Israel backs away from Iran statement
Oil prices jumped surrounding the comment
JERUSALEM Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz set off an international
uproar over the weekend by saying in a published interview that
Israel will have "no choice" but to attack Iran if it doesn't
halt its nuclear program. Mofaz is a former military chief and
defense minister, and has been Israel's representative in a
strategic dialogue on Iran with U.S. officials.
Olmert's spokesman, Mark Regev, did not explicitly reject
Mofaz's comments. But he said Olmert clearly stated Israel's policy
last week during a trip to Washington.
Speaking to reporters after a White House meeting, Olmert called
for tighter international sanctions, including boycotting Iranian
businessmen and financial transactions and blocking the country's
imports of refined petroleum. He also warned that a more
"effective" solution was drawing closer, but would not elaborate.
Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful and designed to
produce energy, but Israel believes the country's fundamentalist
regime seeks nuclear weapons. Iran's president, Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, has repeatedly said Israel should be "wiped off the
map."
In an interview published Friday in the local daily Yediot
Ahronot, Mofaz said "If Iran continues its nuclear arms program -
we will attack it."
"The sanctions aren't effective. There will be no choice but to
attack Iran to halt the Iranian nuclear program," he said.
There is a precedent for Israeli military action: In 1981,
Israeli planes destroyed an unfinished Iraqi reactor.
A spokeswoman for Mofaz, Talya Somech, confirmed Sunday that the
quote was accurate. She said Mofaz was expressing "his own
opinion" and not that of the government.
But other Cabinet ministers accused Mofaz of speaking
irresponsibly and suggested he was trying to sound tough for
reasons connected with internal politics.
Mofaz sees himself as a candidate to replace Olmert, who is
embroiled in a corruption scandal that might force him to step
down, and is engaged in a rivalry for the job with Israel's popular
foreign minister, Tzipi Livni.
"The cynical use of Israel's strategic matters for party
politics is beyond the pale and very serious," Deputy Defense
Minister Matan Vilnai said in a statement. Vilnai said it would be
wise to remain silent and "leave matters of security to those
taking care of them."
On Friday, oil prices made their biggest single-day jump ever,
and traders cited Mofaz's comment - which hinted at the possibility
of instability and a disruption of global oil supplies - as one of
the reasons for the spike.