'Practically All of Us Were Hawks’
A few years later you made a deal with the French Defense Ministry to sell Israel arms. These arms were crucial to Israel's survival in the '67 war.
Yes, the '67 war, the Sinai war and part of the Yom Kippur war. They gave us old arms. There was an embargo on arms sales by the United States, Great Britain and France. While Russia supplied free arms to the Arabs, we didn't have any guns, tanks or planes ... So I went to France and started to work. Finally, they were convinced. All of a sudden France opened up to Israel. It changed the whole situation.
Now you are known for your dedication to the search for peace. But when I first interviewed you in 1981, you were still hawkish.
Half of Israel was under the impression that the Arabs would not make peace with us. As long as they thought they could overpower us, they wouldn't make peace. So practically all of us were hawks. The minute that Israel showed its muscles and proved that you cannot overcome [it was] the first time we saw some chances for peace. And then we went over to the other side. It's not that I changed my character. I found a different situation.
Do you worry for your country on its 60th anniversary when there is such a scandal around your prime minister?
The prime minister is innocent until it will be shown otherwise. But, what shall I say? Better a democracy with scandals than an authoritarian system without scandals.
What do you believe should be done about Iran's nuclear program? After all, you were once the creator of the military-industrial complex here, including the Dimona reactor.
We never said we were going to wipe anybody off the map, but they have. It's not a problem of nuclear capability but of political intention.
What do you think about that?
I think it's terrible. I think today [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad is becoming more and more a problem for the world, not only for Israel. Sooner or later, the world will wake up.
You told me once that you've known every U.S. president since Harry Truman. Is that correct?
Yes.
So, how does this president impress you?
I think Bush did something which is very courageous. And that was to topple down Saddam Hussein. Imagine today that we would have in the Middle East both Ahmadinejad and Saddam Hussein. The problem with the Europeans is, they are right but they are always late. And here to be late is to be wrong.
What about President Clinton?
Clinton was a friend. Bush's father was a friend and President Ronald Reagan was a friend ... Reagan could conquer your heart in five minutes by his modesty. You couldn't meet Reagan without being equipped with an anti-Russian joke. And you could be sure that he had another one.
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Member Comments
Posted By: The_epoch_point @ 05/20/2008 10:36:37 PM
Comment: It's about time everyone takes another look at Abraham Lincoln and all the other anti-communists like Ronald Reagan and Joseph R. McCarthy. After all it was a Marxist Lee Harvey Oswald and a communist Sirhan Sirhan who knocked off the Kennedy Brothers. Now check out this awesome book I just read at Amazon.com!
The Epoch Point by Spencer Zimmerman is a religious historical conspiracy thriller that follows evil throughout the existence of mankind, revealing the constant conflict between God and the devil, good and evil. Robert Davis is a young Airman fresh out of Air Force basic training who, after being held captive in China, suddenly finds himself unraveling the most immense conspiracy in history. On duty during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he soon uncovers hidden facts suggesting Russian and Iraqi involvement. While exploring abandoned military barracks at Kessler AFB in Mississippi, Davis and his friends discover the diary of Lee Harvey Oswald. Suddenly the Airmen find themselves the target of mysterious agents. As the clues surface, an evil emerges powerful enough to rewrite the entire history of humanity, not to mention kill two of his good friends. Before long the conspiracy takes on a supernatural form, marked by lightning, tornadoes, hurricanes, and volcanoes, the wrath of God. Davis finds himself torn by the unbelievable realization that God has a message for him. Nothing could prepare him for the final suspenseful twist the story takes, a Da Vinci style revelation that reaffirms his belief in Christ.
here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Epoch-Point-Spencer-Zimmerman/dp/1934248932/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210731193&sr=1-1
Posted By: TomNeverMind @ 05/13/2008 8:42:54 PM
Comment: I agree with you (THE RAVEN) when you accuse the state of Israel for using torture and terror and when you say that every Arab and Muslim is not a terrorist.
I can not agree at all with you when you talk about "THOSE jewish terrorist". It hurts very deep! There are enough nice and very kind Jews too. All over the world and even in Israel.
I hope you are concerned about human and human rights as you mentioned bellow. If you, so be friendly and do not use stigmas like these usually used today excessively by christian and muslim fundamentalists as by Jews extremists too.
Posted By: Nins @ 05/12/2008 3:08:31 PM
Comment:
ThreeNewCandidates, I agree with you when you say that Carter was a good man with high hopes. But I can't agree when you say that he "accomplished nothing" while he was in office. You are 50 years old, so surely you remember how Carter brought peace to the Middle East? And you must remember how very threatening that was to certain factions like the religious right in Iran, who had just overthrown the Shah. They wanted the drama to continue (and they had some legitimate grievances against the US, since we had been controlling Iran through the Shah) so they took American hostages to sabotage the peace, and OPEC jacked the price of oil and turned down the US oil supply for a while, to scare Americans enough not to re-elect Carter. Since you are 50, you must remember standing in line for hours during the 70s, waiting to buy gasoline. Trust me, it will only get worse in the future as the oil supply actually runs out. The party is over, people.
When will America wake up and rid ourselves of our dependancy on oil?
If we want to remain the "land of the free" we better start investing in renewable energy, NOW.
You ask, who would vote for Obama instead of McCain?
The answer: ANYONE WHO WANTS A STRONG AMERICA, FREE OF OIL DEPENDENCY.