Posted on 03/11/2006 5:34:24 PM PST by Esther Ruth
British FM: Israel and Iran Both Potential Threats 23:51 Mar 11, '06 / 11 Adar 5766 By Ezra HaLevi
England's Foreign Minister Jack Straw says that the world should worry about disabling Israel's nuclear capabilities as much as it is concerned with preventing Iran from going nuclear.
Straw said Thursday that Britain is seeking a "nuclear-free Middle East." He said that Iran and Israel were the only two countries left that posed "potential threats" now that Iraq and Libya's nuclear aspirations have been neutralized.
The foreign minister, who has made headlines in the past criticizing the Jewish state, conceded that removing the Iranian threat was indeed more urgent than the Israeli one. "If you want to see a nuclear-free Middle East, you've got to remove that threat from Iran, including the rhetorical threat to wipe Israel off the face of the map," Straw told British Channel 4 television. "Once you've done that, then we can get on to work in respect of Israel."
Former Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon faced criticism from defense officials in Israel over the weekend after he spoke at the Washington D.C. Hudson Institute, saying the military option against Iran's nuclear project was viable. He responded to the criticism on Israeli television Friday. "I spoke about the West's military option," he said. "Whether it is U.S. forces, NATO or the Israeli army that deal with the Iranian capability - there is a military capability that would set back the program for many years.”
Meanwhile, Iran threatened Saturday to use its oil as a weapon if the UN Security Council imposes sanctions over its nuclear program. "If they politicize our nuclear case, we will use any means. We are rich in energy resources. We have control over the biggest and the most sensitive energy route of the world," Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi said, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.
Iran is the second largest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and has partial control over the narrow Strait of Hormuz, at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, through which crude oil is transported from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq to the world market.
Published: 23:30 March 11, 2006 Last Update: 23:51 March 11, 2006
Even handed, as in the 30's and 40's pre independent Israel, where Arabs and Jews were forbidden to own guns, but only Jews found with them were punished; some executed. The Arabs were given their weapons back through the back door. It's pure shi'ite on Straw's part. Another phony "moral equivalency" argument..
What an idiot. I have never heard Israel stating that the surrounding Muslim nations don't have the right to exist or that they were going to wipe them off of the map. What a twit.
I remember from history that Britain from the beginning has heavily favoured Arabs. It appears that it was like a blood bond forged during Lawrence of Arabia's days between British establishment and Arab tribal leaders.
And among the ordinary Britons many seem to believe Arabs as the exotic shiekhs while Jews are "pushy rude money-minded people".
The idea of equating Israel's nuke capability and Iran's is so insane that it's hard to believe anyone with an IQ above 40 or not an insane Islamic jihadi would say it or think it.
No wonder they call Jack Straw, Ayatollah Straw.
The Arabs own London or at least half of it. London and the UK in general are full of Arabs. The Brits love the money. It's nothing new.
"London and the UK in general are full of Arabs"
It's really not.
Well, I lived in the UK (different parts and including London) for some 7 years. Next to Indian and Pakistani population, Arabs were the largest community especially in London. That was in the 80s unless they've moved?
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"is this something new, his asking that Israel do this? Is he just speaking for himself or does he speak for others?"
The goal of a nuclear free Middle East is official British government policy. Tony Blair has mentioned it often. I was also under the impression that it was official US government policy. This guy seems to think it is:
http://www.un.int/usa/05_103.htm
"The United States shares the view that the Conference should reinforce the goal of universal NPT adherence. That goal is for Israel, India, and Pakistan to eventually join the Treaty as non-nuclear weapon States........
.......the United States supports the objective of an effectively verifiable Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction. A comprehensive peace would likely hasten the end of WMD programs in the region, which might facilitate Israel’s accession to the NPT."
Nope. Number of Arabs is tiny in the UK. Figures from the 2001 census are available at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=273
UK population (in 2001 census) is 92.1% White, 1.8% Indian, 1.3% Pakistani, 0.5% Bangladeshi, 0.4% Chinese, 0.4% Other Asian, 1.0% Black (Carribean), 0.8% Black (African); Arabs are too few to even register as a category
It really is. Lots of Arabs. Huge mosques in London.
And from the London homeys -- sense-destroying bad teeth and stinky breath.
There have been a lot of threads on this story. Nobody cares much about Straw's opinions.
I was talking about the UK National Census, taken every 10 years; the last one was in 2001. What are you talking about? If there are more current figures on UK demographics, I would appreciate knowing where to find them.
How about Condi Rice, you think she'd ever ask for a "Nuclear Free Middle East"?
Probably. But she wouldn't demand.
All you need to know about straw:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2822059.stm
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