DB:The Newest Israel-Iran Missile Battle

[JMS]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-a...astoriginalsL1

The Newest Israel-Iran Missile Battle
When Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrives in Israel today, a source in Israeli intelligence tells The Daily Beast’s Gerald Posner, he’ll hear about a failed test for a critical defensive missile shield that the U.S. has helped develop—a key strategic component in the face-off with Iran.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates will be in Israel today for the first time since the middle of the last Bush administration, and his one-day talks, held with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, will center on Israel’s nervousness over Iran’s nuclear program. Specifically, The Daily Beast has learned, the Israelis will focus on a missile-defense shield test that was partially aborted just last Wednesday.
Gates is the one national-security hangover from the Bush years, a presidency that left Israel virtually unchecked during the past eight years, and is considered by the Israeli leadership to be their best Cabinet friend. “If Gates won’t listen to us,” an Israeli intelligence officer tells me, “that’s a problem.”
The test in question involved an Arrow II interceptor, jointly developed by Boeing and Israel Aerospace and a key component of Israeli defensive plans going forward. In 2007, the Arrow II passed two successful flights, and since then Israel has tested it nearly 20 times. Although, according to the Israeli intelligence source, it passed 90 percent of those firings, most did not have simulated missile interceptions. The Arrow II evidently demonstrated on Wednesday that it worked seamlessly with a cutting-edge U.S. defensive-ballistic-missile network, which was recently relocated to Hawaii as a counterweight to a possible North Korean missile launch. But the rest of the exercise—meant to intercept and destroy a missile fired in air by a C-17 aircraft—was scrapped due to a “systems glitch,” says the Israeli intelligence source, leaving the Israelis uncertain of its effectiveness.

“If Gates won’t listen to us,” an Israeli intelligence officer tells The Daily Beast, “that’s a problem.”

Since 1991, when Saddam Hussein’s SCUDs hit Israel at will during the first Gulf War, the Israelis have been preoccupied with missile defense. If the Obama administration won’t unleash the Israelis to bomb the Iranian nuclear facilities, will the U.S. at least guarantee it will provide the Jewish state with a “defensive umbrella?” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton—the Israelis’ second-favorite Cabinet officer, largely because when she was a New York senator her voting record and public pronouncements on Israel were sterling—recently raised the idea of a regional missile defense. This could take the form of extra American subsidies for the Arrow II or more coordination from U.S. intelligence and the Pentagon in developing the Arrow into a potent defender.
The Israelis are openly impatient with President Obama’s end-of-year deadline for Iran to meet an amorphous standard of some progress, but realize that Gates will not veer from the administration’s no-attack policy. The U.S. Defense Department has made it clear that Gates will not give Israel a green light to launch a preemptive strike on Iran. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has pointedly said that an Israeli strike on Iran would destabilize the entire region. Earlier this month, when Vice President Joe Biden opened the door ever so slightly to preemptive Israeli action, by saying that the U.S. “cannot dictate” Israel’s military decisions, President Obama slammed the door shut firmly two days later when he told CNN that the U.S. would “absolutely not” give Israel permission for any strike.
The Israelis are pragmatists and the consensus appears to be that in light of the Obama administration’s desire to engage Iran and give Tehran time to show progress, even getting a firm commitment for significantly more military assistance from Gates might be near-impossible. But that doesn’t mean they won’t have a full court press on Monday. While their own intelligence reports confirm what other Western agencies have concluded—that Iran is at least a year away from having nukes—they will argue "time is of the essence." Whether Gates will carry that message back to Washington with any conviction is an open question.

[Prosperity]

I guess it's time to get blackmailed for even more billions in subsidies

[twa]

If you expect to dictate actions of another country a payoff is usually offered

See Iran,NK,Pakistan ect,ect

[JMS]

If you expect to dictate actions of another country a payoff is usually offered

See Iran,NK,Pakistan ect,ect

Well if you are already "paying" a country like Israel. The quesiton is do you get credit for what you have already given her this decade, this year, or this month; or do the books start fresh every time you make a request from her?

The Israeli missle "The Arrow II" is already partially being paid for by the United States; It's not like we need the missile, we've already paid for and developed our own ground to air interceptor missile. The Israeli's aren't interested in that missile cause they can't resell it. So we have to pay yet again, for them to develop their own independent weapon systems technology; which they are very likely to resell to potential American enemies like China. Just like they've already resold Drones technology, Airborn Radar tech, Air to Air Missiles tech, and Fighter Jets tech. We pay for Israel to develop their own technology, then they sell the plans to China. It's crazy..... We are in a one country arms race where for political wing of our governemnt works against our military for political expediency.

[twa]

I vote for fresh

Don't like the arrangement?...End it,don't whine

As you say there are other players Israel could deal with,not like they got a gun to our heads

[Prosperity]

I vote for fresh

Don't like the arrangement?...End it,don't whine

As you say there are other players Israel could deal with,not like they got a gun to our heads

in our country it usually takes a bit of whining to end any arrangement, democratic process and all that

[twa]

And a few palms greased

added
Israel has been used by the US just as much as by other nations to promote agendas and provide cover

The 'umbrella' is no different

[JMS]

I vote for fresh

Don't like the arrangement?...End it,don't whine

As you say there are other players Israel could deal with,not like they got a gun to our heads

So who do we ask in Israel for our 100 billion dollars back? Email will be sufficient..

You think Israel has other countries who are in a position are willing or are stupid enough to pay her billions? Not even remotely true. Israel has other countries who can aid her, Nobody else in the world will help her like we do.

Likewise we can stop paying Egypt, our #2 largest recipient of foreign aid, behind Israel, cause $2 billion a year to play nice with Israel for nearly 40 years doesn't work for us anymore..... we'd like that money back too.

The 20 billion Israel got for signing the peace deal with Jordan, The expected 40 billion for a deal with the Palestinians. We should just explain to the Israeli's we aren't getting our money's worth and take their hand out of our wallet...

That's a great plan.... You're funny.

[twa]

Indian giver

Pissing and moaning about paying bribes for behavior modification is in style now?

Help.... I'm being blackmailed

[PokerPacker]

Ugh, just cut them off already.

[twa]

Ugh, just cut them off already.

But then they might not do what we want them to do.

[Prosperity]

But then they might not do what we want them to do.

I bet you say that because are used to getting fleeced at the flea market

[JMS]

But then they might not do what we want them to do.

I disagree that the Israeli US relationship is only as deep as our pocketbook as you seem to be suggesting.

[twa]

I disagree that the Israeli US relationship is only as deep as our pocketbook as you seem to be suggesting.

That's not the impression I get from your posts

[SoCalSkins]

I disagree that the Israeli US relationship is only as deep as our pocketbook as you seem to be suggesting.

No it is as deep as AIPAC's pocketbook. As long as they keep donating to political campaigns who cares about treason, spying and fake suicides within the US.