Daily Alert Archives

Baker Report: Israel Must Prepare for a Different Reality

[Ynet News] Attila Somfalvi - "Israel will have to prepare for a completely different reality," says former UN Ambassador Dore Gold in response to the submission of the Baker-Hamilton report. "Within two years American presence in Iraq will be minimal." The majority of the report deals with Iraq, but a significant portion addresses the Israel-Arab conflict, which the report sees as the heart of Mideast unrest. "The very willingness of the reports' authors to start a dialogue with both Iran and Syria is an alarming development. It's alarming because the United States isn't requiring any preliminary conditions for this dialogue, and there is no mention of the Iranian nuclear program which continues to advance." "The recommendation in this report to talk to Syria and Iran, despite the fact that they're responsible for the growing instability in Iraq, will only encourage them to continue employing their policies." "The report proves that Israel has been unsuccessful in conveying a clear message to the U.S. elite regarding the Iranian threat. How can the United Stated see Iran as a stabilizing force in Iraq when Iran is funding and supplying arms to terror factions, both in Iraq and in Lebanon?" "In the immediate sense, the U.S. will try to renew the political process as part of a general regional strategy." "Will the U.S. demand that Syria stop supporting terror? Will Israel be dragged into negotiations with those who will not even recognize it? Will America come to terms with the Iranian nuclear program?"
2006-12-07 01:00:00
Full Article