Local Editor
Not only did the "Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu return with empty hands from Washington on Iran, but also he had to face the "Israeli" internal front on more than one level.
Haaretz Poll: Most of the Public Opposes an "Israeli" Strike on Iran
By Yossi Verter
The Haaretz-Dialog poll, conducted under the supervision of Prof. Camil Fuchs of "Tel Aviv" University on Sunday and Monday during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington, also showed that the PM's Likud party would win big in the next election, taking between 35 and 37 seats.
Likud, the rest of the right wing and the ultra-Orthodox parties would get between 71 and 74 mandates. Under such a scenario, only Netanyahu would be able to form a government.
However, Netanyahu, who returned to "Israel" on Wednesday, is facing a complex political situation.
On the one hand, he and his party seem to be in top political form. On the other, 58 percent of those polled opposed an "Israeli" strike on Iran, without US backing.
Thus, it seems Netanyahu has not convinced those for whom he has been repeatedly threatening Tehran.
Even so, half the respondents said they are relying on Netanyahu and "Defense" Minister Ehud Barak to handle the Iranian issue.
Moreover, the poll also found that if elections were held today, the Kadima party under Shaul Mofaz would capture more Knesset seats than under current chief Tzipi Livni.
The centrist party would garner only 10 seats under Livni and 12 under Mofaz, according to the Haaretz-Dialog poll conducted under the supervision of Prof. Camil Fuchs of Tel Aviv University. Kadima currently has 28 Knesset seats.
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US Estimation: Chemical -Biological Syrian Weapons More Risky to "Israel" than Iran
Debkafiles
US military officials announced Wednesday, March 7, that contrary to the prevailing impression, US President Barack Obama and "Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed not only their dispute over an attack on Iran at their White House meeting on March 5, but devoted considerable attention to the Syrian crisis.
According to the sources, the two men focused on hundreds of surface-to-surface missiles armed with chemical and biological warheads possessed by Syria. The peril of al-Assad regime launching them now tops US's chart of threats looming over "Israel" and Turkey.
For the above reason, Obama prevailed upon his "Israeli" guest to hurry up and patch up relations with Turkey, which he was willing to assist, because it would take a combined US-Turkish-"Israeli" military effort to ward off an attack by Syria's poisoned missiles.
Indeed, if the Syrian conflict is not solved, Washington might be forced to turn its missile shield against Bashar al-Assad's missiles before they are needed against an Iranian attack.
The American sources warn that the hazard could be accelerated by three elements:
1- Al-Assad might decide to respond with extreme violence to foreign military intervention in Syria, even an operation confined only to drawing the civilian population into security zones safe from the attacks of his security services.
On Tuesday, March 6, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reverted to his call for security zones, and last week, "Israeli" Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman offered humanitarian aid to Syria's beleaguered civilian population.
However, the US Sources clarify that such actions, might well be taken by al-Assad as provocations deserving of reprisal by missiles - first those carrying chemical warheads, then biological ones.
Dedicating 14 public shelters at the two largest Druze communities in the Carmel district, Daliat al-Carmel and Usufiya, "Israeli" Minister of "Home Front Defense" Matan Vilnai declared Tuesday that "the Haifa district of the Home Front command is expected to be very important in the next war and we anticipate that hundreds of missiles will be fired at the home front."
These shelters can accommodate 3,000 people.
2-Al-Assad might respond to an Iranian request to take part in a preemptive strike launched by Tehran or Iranian retaliation for attacks on its nuclear facilities by the US or "Israel".
3-Al- Assad might transfer the unconventional missions to Iran's Lebanese surrogate, Hizballah - in which case, the US, Turkey and "Israel" would have no option but to smash them
In addition, US military sources say that although "Israel" possesses a strong air force and Special Forces able to sabotage al-Assad's chemical and biological missiles, the United States and Turkey would have to pitch in with military resources to destroy them completely.
That arsenal is being closely watched by US surveillance drones after the lessons from the Libyan war when at least 5,000 advanced anti-aircraft missiles were spirited out of Qaddafi's weapons stores, some of them smuggled into Gaza for Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations.
