Aaron Klein, Jerusalem bureau chief for World Net Daily, reports:
The US will not stand in the way if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes Israeli military action is needed to eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat, Vice President Joe Biden said during an interview with ABC today (see video).
The statements mark the first time the Obama administration has openly put on the table a possible Israeli military strike against Iran.
“Look, Israel can determine for itself — it’s a sovereign nation — what’s in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else,” Biden told ABC’s George Stephanoupolos in a pre-taped interview.
Stephanoupolos asked if Israel can still attack without U.S. approval.
“Whether we agree or not,” replied the vice president.
Continued Biden: “They’re entitled to do that. Any sovereign nation is entitled to do that. But there is no pressure from any nation that’s going to alter our behavior as to how to proceed. What we believe is in the national interest of the United States, which we, coincidentally, believe is also in the interest of Israel and the whole world.
“And so there are separate issues. If the Netanyahu government decides to take a course of action different than the one being pursued now, that is their sovereign right to do that. That is not our choice.”
Stephanopoulos persisted: “But just to be clear here, if the Israelis decide Iran is an existential threat, they have to take out the nuclear program, militarily the United States will not stand in the way?”
“Look, we cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do,” Biden stated.
Stephanopoulos pointed out the U.S. can deny Israeli over-flights of Iraq – one of the main arerial routes to strike Iran from the Jewish state.
“We can stand in the way of a military strike,” the ABC host said.
Biden replied: “I’m not going to speculate, George, on those issues, other than to say Israel has a right to determine what’s in its interests, and we have a right and we will determine what’s in our interests.”
Redux
Vice Presidential candidate Biden said September 4, 2008:
- Israel can take any action against Iran without Washington’s permission.
“Israel has an absolute right to defend itself, Biden told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday adding that “It doesn’t have to ask us”.
So, Israel has a right to defend it’s self, but Honduras must take back a Castro/ Chavis/Obama stooge. Strange, Real Strange?
How embarrassing for the Obama Administration. It appears the Saudi’s made another 3AM phone call to the sycophantic in the White House before Biden’s Interview…
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6638568.ece
July 5, 2009
Saudis give nod to Israeli raid on Iran
Uzi Mahnaimi in Tel Aviv and Sarah Baxter
The head of Mossad, Israel’s overseas intelligence service, has assured Benjamin Netanyahu, its prime minister, that Saudi Arabia would turn a blind eye to Israeli jets flying over the kingdom during any future raid on Iran’s nuclear sites.
Earlier this year Meir Dagan, Mossad’s director since 2002, held secret talks with Saudi officials to discuss the possibility.
The Israeli press has already carried unconfirmed reports that high-ranking officials, including Ehud Olmert, the former prime minister, held meetings with Saudi colleagues. The reports were denied by Saudi officials.
“The Saudis have tacitly agreed to the Israeli air force flying through their airspace on a mission which is supposed to be in the common interests of both Israel and Saudi Arabia,” a diplomatic source said last week.
(more at link)