Israeli PM cancels attendance at biggest nuclear summit ever in Washington DC

[nkdlunch]

Who’s Ambush is Netanyahu Dodging?
April 9, 2010 - 7:35 AM | by: Reena Ninan
A high-level Arab source tells Fox News that Arab countries had no intention of raising Israel's undisclosed nuclear program at next week's Nuclear Security Summit in Washington.

The diplomat, who is involved in the conference asked not to be named, said this was a way for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to dodge President Obama and avoid committing to peace talks.

Sources close to the prime minister tell Fox that Netanyahu had "every intention" of attending, but when he realized some Arab countries planned on "bashing" Israel into signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty--which would mean Israel's undisclosed nuclear program would be monitored--Israel decided to pull out the prime minister.

Israeli officials won't disclose where they got the information that Arab leaders plan to raise the issue. They announced they will instead send Deputy Prime Minister and Intelligence Affairs Minister Dan Meridor to represent Israel.

The Arab source says next week's summit is not the proper venue in which to raise such a matter.

A better venue might be in May at a United Nations conference in New York where the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty will be reviewed, the source said.

It is believed that Israel has at least 200 nuclear warheads, according to independent experts.‪‪

Next week's Nuclear Security Summit was supposed to also give Netanyahu a chance to rally other countries behind sanctions against Iran's nuclear program.

President Obama's 47 country nuclear security conference begins on Monday.

[nkdlunch]

Netanyahu to skip Obama's nuclear security summit
From Ed Henry, CNN Senior White House Correspondent

(CNN) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has informed the Obama administration that he will not attend President Obama's nuclear security summit in Washington next week, according to a senior U.S. official familiar with the situation.

The move could be a sign of further tension between the United States and Israel and may distract from the Obama administration's attempts to highlight the unprecedented nature of a 46-nation summit aimed at reducing nuclear weapons.

The Israeli government is sending Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor in Netanyahu's place, U.S. National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer announced Thursday.

"Israel is a close ally, and we look forward to continuing to work closely with it on issues related to nuclear security," Hammer said Thursday. "This is a summit focused on addressing the security of nuclear materials and geared toward having the participants take practical measures to ensure that terrorists cannot get access to those materials."

The news comes after Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a major nuclear arms treaty in the Czech Republic earlier Thursday. The new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty -- known as START-- reduces the number of nuclear weapons held by the United States and Russia by about one-third, among other provisions.

[Stringer_Bell]

...and what exactly are we supposed to take away from this news?

[nkdlunch]

Feds urged to telework during nuclear summit
Officials are urging nonessential federal workers who work in downtown Washington to take leave, telework or work at an alternate site in the suburbs Monday and Tuesday when President Obama's big nuclear safety summit is expected to tie up downtown traffic.

Federal agencies will open and operate as normal on Monday, but the Office of Personnel Management is encouraging federal bosses to grant flexibility and time off if workers feel they won't be able to make it into work in a timely manner.

"Employees who must report to work sites in downtown Washington, D.C., will likely need to allow extra time for travel to and from work whether by private vehicle or public transportation," OPM Director John Berry said in a memo to federal human resources officials on Wednesday night.

Berry also urged workers to carpool and use public transportation if they don't normally take the bus or subway.

And if agencies can't grant those flexibilities, Berry said nonessential workers may request annual leave, leave without pay, or burn off other earned time off.

Next week's nuclear meetings will create the largest security curtain since President Obama's inauguration, starting Sunday evening around the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The meetings will detour 13 bus routes, cause Metro's Green and Yellow line trains to bypass the Mount Vernon Square Metro station and shut down portions of New York and Massachusetts avenues.

Residents living near the convention center will have to show photo ID to reach their homes, and they and their guests -- and anything they are carrying -- will be screened, according to the Secret Service.

So with temperatures expected in the high 60s next Monday and Tuesday, will you take days off or work through the commuter headaches?

[nkdlunch]

...and what exactly are we supposed to take away from this news?

what exactly are you supposed to take from ANY news?

[Supergirl]

<sigh>

[DarrinS]

I don't blame him.

[ChumpDumper]

I don't blame him.

For what?

Not disclosing the nukes everyone knows he has?

[clambake]

I don't blame him.

why? is he too soft for criticism?

[DarrinS]

For what?

Not disclosing the nukes everyone knows he has?

Only two questions?

Why only two?

Why not three?

