Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the United Nations that Iran would become a nuclear power unless it was stopped by next spring or early summer at the latest. He used a drawing of an exploding bomb to show everyone how close the Iranians are to developing nuclear weapons. As the drawing showed they are well past 70% of the way there and will reach 90% in the next 9 to 10 months...next spring or early summer. From that point it would only be a few weeks before Iran became a nuclear power.
Netanyahu made it very clear that the 90% level is the red line beyond which Iran cannot be allowed to go. Although he didn’t say so as such the red line would trigger military action by Israel against Iran’s nuclear facilities whether the United States or anyone else liked it or not or participated or not, military action being the only means of keeping nuclear weapons out of Iran’s hands at that point. His message was that a nuclear Iran would jeopardize Israel's very existence, that Iran would use her nuclear weapons against Israel in order to obliterate the Jewish state and remove it from the face of the earth and that Israel would have to strike regardless of the repercussions and regardless of what anyone else did or did not do, survival being the most important factor of all.
He also made it very clear that the consequences for the United States, the rest of the free world and much of the Arab/Islamic world would be horrific and catastrophic if Iran became a nuclear power and told everyone in no uncertain terms why that would be and why it is essential that nuclear weapons be kept out of the Iranians' hands.
Netanyahu pleaded for the world to take the situation seriously and to take serious measures to prevent Iran from possessing nuclear weapons while it still can, for everyone's sake, not just Israel's...he believes there is still a brief ‘window of opportunity’ for non-military means to be successful and implored the world, especially the United States, to act while it still could, before a military strike became the only option.
Before the red line is reached.
While all this was going on Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak emphasized Israel’s readiness to act militarily if left with no alternative and reiterated her doctrine of self-reliance in national security matters during a speech he gave at a memorial ceremony for soldiers who fell in the Yom Kippur war in 1973.
Will the United States and the rest of the world act? As long as Obama is president, no.
Put another way, if Obama is re-elected in November's presidential election a unilateral Israeli military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities is guaranteed. It will happen because Israel will have been left with no alternative and it will happen in the name of Israeli survival and self-preservation.
That red line is getting closer all the time.
Which is one more reason to vote Obama out of office in November.
Can’t say we haven’t been warned, can we?
Jerry Philipson is a retired grandfather who has spent many years working in non-profit social service agencies in Canada and the United States. He holds dual Canadian and American citizenship and has been passionate about politics, civil liberties, freedom and democracy for virtually his whole life. He is particularly interested in the Middle East and America and believes that it is vital for people of good heart and good conscience to speak out against tyranny and dishonesty and to stand up and defend and protect Western values, principles and institutions.
