U.S. official to Israel: We'll deal with Syria, Iran after Iraq war
By Aluf Benn and Sharon Sadeh, Haaretz Correspondents, Haaretz Service and Agencies
U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton said in meetings with Israeli officials on Monday that he has no doubt America will attack Iraq, and that it will be necessary to deal with threats from Syria, Iran and North Korea afterwards.
Bolton, who is undersecretary for arms control and international security, is in Israel for meetings about preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/263923.html
There is fire even without a smoking gun
By Akiva Eldar
The sigh of relief that arose from the throats of opponents of war with Iraq following Hans Blix's report to the United Nations was premature. And the joy expressed by supporters of the peace process over Yasser Arafat's announcement that he will appoint a prime minister was exaggerated.
The shapers of the U.S. administration's policy who, in the end, will determine the fate of the Middle East, decided years ago to change the face of the region.
The neo-conservative strategists, Richard Perle, today head of the Pentagon's advisory committee, and Doug Feith, currently undersecretary of defense, signed onto the following sentence: "Since Iraq's future could affect the strategic balance in the Middle East profoundly, it would be understandable that Israel has an interest in supporting the Hashemites in their efforts to redefine Iraq."
The document continued: "Israel can shape its strategic environment, in cooperation with Turkey and Jordan, by weakening, containing and even rolling back Syria. This effort can focus on removing Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq."
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