Israel has right to attack Iran nuke sites

THERE has been much frenzied commentary and analysis in the international media recently about the possibility of an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear sites

Economists warn of the direful consequences for the world economy, with oil prices soaring; increased instability in the Middle East and the Gulf region, and a major global recession that would diminish us all.

Many of these articles conjure up an impression of Israel as a paranoid nation that is eager to let loose against its enemies.

But surely you’re not being paranoid when what you fear is real? The Iranian regime has repeatedly expressed the view that Israel should be wiped off the map, that it should cease to exist.

The same regime has sponsored the activities of organisations in other countries that are pledged to the destruction of Israel, including Hezbollah and Hamas.

So when that regime is edging closer to enriching uranium, and therefore to the ability to produce nuclear weapons, is it not logical to expect that it will either launch a direct nuclear strike on Israel or arrange for a proxy terrorist attack involving a nuclear device?

The US administration is now said to be seeking a rapprochement with Iran, and to be less keen than previously on military action to prevent it acquiring nuclear weapons.

Does that scenario sound familiar? During World War II, pleas to the Allied nations to bomb the death camps fell on deaf ears.

There is an old Irish proverb that says: “You don’t wait for the big wind to thatch your cabin”.

Just as Hitler could more easily have been stopped if the Western nations had tackled his regime at an earlier stage, such as his re-occupying of the Rhineland in 1936, Israel has the potential to stop Iran in its tracks.

Sooner has to be better than later.

John Fitzgerald

Callan

Co Kilkenny