US ASKS ISRAEL “IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS” TO REFRAIN FROM RETALIATORY OPS
breaking…
Monday, January 25, 2010 U.S. asks Israel ‘in no uncertain terms’ to refrain from retaliatory ops
WASHINGTON — The United States has renewed pressure on Israel to refrain from any operation that could spark another war in the Middle East.
Government sources said the administration of President Barack Obama has renewed appeals by senior officials for Israel to refrain from massive retaliation to missile and rocket launches from either the Gaza Strip or Lebanon.
The sources said the White House warned Israel that renewed military tension in the Middle East could harm U.S. plans to withdraw from Iraq and expand the NATO stabilization campaign in Afghanistan.
“This message was relayed to Israel in no uncertain terms,” a government source said.
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2010/ss_israel0049_01_25.asp
In January 2010, National Security Adviser James Jones reviewed regional threats with Israel and reiterated the administration’s warning not to launch any major military operation in the Gaza Strip. The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been under military pressure to intensify air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip amid daily Palestinian rocket attacks.
During his visit, Jones sought to gauge Israel’s intentions toward the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip and Hizbullah in Lebanon. The sources said the U.S. security adviser also urged Israel to make concessions to the Palestinian Authority in an effort to renew peace talks.
The Obama administration has also been closely monitoring tensions along the Israeli-Lebanese border. The sources said the White House demanded that Israel assure Beirut that a current exercise along the northern border of the Jewish state was not directed against Lebanon.
At the same time, the White House was preparing to accelerate efforts toward Middle East peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors. The sources said Obama has approved a plan in which the United States would issue security guarantees to Israel and any new Palestinian state.
“These things depend on the details and whether they are possible,” National Security Council spokesman Michael Hammer told the London-based A-Sharq Al Awsat daily.
The sources said Israeli leaders, particularly Defense Minister Ehud Barak, urged Jones to approve requests for weapons for Israel. Israel has privately complained of the administration’s refusal to approve a range of requests for new military platforms and upgrades over the last year.
The White House has also relayed warnings to Israel to halt preparations for an attack on Iran and its nuclear program. The sources said Jones and other senior Obama aides have been concerned that Israel’s military preparations would harm U.S. efforts to reconcile with the Teheran regime.
“As the administration sees it, U.S. arms exports to Israel have become dependent on whether this upsets Iran and the Arab world,” the source said. “The fear in Washington and Europe is that Israel will do something unilaterally against Iran.”
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