to stop Iran becoming a nuclear-armed power. Israel, which is in direct line of a clear Iranian threat of destruction, was therefore publicly slapped down by its so-called best friend. Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Barak and their predecessors were shown to have wasted 3 years in tireless efforts to solve the Iranian nuclear peril in accord with that friend. Washington has just thrown them under the bus.
Clearly the general was obeying a White House directive – even if Washington later issues a softening remark. That directive may have been prompted by information that Israel is on the point of attacking Iran, which the current US govt doesn’t want to see.
