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Bush and Sharon in Crawford. The words were supportive but the body language was strained. (AP)
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| By Jerusalem Newswire April 21, 2005 |
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Israel has reportedly expressed its belief to Washington that Iran and several of its Arab allies are preparing for a full-scale war against the Jewish state, possibly following the expected US withdrawal from Iraq in 2006.
Unnamed US officials told Middle East Newsline this week that according to Israeli assessments, the departure of most American forces from the region would lead to increased tensions and provide an atmosphere ripe for an escalation of violence.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon "has relayed repeated messages to the administration that Iran and its Arab allies were preparing for war," one official said.
Sharon reportedly raised the issue with President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney during his recent visit to the US, telling the Americans that an Iran emboldened with the acquisition of nuclear weapons would seek to form a regional alliance against Israel.
Israeli military intelligence reported earlier in the month that the Lebanese terrorist organization Hizballah is already planning a major offensive along Israel's northern border, likely at the behest of Tehran.
But Washington has been largely dismissive of Israel's assessments of Iran's nuclear program, and therefore the presence of any serious threat in the near future.
"Our intelligence community has used in the past an estimate that said that Iran was not likely to acquire a nuclear weapon before the beginning of the next decade," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said on April 13. "That remains the case."
American's top priority in the region at this time, officials said, was to ensure Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and northern Samaria and the establishment of a Palestinian Arab state on the Jews' biblical heartland.
The birth of Palestine, the Bush administration continues to insist, would effectively put an end to regional animosity towards Israel.
"If you resolve the Israeli-Palestinian issue, you've resolved the problem with extremism," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said.
The Jewish state, however, suffered three full-scale Arab-initiated wars and countless terrorism attacks during the 19 years prior to taking control of Judea, Samaria and Gaza in 1967.
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