John Edwards declares Israel a threat

Variety magazine is reporting on a speech Edwards made in Hollywood:

Perhaps the greatest short-term threat to world peace, Edwards remarked, was the possibility that Israel would bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. As a chill descended on the gathering, the Edwards event was brought to a polite close.

Any country with a neighbor like Iran would have to at least consider a preemptive strike. They are unstable in the best of times, actively support terrorists, were caught enriching uranium in secret for three years, and openly call for the death of Jews and the total annihilation of the nation of Israel. What choice is there, especially when the UN is acting true to form by issuing warnings and toothless resolutions?

If past history is any indication of future actions, Israel will make a preemptive strike. The BBC's archive has this story from 1981:

The Israelis have bombed a French-built nuclear plant near Iraq's capital, Baghdad, saying they believed it was designed to make nuclear weapons to destroy Israel.

It is the world's first air strike against a nuclear plant.

An undisclosed number of F-15 interceptors and F-16 fighter bombers destroyed the Osirak reactor 18 miles south of Baghdad, on the orders of Prime Minister Menachem Begin.

The army command said all the Israeli planes returned safely.

The attack used only F16s, according to The Military Channel. Also, before the bombing, Israel tried a variety of ways, some nice and some not, to halt the construction of Saddam's nuclear facility.

Israel's explanation for the bombing:

The Israeli Government explained its reasons for the attack in a statement saying: "The atomic bombs which that reactor was capable of producing whether from enriched uranium or from plutonium, would be of the Hiroshima size. Thus a mortal danger to the people of Israel progressively arose."

It acted now because it believed the reactor would be completed shortly - either at the beginning of July or the beginning of September 1981.

The Israelis criticised the French and Italians for supplying Iraq with nuclear materials and plegded to defend their territory at all costs.

The statement said: "We again call upon them to desist from this horrifying, inhuman deed. Under no circumstances will we allow an enemy to develop weapons of mass destruction against our people."

If Israel has changed its views on these things, then perhaps there will be no military strike. If not, I think the future is crystal clear.