Israeli Leaders Refuse To Give Committment To US They Won't Attack Iran

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta was in Israel last week to meet with israeli PM Benyamin Netanyahu and Israeli defense Minister Ehud Barack. While his official brief was to discuss the stalled Middle East Peace Talks, he also carried a message from President Obama asking for an iron-clad assurance that Israel would not attempt a preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear weapons facilities without getting a 'green light' from Washington.

He didn't get it:

The two Israelis were notably evasive in their response, according to sources both in Israel and the United States.

"They did not suggest that military action was being planned or was imminent, but neither did they give any assurances that Israel would first seek Washington's permission, or even inform the White House in advance that a mission was underway," one said.

This fits in quite well with the Israeli strategy I outlined earlier; they are telling the West in no uncertain terms that if they're unwilling to do anything about Iran's nuclear weapons program, they will. This is particularly appropriate for th eIsraeli after Panetta's public remarks a few days ago telling the Iranians in effect that that they need have no fear of any action from the Obama Administration to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons, and that the Israelis are on their own as far as the Obama Administration is concerned.

President Obama's actions and his attitude towards Netanyahu and Israel have assured that even a center Left figure like Ehud Barack doesn't trust the White House and this president in the least.

It's Israel that's on the firing line, they're keeping their cards hidden, and I can't see how anyone could blame them in the least.