The Americans are said to have been especially annoyed by statements from Police Minister Avi Dichter, who warned that US ‘misconceptions’ regarding Iran could trigger a new Middle East war. “We were unable to convince the US of the immediacy and proximity of the Iranian nuclear threat,” he explained. “The area threatened by Iranian missiles is now within its strike range, and includes most North African, as well as European, countries.”

A former Shin Bet chief and current minister, Ami Ayalon, urged the Israeli government to work toward forming a regional anti-Iranian alliance. He said Israel should consider Iran as a “threat to all pragmatic players in the region.” Ayalon also mocked the US intelligence assessment, adding that Washington’s report on Iran’s nuclear programme is “probably wrong.”

The report has generated problems at home for Prime Minister Olmert, who is under attack from his political opponents for handling the Iranian threat in an ‘irresponsible manner’ by failing to convince the Americans about Tehran’s efforts to achieve nuclear weapons. Uri Ariel, a prominent member of one of Israel’s right-wing parties, said “the publication of the report testifies to the extent of the government’s irresponsibility. They have promised us for years that the Americans will take care of the Iranian nuclear issue, but now it is clear that they have shirked responsibility for the issue. Blame for this screw-up falls even more strongly on Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman as it is his paramount duty to guarantee coordination with the United States regarding this (threat).”

... contd.