Israel strike talk sparks debate

Occupied Jerusalem: It's not the first time Israel has hinted it might strike Iran's nuclear facilities.

Whisper campaigns about a possible surprise attack have leaked out before and sometimes appear timed to help US efforts to rally international support for sanctions against Tehran. But the current round of speculation about an airstrike — fuelled by recent statements by anonymous Israeli officials and some high-profile missile and military flight tests last week — sparked an unusually public debate here about whether Israel should take such a step at this time.

Public ambivalence

What many suspect began as an attempt by Israel to intimidate Iran and motivate the West to do more to crack down on the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme has instead inadvertently exposed public ambivalence, government division and a surprising politicisation over one of Israel's most pressing security threats.

On one side are Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak, who, according to Israeli media reports, are pushing to move against Iran.

But other Cabinet members and several prominent security experts, including two recently retired security agency heads, worry a strike now would spark a regional war, potentially causing greater damage to Israel.

It's a dispute that's been raging quietly for several years, but now has burst into the open.

"It was inane, unnecessary and damaging," Alan Baker, Israel's former ambassador to Canada, said of the recent public discussion over whether to launch a strike against Iran. "Iranians must be thinking how stupid these people are. It sent a message to Iranians that there is a huge debate in Israel."

Privately, government officials expressed shock that this sensitive an issue would erupt in such open fashion. Israel prides itself on avoiding public airings of divisions over military matters, usually displaying a united front to the world when it comes to its security.

"It's been a very feisty and even verbally violent debate," said one government official who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly. "Everything that we used to say behind closed doors came out in the open."

The official said Israel's attempt to signal to the world that its military option against Iran remains on the table "might have backfired a little. I think this complicates the decision" about an airstrike. There's even a debate about the debate itself.

IRAN WORK ‘SPECIFIC' TO NUKE ARMS

The UN atomic agency has said for the first time that Iran is suspected of conducting secret experiments solely for developing nuclear arms,

an assessment that draws on 1,000 pages of intelligence and nearly a decade of research

 The IAEA report indicates that Iran has conducted:

•   High explosives testing and detonator development to set off nuclear charge
•  Computer modelling of nuclear warhead core
•   Preparatory work for nuclear weapons test
•   Development of nuclear payload for Shahab-3 intermediate-range ballistic missile, which is believed capable of reaching Israel
•  Continued efforts aimed at stockpiling uranium enriched to 20 per cent purity - bringing it closer to 90 per cent level needed for nuclear bomb

— Los Angeles Times