Should a minister, any minister just take Iran's continual threats to destroy Israel ligthly? Should Israel just keep silent?
- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "R.G." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Fri, 06/06/2008 - 8:20am > > > "SUMMER SHOWDOWN: Israeli minister says alternatives to attack on > Iran running out..." > > The article quotes Israeli Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz as > issuing an unusually blunt warning to Iran: "If Iran continues its > nuclear weapons programme, we will attack it." > > The thing to remember about Israeli politics is that it's a > parliamentary system. So, the ministers don't serve "at the pleasure > of the president"; they're independent politicians with their own > bases of support, even if they hail from the same political party as > the prime minister. > > So, this is not the same thing as U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary > E. Peters (who, incidentally, has a blog called "Fast Lane") issuing > a press release. We can safely presume that Peters speaks for the > Bush administration. > > But the hawkish Mofaz, a former defense minister and military chief > of staff, doesn't necessarily speak for the Israeli government. He's > probably ramping things up now that he sees a chance to take Ehud > Olmert's job, and angling to outmaneuver Foreign Minister Tzipi > Livni, his chief rival within the Kadima Party. Mofaz is playing > politics here, not explaining policy. Still, I would advise the folks > in Tehran not to take Mofaz's threat lightly. >
