JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People

U.S. presence at Iran talks a ‘slap in the face’ for Israel

By Uriel Heilman · July 23, 2008

While JTA's own Ron Kampeas reports that Jewish organizations were mostly satisfied with the Bush administration's decision to attend multilateral talks with Iran last Saturday in Geneva, the Israelis, apparently, were not.

Ha'aretz's Aluf Benn called the participation of U.S. Undersecretary of State William Burns in the meeting, aimed at halting Iran's installment of centrifuges that enrich uranium, an American slap in the face to Israel:

Israel, which considers aerial bombing an accepted solution for thwarting the nuclear armament plans of hostile states in the region, was very displeased. The feeling in Jerusalem is that time is running out and that, if Bush does not stop the operations of the uranium enrichment facilities at Natanz - with an American military strike or with American authorization of an Israeli operation - Iran will become a nuclear power.