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ISRAELI OPPOSITION LEADER SAYS HE WON'T BACK MILITARY "ADVENTURES"
PanARMENIAN.Net
July 23, 2012 - 17:55 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's former
top political partner put him on notice on Monday, July 23 he would
not back Israeli military "adventures", comments that appeared to
caution against possible action against Iran, Reuters reported.
Shaul Mofaz, now opposition leader, made the remarks less than a week
after pulling his centrist Kadima party out of the governing coalition,
where he served as vice premier for more than two months.
As a member of Netanyahu's security cabinet, Mofaz was privy to
deliberations on Iran's nuclear program.
"Kadima will not embark on any operational adventures that will risk
the future of our sons and daughters, and the future of Israel's
citizens," Mofaz told a news conference that focused largely on
a revolt inside Kadima by four lawmakers who wanted to rejoin the
government.
In Israeli parlance the Hebrew term "operational" has a strictly
military connotation. Mofaz is a former chief of Israel's armed forces
and an ex-defense minister.
Israeli prime ministers have traditionally consulted with opposition
leaders on major military operations. But in 1981 Menachem Begin
ignored then opposition leader Shimon Peres's warnings against bombing
Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor.
Mofaz's opposition increases the political risks for Netanyahu in his
decision-making over Iran, especially if an operation went wrong and
he faced any inquiry over it later.
Recent opinion polls show most Israelis would oppose any unilateral
strike on Iran.
Mofaz's comments appeared to echo those of former Israeli security
officials who have publicly spoken against any go-it-alone attack
on Iran's nuclear facilities, with some saying such an assault could
backfire by spurring Tehran to speed up uranium enrichment.
PanARMENIAN.Net
July 23, 2012 - 17:55 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's former
top political partner put him on notice on Monday, July 23 he would
not back Israeli military "adventures", comments that appeared to
caution against possible action against Iran, Reuters reported.
Shaul Mofaz, now opposition leader, made the remarks less than a week
after pulling his centrist Kadima party out of the governing coalition,
where he served as vice premier for more than two months.
As a member of Netanyahu's security cabinet, Mofaz was privy to
deliberations on Iran's nuclear program.
"Kadima will not embark on any operational adventures that will risk
the future of our sons and daughters, and the future of Israel's
citizens," Mofaz told a news conference that focused largely on
a revolt inside Kadima by four lawmakers who wanted to rejoin the
government.
In Israeli parlance the Hebrew term "operational" has a strictly
military connotation. Mofaz is a former chief of Israel's armed forces
and an ex-defense minister.
Israeli prime ministers have traditionally consulted with opposition
leaders on major military operations. But in 1981 Menachem Begin
ignored then opposition leader Shimon Peres's warnings against bombing
Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor.
Mofaz's opposition increases the political risks for Netanyahu in his
decision-making over Iran, especially if an operation went wrong and
he faced any inquiry over it later.
Recent opinion polls show most Israelis would oppose any unilateral
strike on Iran.
Mofaz's comments appeared to echo those of former Israeli security
officials who have publicly spoken against any go-it-alone attack
on Iran's nuclear facilities, with some saying such an assault could
backfire by spurring Tehran to speed up uranium enrichment.