US INTELLEGENCE STINKS say Israeli Minister

Israeli's Security Minister Avi Dichter Says that the US' intelligence gathering in the Middle East is seriously flawed, OK he thinks it sucks big time (which matches the British assessment). Not only is the US Wrong about Iraq, but Dicker worried that the US could misjudge the intentions of the Palestinians (too late on that one) causing Israel to face a situation like it did in 1973's Yom Kippur war.

Living in the US, it doesn't make me very confident that the intelligence will be able to face the challenge of threats coming our way from the US either:

Dichter: U.S. Report Could Lead to Regional 'Yom Kippur'

by Gil Ronen

(IsraelNN.com) Minister of Public Security Avi Dichter (Kadima) warned on Saturday that the United States' "misconception" regarding Iran could lead to a "regional Yom Kippur."

Speaking at the Holon Theater, Dichter sharply criticized what he said was a flawed American picture of Iran's nuclear project, as reflected in the recent National Intelligence Estimate. He chose the term "misconception" to drive home a sense of danger. The same term was used by an official commission of inquiry in 1974 to describe the complacent attitude of Israel's leaders and military commanders prior to the surprise Yom Kippur war.

Dichter placed some of the blame for the American mistake on Israel: "We did not succeed in convincing the U.S. about how real and close the Iranian nuclear threat is," he said. "The size of the region that is threatened by Iran is [determined by] the range of its missiles," he explained. "That includes all of the countries of Europe and North Africa."

"Something went wrong in the 'software' the Americans used to analyze the severity of the threat of a nuclear Iran. Let us hope the United States knows how to fix that," the former Shabak chief said. "Israel and other countries in the world that are worried about the Iranian threat must help the U.S. to fix this malfunction in every way possible. It can be fixed by means of intelligence."

"A mistaken conception by the world's leading power is not just an internal American issue."

It has to alarm Israel and many other countries," Dichter said.

He added that misconceptions of this kind throw into doubt the U.S.'s good judgment as mediator in the diplomatic process between Israel and the Arabs of Judea, Samaria and Gaza. "A mistaken American conception could turn into bad judgment on the question of whether or not Israel has discharged its commitments for Phase I of the Road Map," he warned. "This could have very serious repercussions for Israel."

'A power for a few hours'

When asked about Israel's ability to strike Iran on its own, Dichter voiced doubt: Israel's status as the world's fourth largest defense exporter notwithstanding, he said, it is not a world power. "It is a state, and it can only be a power for a few hours. The fight against Iran has to be led by a world power."

Regarding Vice Prime Minister Chaim Ramon's plan for dividing Jerusalem and relinquishing sovereignty of the holy sites, Dichter said: "Old Jerusalem and the Temple Mount are parts of Israel. There is no controversy on this matter. The police are doing everything, and are acting very determinedly, to make sure this is the case"

Regarding Gaza, Dichter said there was nothing to discuss with Hamas because it was "an organization of murderers." He called for Israel to "create massive deterrence against Hamas, of the type that will bring the rocket fire and terror to a halt by any means, starting from a massive attack and sanctions, until they understand that it does not pay to fire Kassams."

Early Saturday evening, a rocket fired from Gaza exploded near a kibbutz in the vicinity of Sderot. No one was hurt and no damage was reported.