What’s the Real Reason Israel Dialed Back the Push for War on Iran?

As noted in the news section today, Israeli intelligence is now hyping IAEA findings from back in August that say Iran has on several recent occasions used the 20 percent enriched uranium – the highest it has and the portion of the program which most riled hawks in the West – to manufacture fuel rods for peaceful medical research in possible cancer treatment. Anonymous Israeli officials are telling select members of the press that this information has resulted in an easing of Israel’s timetable for attacking Iran, but this explanation seems disingenuous.

The Israeli officials claim that their own intelligence has recently proved compatible with the IAEA’s findings in this regard, and that’s why the Israeli leadership has dialed back their war-mongering. But the highest Israeli officials, like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, started dialing back the war-mongering in September only after strong and blunt signals from the Obama administration made it clear that no amount of “red line” rhetoric was going to force America’s hand for a war.

The first was statements made by America’s top military official, Gen. Martin Dempsey, who reiterated that the US would not be “complicit” in an Israeli strike. The other incident occurred when Israeli press reports came out saying the Obama administration sent a surreptitious message to Iran promising not to back an Israeli strike, as long as Tehran refrains from attacking American interests in the Persian Gulf.

At the time, Israeli officials didn’t mention anything about Iran’s peaceful allocation of uranium. Instead, they rambled about sufficient US military build ups in the Gulf and effective economic sanctions. “Israel retains its right to make sovereign decisions and the United States respects that,” Barak said. “However, one should not ignore the impressive preparations by the Americans to counter Iran on all fronts.” When these first signs of Israel “dialing back” the push for war were publicized, it was a dramatically abrupt shift, like a light switch.

Israel is widely understood to have overplayed its hand in trying to push the US to war with Iran. And now that their position has officially changed, it seems like this admission about peaceful uranium allocation is an excuse in order to avoid the embarrassment of admitting they lost the poker game with the Obama administration. Again, they are claiming the shift is a consequence of information that Iran is actually using the uranium for peaceful medical purposes, as promised, but they had this information long before the shift took place.

One implication of these developments is that it shows how much of a manufactured threat the Iranian nuclear program has been all along. How can the threat be a ticking time bomb with a short fuse that will soon mean the destruction of Israel one day, and the next day it’s something that doesn’t even need to be in the headlines? Iran doesn’t present anywhere near as large a threat as US and Israeli leaders have let on. But pretending it does provides Israel with a benefit: As former CIA Middle East analyst Paul Pillar has written, “the Iran issue” provides a “distraction” from international “attention to the Palestinians’ lack of popular sovereignty.” If every high-level diplomatic meeting with the Obama administration focuses on Iran, Israel can continue to rob Palestinians of land and rights unencumbered.

One thought on “What’s the Real Reason Israel Dialed Back the Push for War on Iran?”

  1. Anybody who is truly anti-war should be against an Iranian nuclear capability, even if it means an attack on Iran and rockets on Israel.

    The alternative is nuclear war, and that is a bigger type of war with more dead people.

    Fewer dead people is better than more dead people. Especially when it is a factor of 1,000.

    1. Then let's push Israel to destroy its stockpile of nuclear weapons, considering they are the only naiton in the region who possesses them.

      Wit no Israeli nuclear arsenal, there is no need for an Iranian nuclear arsenal (which they're not building anyway).

    2. Do you not read History, IF Iran was to get a nuclear weapon then Israel couldnt attack them because of the Nuclear Weapon. Iran couldnt attack Israel because ifthey did Israel would return a Nuclear attack tenfold or more.

      MAD, Mutually Assured Destruction worked for the USSR and the USA for decades, the problem that both the US and Israel have is if Iran were to get a nuclear weapon then Gunboat diplomacy no longer works, the retaliation is something that would rattle the cages of the world!

    3. I think I understand the logical and excellent point you are making- We need to destroy the village, in order to save it? Makes perfect sense. Like Frank always said- "Making war for peace is like f_ck_ng for virginity."

    4. Obviously, a paid troll working in the SF area. There are bucket shops of them. Problem is they're not too smart about the subjects they're assigned even though they get paid well.

  2. I should point out that the only thing Israel is saying now is that this "dial back" only goes as far as some time in 2013 – which is not far off.

    Once the elections here and in Israel are over, expect the push for an Iran war to ramp up again.

    As I've said repeatedly, Israel cannot attack Iran until the missile arsenals in Syria and Hizballah have been degraded. Clearly, Turkey is now being used as the stalking horse to get a war started between Syria and US/NATO/Turkey. Once that starts, Israel will attack Hizballah in Lebanon. The recent drone incident is being cited by Israel as an excuse for an "immediate response" against Hizballah in Lebanon. Also, the repeated claims of "chemical weapons movements" by Syria will undoubtedly be used as one of the justifications for an Israeli attack on Lebanon once the Syria war starts.

    So nothing basic has changed at all by Israel changing its tune. It's a tactical matter, not a strategic one. The underlying situation is the same: both the US – including Obama – and Israel want and intend a war with Iran in the near future.

  3. I think one of the real goals in the destruction of Iran is to eliminate funding for Hezbollah and Hamas. Iraq was said to have supported terrorist and who were the terrorist? Palestinians. See a pattern?

    1. Why was Hezbollah formed in the first place? To counter the existing Israeli occupation back in the 80's.

  4. @Mike P.

    Iran has no nuclear weapons program. My assumption is that you know that and are using the name and spirit of the site rhetorically in a spinster fashion. If you read the article or have been paying attention to any of the Iran coverage here and elsewhere (including every saw often in the MSM), you would know that Iran’s nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. That Iran has not provoked an attacked and in invaded any country in over a century.

