Tuesday 5 November 2002

Sharon eyes 'Samson option' against Iraq

This is probably one of the scariest news stories I have ever read...

In biblical times, the Israelites relied on God to triumph over their enemies. These days the Israeli government puts its faith in the godlike power of its formidable arsenal of nuclear weapons to annihilate its foes.

The alarming prospect of Israel unleashing its weapons of mass destruction is high on the list of concerns of strategic planners and analysts as the United States prepares to attack Iraq as part of its ‘War on Terror’.

According to experts, a retaliatory nuclear strike against Baghdad in the event of a chemical or biological weapons attack against Israel has never been more likely - particularly with Ariel Sharon in power.

Saddam Hussein has good cause to think twice about going a step further than he did during the Gulf War in 1991, when 39 conventionally-armed Scud missiles were fired against Israel. If he uses biological or chemical weapons, the consequence could be that he and his country would be obliterated...

During the conflict in 1991 the US struck a deal with Israel’s then prime minister, Yitzhak Shamir, not to retaliate, arguing that to do so would shatter the Arab coalition. But Shamir’s restraint was not met with universal support. One of the leading dissenters was Sharon, who claimed Israel was abandoning responsibility for defending its citizens.

Full story...