Testifying to the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday, the Chairman of the Joint US Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey said that "al-Assad regime had approximately five times more sophisticated air defenses than existed in Libya covering one-fifth of the terrain and about ten times more than we experienced in Serbia. He also has chemical and biological weapons."
His words reinforced the testimony presented Tuesday to the Senate's Armed Services Committee by two senior American generals. Marine Gen. James Mattis, head of the US Central Command which covers the Middle East and Gulf region, said: "Syria has a ‘substantial chemical and biological weapons capability and thousands of shoulder-launched missiles."
Admiral William McRaven, head of the US Special Operations Command, also spoke to the committee about Syria's weapons of mass destruction and American preparations to deal with this menace.
Those briefings were the first assessments of Syrian chemical and biological weapons capabilities to be given publicly by the heads of America's armed forces. This was the direct result, US sources say, of the candid and open conversation on the subject between Obama and Netanyahu Tuesday.
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Barak Secretly Meets Obama
"Israeli" Channel Two- By Audi Siegel
According to the channel, the two men discussed the issue of providing "Israel" with refueling planes and bunker buster bombs.
The US sources informed the channel that "the meeting took about an hour, and discussed the intelligence estimates."
Similarly, the "Haaretz" "Israeli" paper revealed Thursday that during his meeting with Obama, "Israeli" PM Netanyahu asked the US administration to provide "Israel" with bunker buster bombs of the type "GBU-28" and new aircrafts to supply the fuel.
The newspaper quoted senior US military official level, saying that the "US President asked his Secretary of Defense Panetta to work directly with "Israeli" "Defense" Minister Ehud Barak on the matter," pointing out that "the US administration has responded quickly to the "Israeli" demand by promising to work as soon as possible on that."
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Obama's Deal to Netanyahu: Aircraft, Bombs for not Attacking Iran!!!
Source: Army Radio- By Yonatan Roll
They include four KC-35 aerial refueling aircraft, doubling the number already in the "Israeli" Air Force's inventory, and GBU-31 Direct Attack Munition-JDAM bombs of the type which serve US bombers especially those based on aircraft carriers.
According to the report, Obama proposed a "package deal" in which "Israel" promises not to attack Iranian nuclear facilities this year but next year i.e. after the presidential elections in the United States.
Meanwhile, the International Institute for Strategic Research published its new estimate Wednesday in which it stressed that ""Israel" won't attack Iran during 2012."
This news came together with the announcement that European Union's Catherine Ashton had proposed to Iran that long-stalled nuclear negotiations be resumed with the Six World Powers.
She made her offer on behalf of China, France, Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The representatives met Wednesday in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to coordinate positions and to develop a single line about the resumption of contacts, but without success.
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Gants in Handing over Ceremony of Head of Technology Department: "Israel" Facing Many Threats
Source: WALLA news site By: Amir Bouhbot
Based on accusations and the storm that generated in the corridors of the "Israeli" army offices following the submission of the draft report of the State Comptroller concerning the "Herbz issue", a ceremony was held this morning (Thursday) for the new head of the Technology and Logistics department in the "Israeli" army.
Chief of General Staff Gen. Benny Gantz, delivered a speech at the ceremony, praising the previous head Dan Beaton: "Thank you on behalf of the "Israeli" army and the State of "Israel", and I wish you success in your career."
"The reality in our region holds many threats that highlight the escalating importance of the logistics department," he said addressing the new President Coby Barak by saying: "You have a great group of officers and soldiers, certainly know how to lead them."
Another ceremony of handing over is expected to take place next week in the leadership of the center region.
Chief of General Staff announced yesterday (Wednesday) that on next Sunday, GOC Central Command, Avi Mizrahi, will end his job by handing over the post to Nitzan Alon, who will be promoted to the rank of major general.
With the end of his term, Mizrahi is likely to compete on a number of positions in the "Israeli" army, including the post of Deputy Chief of General Staff, the military attaché in Washington in addition to the post of Deputy Chief of General Staff.
Source: Hebrew newspapers, Translated and Edited by moqawama.org
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