    I’m no fan of the Islamic government, but that’s not my concern. It is also no reason to attack or even sanction a nation over a phony WMD threat. Once was more than bad enough (Aluminum tubes and suitcase nukes, anyone?). Israel is a real nuclear threat in the region with psychopathic leadership I fear possessing that kind of destructive power. They are crazy enough to use it. They almost did in 1973. I would trust Iran with nukes over Israel. It would balance the power there at least. But no need to worry, again, they have no nuclear weapons program.

    Nice logic, btw. If we were really antiwar we should cause a war to prevent a war that would never happen? Your warmonger is showing

  5. The real reason is that Ireal lost control of the message (lies). Do you think that there was EVER any doubt as to where the uranium was being used? It is painfully clear that Iran was going to release this information and prove without doubt that Isreal has been calling for their destruction based on lies. So, remaining true to their bullying ways, Isreal pretends to be the ones who 'discovered' the truth, and thus avoids being embarassingly b*tch-slapped into admitting their warmongering on the world stage.

    Isreal is trying to make themselves look like people who don't shoot first and ask questions later, despite the opposite being true. I'm sure a similar event would have taken place if Iraq had a way to prove they weren't making WMDs before Bush attacked them. In this case, Iran has been saved by their diligence in maintaining indisputable records, and by the fact that Isreal accused them of something that could be physically disproven.

    PROTIP for Isreal: stick with 'boogeyman' weapons that are hard to disprove like "WMDs". Although, the cat may be out of the bag on that one too…geez you warmongers must REALLY hate the internet.

  6. Personally I am more disgusted with my own nation,US, than with Israel, since our overthrow of Irans duly elected government we have been at war with the Iranian people.
    After. it became known that Regan delayed the hostage release until after he was elected the people in this nation have been complicit in Crimes against humanity.
    Early on Iran acting through Canadian, French and Swiss emisarys to try and get a reproachment with US but we did not want such.
    We had a shooting war that Iran would not escalate so we proxied that job to Iraq and the deaths of Iranians hit inthe low hundreds of thousands, but even that was not enough for our political and their financial scientific grouping.
    So we declared an economic war and placed a seige upon its people and national sovereignty.
    The responce is by what can only be termedthe”loyal Opposition” those who make a living decrying war.

  7. The real problem for Israel is the USA is tired of war especially like the disaster in Iraq. The world has taken note that the might Israel military appears to be gun shy and the Israel nation apparently happy to let others fight. I think many feel if someone needs to attack Iran then let Israel do it.
    Personally Iran with the bomb is less of a threat than Israel having the bomb.. Give peace a chance and make the middle east nuke free. There is zero reason for Israel to have the bomb.

  8. Today on CBS News, Paneta warned of a cyber attack that could destroy America. This was the lead story. It suggested a preemptive attack on the cyber plotters would be fully justified. It then showed Iranians at computers–but gave no evidence of the connection. This cyber threat may be promoted to replace the discredited need for attacking Iran because of its nuclear ambitions.

    1. A cyber attack could destroy America? More folderol for the dumb masses to buy wholesale while their online freedoms are curtailed.

      Anyone who knows anything about the trunk lines and how they work know this is tantamount to saying runaway semi trucks on the highways could destroy America! A truck attack could destroy America!!

      Allow me to introduce you to the concept of a switch. If you think DARPA invented this thing without safety switches, I've got a bridge to sell you. Encryption sloppiness can compromise individual systems, but all the systems? They are not all linked together, contrary to what Hollywood likes to show you.

      This is being introduced as civil propaganda because the average American knows squat about it.

  9. The US military brass is now completely against Israel and Netanyahu. Read Mark Perry at Foreign Policy magazine.

    Israel's Dr. Strangelove has managed to alienate the US Military and the Christian Churches.

  10. Anonymous Israeli officials are telling select members of the press that this information has resulted in an easing of Israel’s timetable for attacking Iran, but this explanation seems disingenuous.

  11. Anyone who knows anything about the trunk lines and how they work know this is tantamount to saying runaway semi trucks on the highways could destroy America! A truck attack could destroy America!!

  12. Anyone who knows anything about the trunk lines and how they work know this is tantamount to saying runaway semi trucks on the highways could destroy America! A truck attack could destroy America!!

  13. Allow me to introduce you to the concept of a switch. If you think DARPA invented this thing without safety switches, I've got a bridge to sell you. Encryption sloppiness can compromise individual systems, but all the systems? They are not all linked together, contrary to what Hollywood likes to show you. Australian Offers

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  16. The real reason is that Ireal lost control of the message (lies). Do you think that there was EVER any doubt as to where the uranium was being used? It is painfully clear that Iran was going to release this information and prove without doubt that Isreal has been calling for their destruction based on lies. So, remaining true to their bullying ways, Isreal pretends to be the ones who 'discovered' the truth, and thus avoids being embarassingly b*tch-slapped into admitting their warmongering on the world stage. Downtown Los Angeles

  17. Wars and conflicts in Iran is quite alarming. Government and society should work together to solve this problem because the war will only make the mental condition of children being disrupted.

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  20. Whatever the reason for Israel to fight against Iran, of course, should be reconsidered. This is because, the war will only make people miserable, depressed, and not a few people who died because of the war. Free Dharma Talk MP3s

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  22. Israel has become one of the many detrimental to many other countries. Israel is a small country that tends to suppress in which he intends to rule this territory ..kidkraft toddler bed

  23. Israel's relations with some other countries that oppose the Palestinian action is not good. This is why this country does not have many kind of good relations with neighboring countries.marketing android app

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  26. People who have a lot of side views of many types will be easily able to see that there is a kind of reason that too far-fetched. Everyone will judge the worse just in Israel.

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