Israel asks America to strike western Iraq first, if it decides to fight Saddam

Ha'aretz Daily ^ | Friday, February 08, 2002 Israel Time: 06:01 | By Amir Oren

[anapikoros]

I think you missed the point.

Israel is not asking the US to attack Iraq. In this article the request is along the line of... If you attack Iraq then endevour to keep the Iraqi scuds from within range of Israel.

... the Pentagon's representatives were asked to plan their operations in Iraq in such a way as to minimize the Iraqi ability to move missile launchers into western Iraq, from which missiles can reach Israel.

America will act on Iraq regardless of what Israel or any other country wants when America decides that it's in America's interest to do so.

[CommiesOut]

"Seeing as I am an American citizen, do I get to pick a few choice spots?"

That's what my wife says when I come back from a bank.

[Bogey78O]

Either way. Nukes or no nukes Iraq has seriously dangerous weapons.

[rmlew]

BTW, what they still haven't won the war against the teenage stone throwers.

Because it never fought one. Israel has fought skirminshes with groups armed with guns or molotov cocktails using stone-throwers for cover.

Israel could expell the arabs or indiscriminately slaughter any assaulant, even those with stones. It hasn't because Israelis want to be better than that.

[RaceBannon]

Actually, it sounds like the only way to keep Israel from nuking Baghdad first, is if we take out the areas that Iraq launches stuff from. Eliminate that, and we give Israel no excuse to shoot back right away....(which I wish we would just let them go and do it!!)

[Optimist]

Now I don't care for that. It's like Israel is saying we're it's personal weapon....
"Hey, go get these guys next! Heh heh heh." We're fighting terrorists that attacked, and may someday attack again , the United States.
Israel needs to understand we're not fighting THEIR war. Bush needs to do what's best for America first.

What you fail to consider is that Israel is actually HELPING the US by articulating a method that will keep Israel out of the fight. It IS in the best interests of the US if Israel doesn't become involved.

[codeword]

I don't understand why we are talking about targeting Iraq at all. What does Iraq have to do with Al Qaeda? Bush's poppa got us all worked up about Saddam, and never followed through and got him. Now Bush Junior is going to get us worked up about this guy again? Shouldn't we focus our energies on avenging 9-11 by going after Bin Laden and the other perpetrators? Why this change of focus?

[Righty1]

I hope massively so and not just Iraq. It is now or when it will be much worse. It is interesting that the effete snobs of Europe who have thousands of excuses for appeasing Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini are embarked on the same course vis a vie arab terrorists.

[GeronL]

It makes a lot of sense to start with something. It would take a while to deploy the necessary hardware. Maybe we should expand the no-fly zone into western Iraq as a beginning?

[GeronL]

Here is the scenario:

We attack but we don't go after the SCUDS in the west first and they launch them at Israel. Israel responds with heavy attacks and Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Kuwait tell us to get the hell out of their territory.

US vs Iraq becomes US vs Iraq, Iran, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait probably Turkey.....

AND the oil is cut off....

Would this be a good scenario or a bad one?

[GeronL]

what does it have to do with Al Quaeda?

probably nothing. So what? This is a war on terrorism, not a war on Al Quaeda... got it?

[GeronL]

They have been there since 1967, and they have yet to succeed in their quest to create a Greater Israel

Israel has been there, officially, since 1947 not 67 and they have no desire for Greater Israel.

[GeronL]

mono-ethnic theocratic state

huh? Israel has citizens from all over the world, including Ethiopia and Russia. There are citizens that are Christian and Muslim too. It even has muslims in the Parliament. What are you talking about?

[RightWhale]

I don't understand why we are talking about targeting Iraq at all.

It's war declared on America by the Axis of Evil through sponsoring overt acts of war. Terrorist Groups of Global Reach [TGOGR] will be eliminated from the planet. The first item on the list is Alqaida. Iraq is on the list as a sponsor of TGOGR. Near the top now that Afghanistan is rejoining civilization. Iran is still on the list, but dropping gradually. Eventually Iran will disappear off the bottom of the list. Iraq is not moving lower on the list. Their choice.