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Netanyahu: Israel Has Acted Against U.S. Advice Before

(Jerusalem Post) Herb Keinon - Citing historical precedents in which the U.S. and Israel did not see eye-to-eye and Israel acted according to its own perception of its interests, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told congressional leaders Tuesday that Israel viewed things differently than the U.S. did at times, because it was not a global power and was more vulnerable. Israeli sources said Netanyahu noted that David Ben-Gurion declared independence against the advice of the U.S.; Levi Eshkol launched a preemptive attack in 1967 against Washington's counsel; and Menachem Begin decided to bomb the Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981 despite U.S. opposition. Israel is "on the ground and more vulnerable," Netanyahu said in reference to Iran, saying that this made for a very different perspective. National Security Council head Ya'akov Amidror said there was a need to "digest" what the Americans had said and make decisions "based on Israel's interests and the premise upon which Israel was created - that we are able to defend ourselves." During the meetings, Amidror said, several points were made clear: that Israel retains the freedom of action to defend itself as it sees fit, and that there is not only a cost for an attack on Iran, but also a "very, very high price to the possibility of a nuclear Iran."
2012-03-07 00:00:00
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