Juan Cole writes:
The Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten has summarized an Israeli military briefing by Israeli Chief of Staff Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi of a US congressional delegation a little over a year ago and concludes that
The memo on the talks between Ashkenazi and [Congressman Ike] Skelton, as well as numerous other documents from the same period of time, to which Aftenposten has gained access, leave a clear message: The Israeli military is forging ahead at full speed with preparations for a new war in the Middle East.
The paper says that US cables quote Ashkenazi telling the US congressmen, “I’m preparing the Israeli army for a major war, since it is easier to scale down to a smaller operation than to do the opposite.”
The general’s plans are driven by fear of growing stockpiles of rockets in Hamas-controlled Gaza and in Hizbullah-controlled Southern Lebanon, the likely theaters of the planned major new war. Ashkenazi does not seem capable of considering that, given a number of Israeli invasions and occupations of those regions, the rockets may be primarily defensive.
Are they just preparing for a war or planning to start it? Usually Israel does something to provoke and then creates a war out of any response.
The Economist thinks 2011 is the year for the Big ME war.
http://www.economist.com/node/17800151
I wonder, with that U.N. report coming up in the next week or two concerning who killed the President of Lebanon, what if it was an Israeli kill? Now that would fit the puzzle piece that is missing, be able to War with both Lebanon & Gaza both. Would also explain why there’s on going air strikes on Gaze too. Perhaps it sounds crazy, but after what has been going on with Israel & its neighbors, it is plausible. They just might be the ones starting things, yet seemingly looking like the other players. Collateral damage. Oh what evil deeds man has been weaving in the world today.
The Aftenpost article on which Cole’s blogpost is based does not link to a relevant cable. Can any of you out there find the cable please? Let me know if you do. Otherwise it is all hearsay… verification requested!