Forum Post: Dempsey "Slaps" Netanyahu

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey's campaign to prevent World War III, especially the pressure he is putting on Israel, is being seen as the work of "a responsible adult," in the words of an Israeli commentator. This is especially so after Dempsey's recent statement to the effect that an Israeli strike on Iran would not stop Iran's program, which has caused turmoil among certain circles in Israel.

Dempsey said on Tuesday, "Militarily, my assessment hasn't changed. And I want to make clear, I'm not privy to their planning. So what I'm telling you is based on what I know of their capabilities. And I may not know about all of their capabilities. But I think that it's a fair characterization to say that they could delay but not destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities."

These remarks drew an insightful commentary by Attila Somfalvi, who wrote in today's YNETNEWS, that Dempsey "assumed the role of responsible adult and slapped Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, the duo orchestrating the national hysteria surrounding the possibility of an attack on Iran." Somfalvi wrote that the message was clear: "Shut up and stop babbling about Iran. Without us there is not much you can do, and don't assume for a second that we are dancing to your tune. You shouldn't do anything stupid, and stop driving the entire world crazy." Samfalvi writes that the real message goes on, saying, "Israel should not disregard the opinions of its top security officials...."

He went on to write that while Dempsey's attack hits "Israel's most sensitive nerve," the U.S. had no choice, because of "Netanyahu's inclination to play with fire..."

Nonetheless, Somfalvi makes the fatal mistake of thinking that Obama is listening to Dempsey and not Netanyahu and his British masters.

Dempsey also tipped the hand of Israeli Ambassador and Netanyahu crony Michal Oren, who told Bloomberg.com that even if not successful Israel should attack anyway. "Israel would be willing to strike Iran's nuclear facilities, even if doing so only delayed its ability to produce nuclear weapons for a few years. One, two, three, four years are a long time in the Middle East. In our neighborhood, those are the rules of the game. Diplomacy hasn't succeeded. We've come to a very critical juncture where important decisions do have to be made."

http://larouchepac.com/node/23650