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The Opening Round of Iran's War Against the West
GAMLA: News and View from Israel ^ | July 17, 2006 | Dore Gold (former Israeli ambassador to the UN)

Posted on 07/17/2006 8:36:51 AM PDT by Challenge

The Opening Round of Iran's War Against the West

Dore Gold

Dore Gold is the President of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, and served as Israel's ambassador to the UN from 1997 to 1999.


Since the 1982 Lebanon War, the United Nations Security Council has repeatedly demanded that all foreign forces leave Lebanese territory. This evacuation of outside armies and terrorist groups was rightly seen as the prerequisite for the pacification of the volatile Israel-Lebanon border and the restoration of Lebanese sovereignty.

It was disturbing to see Secretary-General Kofi Annan shaking hands with Hizballah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah on June 20, 2000, during a visit to Beirut. The UN strategy was to give Hizballah some recognition and thereby obtain good behavior on its part.

In 2002, Lebanese media reported the arrival of Iranian Revolutionary Guards to train Hizballah in the use of Fajr 3 and Fajr 5 medium-range missiles with a range of 70 kilometers, deployed in southern Lebanon and aimed at Israel's northern cities. So in return for Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon, it acquired a more powerful Hizballah, as well as Iranian forces taking up positions directly on its borders.

The chief aims of the entire Western alliance - including Israel - in the current conflict are: full implementation of UN Security Council resolutions that call for the complete dismantling of Hizballah and the deployment of the Lebanese army along the Israel-Lebanon border; and the removal of all Iranian forces and equipment from Lebanese territory, along with any lingering Syrian presence.

Defeating Iran's opening shot in this Middle Eastern war is not just Israel's interest, but the collective interest of the entire civilized world. Israel's strategy depends upon isolating the Hizballah insurgency in Lebanon from any reinforcement from Iran and its allies by air, land, or sea.

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TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Israel; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: clashofcivilizations; geopolitics; iran

1 posted on 07/17/2006 8:36:52 AM PDT by Challenge
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To: Challenge

What needs to happen is that the Israelis need to move ground troops into Lebanon as an occupying force. They need to tell the radical Muslims to pack their bags because they are moving to Damascus. They need to mine the area between Damascus and Lebanon, like we've mined Korea.

That will force Syria's and Iran's hand.


2 posted on 07/17/2006 8:41:24 AM PDT by Brilliant
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To: Brilliant

You're living up to your post name with that one :)


3 posted on 07/17/2006 8:43:19 AM PDT by AmericaUnited
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To: Brilliant

"That will force Syria's and Iran's hand."

Yes, but to do what?


4 posted on 07/17/2006 8:45:26 AM PDT by edcoil (Reality doesn't say much - doesn't need too)
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To: Salem; Alouette; SJackson; unionblue83; ZULU; sergey1973; F15Eagle; RoadTest; Sabramerican; ...

Dore Gold gets it - ping!


5 posted on 07/17/2006 8:54:49 AM PDT by Convert from ECUSA (The Arab League jihad continues on like a fart in an elevator - FR American in Israel)
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To: edcoil

It doesn't matter. The stupidest thing they could do at this point is to attack the US. Afterall, they don't have the bomb yet. It's a war I'd rather fight now, before they get the bomb.


6 posted on 07/17/2006 8:56:35 AM PDT by Brilliant
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To: Challenge
It was disturbing to see Secretary-General Kofi Annan shaking hands with Hizballah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah

Kofi wasn't shaking hands, he was slipping Nasrallah instructions on how to transfer bribes to his numbered account.

7 posted on 07/17/2006 9:26:42 AM PDT by ncountylee (Dead terrorists smell like victory)
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To: Berosus; Cincinatus' Wife; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; Ernest_at_the_Beach; FairOpinion; ...
The chief aims of the entire Western alliance - including Israel - in the current conflict are: full implementation of UN Security Council resolutions that call for the complete dismantling of Hizballah and the deployment of the Lebanese army along the Israel-Lebanon border; and the removal of all Iranian forces and equipment from Lebanese territory, along with any lingering Syrian presence. Defeating Iran's opening shot in this Middle Eastern war is not just Israel's interest, but the collective interest of the entire civilized world. Israel's strategy depends upon isolating the Hizballah insurgency in Lebanon from any reinforcement from Iran and its allies by air, land, or sea.
Presenting the UN and UNSC with a fait accompli is the only way to see to it that the UN resolutions are complied with. But of course, neither the Moslems (radical or not) or the leftists support the UN anyway.
8 posted on 07/17/2006 9:27:36 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (updated my FR profile on Wednesday, June 21, 2006. https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: ncountylee

The funny lines are always the ones with an element of truth!


9 posted on 07/17/2006 9:47:53 AM PDT by Prost1 (We can build a wall, we can evict - "Si, se puede!")
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To: dennisw; Cachelot; Nix 2; veronica; Catspaw; knighthawk; Alouette; Optimist; weikel; Lent; GregB; ..
If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

High volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel. also

2006israelwar or WOT

..................

10 posted on 07/17/2006 10:47:19 AM PDT by SJackson (The Pilgrims—Doing the jobs Native Americans wouldn’t do!)
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To: Brilliant

We should destroy the Iranian oil industry. By Bombing all oil transportation facilities, pipelines, storage tanks, tanker trucks, refinery’s etc… we can cripple the funding of numerous terrorist organizations, Hezbollah, Hama’s, Sadr’s militia, Syria, as well as make it more difficult for Iran to buy missiles and such from North Korea, China, and Russia.
It would remove Iran’s threat that if we attack they will shut off the oil. Making the threat ridiculous and demonstrating that they are a single product state and without oil, and no other product that the world wants, they are nothing. Additionally, by declaring that we will destroy any reconstituting oil industry as long as the Mullacracy remains in charge, we can focus the Iranian’s blame for the situation, on the Theocracy and their support of Terrorism.
This will also bring home to all the other oil producing countries like Venezuela, Libya, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, etc… that they are very vulnerable to the same tactic.
In addition, this will gain us time for the Iraqi’s to stand on their own, and free up troops we would need if we have to go into Iran, North Korea or somewhere else.
Sure the price of gas will rise, but this will also demonstrate to the world that the USA is not in Iraq for the Oil, and the onus can be shifted on to the Democrats for not allowing more domestic production.
“It’s not the control of the spice but the power to destroy the spice that is the real power.”
It has recently been said that the nuclear production facilities in Iran are so deep that we can’t reach them with conventional weapons. Perhaps so, but maybe we can starve those facilities of funds. Nuclear weapons are terribly expensive to build, and if Iran now needs all its money to repair vital life supporting infrastructure, it may have to slow or stop its attempt to build an atomic bomb.
Finally, Iran is a state sponsor of Terrorists, it must be punished, and it must be seen to be punished. Iran’s continued sponsorship of terror is a slap in America’s and President Bush’s face, and it must be answered.


11 posted on 07/17/2006 7:59:04 PM PDT by Eagle74 (From time to time the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots)
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