Tuesday 19 June 2007

When Saddam's nuclear programme was destroyed

Thrutch reminds us of another anniversary in June : on this month in 1981 Israeli jets destroyed the Osirak nuclear reactor in Baghdad, and with it Saddam's nuclear programme -- and ten years later when Saddam invaded Kuwait, the residents of Tel Aviv were very, very glad they did.

Wikipedia has background. Google Video hosts a forty-minute documentary on the raid. Thrutch has relevant comment: "It's a reminder of how much we owe to the courageous actions of the Israelis and an example of the benefits of assertively engaging in self-defense." [And here's a previous commemoration at Not PC of the happy event.]

Sometimes, you see, you do have to give war a chance, if only to avoid greater destruction from those less encumbered by your scruples. Something to think about when a country sworn to "wipe Isreal off the map" is working feverishly on their own nuclear programme...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Israel did a good job there, I think. I remembered this event well, I was quite young at the time, but the morning that it came on the news, my dad was jumping up with joy, btw he has a Jewish name but a non Jews himself. My whole family has always been pro-Israelis and this status is not going to change anytime soon.

Anonymous said...

PC: please see www.antiwar.com/orig/norouzi.php?articleid=11025
This gives an accurate translation of "wiping Israel off the map"