[ChumpDumper]

Only two questions?

Why only two?

Why not three?

That's all I had at the moment.

I can't help but notice you aren't answering them.

[Wild Cobra]

Why is this posturing newsworthy?

[ChumpDumper]

Why is this posturing newsworthy?

It's quite newsworthy, as Israeli's nuclear stockpile is perhaps the biggest open secret in the middle East., and that country's actions regarding them can influence all manner of international relations in that area.

[Wild Cobra]

It's quite newsworthy, as Israeli's nuclear stockpile is perhaps the biggest open secret in the middle East., and that country's actions regarding them can influence all manner of international relations in that area.

Is anyone naive enough to thing Israel will give any up, or leak their strategy? Only people like President Obama are stupid enough to reveal military plans.

[ChumpDumper]

Is anyone naive enough to thing Israel will give any up, or leak their strategy?

Possessing nukes is not a strategy.

Only people like President Obama are stupid enough to reveal military plans.

Change the subject much? By that measure, Bush was even more stupid.

It is instructive that you don't even want Israel to sign the NPT.

[nkdlunch]

Why is this posturing newsworthy?

my man, let me help you out. one of the top 5 nuclear powers not showing up to the biggest nuclear summit in history because of not wanting to be at the same table as their "neighboring countries" is big news.

It shows some countries are not ready to talk nuclear terms and also shows the deteriorating relatinship between Israel and USA.

Hope this helps.

[Wild Cobra]

my man, let me help you out. one of the top 5 nuclear powers not showing up to the biggest nuclear summit in history because of not wanting to be at the same table as their "neighboring countries" is big news.

It shows some countries are not ready to talk nuclear terms and also shows the deteriorating relatinship between Israel and USA.

Hope this helps.

If you say so. The way i see it is that Israel probably has nuclear weapons, but will neither confirm or deny it. If they have them, why admit it? If they don't have them, it's better their enemies think they do. Israel is better off letting everyone wonder. Why spoil a good thing?

Been like this for 30+ years. Why should things change now?

How can you expect it to?

[ChumpDumper]

If you say so. The way i see it is that Israel probably has nuclear weapons, but will neither confirm or deny it. If they have them, why admit it? If they don't have them, it's better their enemies think they do. Israel is better off letting everyone wonder. Why spoil a good thing?

Been like this for 30+ years. Why should things change now?

How can you expect it to?

Perhaps they might not want to be on a permanent war footing the rest of their existence. Signing the NPT might go a long way towards generating some trust in that regard.

[Stringer_Bell]

If you say so. The way i see it is that Israel probably has nuclear weapons, but will neither confirm or deny it. If they have them, why admit it? If they don't have them, it's better their enemies think they do. Israel is better off letting everyone wonder. Why spoil a good thing?

I agree, and I'm against the idea that Israel should cave into anything after the wars its fought. The US cannot abandon Israel, and it makes no sense to me why our diplomatic message has been very mixed recently. There's always stuff going on that we don't know about, and I'm sure this is part of that. But even if Israel's just scared of getting called names in front of its neighboring countries by its neighboring countries...they don't have to take from anyone.

The only reason to strain our relationship with Israel is if we have a better ally in the region...and there's no way Iraq or Afghanistan are leaning toward us. Not now, and it doesn't look like ever.

[nkdlunch]

If you say so. The way i see it is that Israel probably has nuclear weapons, but will neither confirm or deny it. If they have them, why admit it? If they don't have them, it's better their enemies think they do. Israel is better off letting everyone wonder. Why spoil a good thing?

Been like this for 30+ years. Why should things change now?

How can you expect it to?

if things shouldn't change, then we still would have slavery

[ChumpDumper]

The US cannot abandon Israel, and it makes no sense to me why our diplomatic message has been very mixed recently.

Should we approve of everything Israel does without hesitation or exception?

[DarrinS]

Should we approve of everything Israel does without hesitation or exception?

What is it that Israel is doing that you disapprove of?

[ChumpDumper]

What is it that Israel is doing that you disapprove of?

The ridiculous trade restrictions it puts on Gaza for having a democratic election for one thing.

Do you approve of that and everything Israel does without reservation?

[EmptyMan]

Just give Israel, South America.

They pray to an invisible man, do they really need tangible landmarks (srs).

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Let's just draw a line over the entire middle eastern water boundaries and declare it jewish land and let the internal conflict resolve itself with massive western covert influence