(Barak Ravid-Haaretz).A day and a half after U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned of the dire circumstances an Israeli attack on Iran could lead to, and in the wake of similar warnings issued by former head of the Mossad Meir Dagan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking at the annual memorial for Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, made a comparison between Ben-Gurion’s decision to bomb Iran and a decision he, Netanyahu, faced today.
"Great statesmen as well as friends of the Jews and of Zionism warned Ben-Gurion that declaring a Jewish state in 1948 would bring an invasion of Arab armies and a grave and difficult battle".
"He understood full well the decision carried a heavy price, but he believed not making that decision had a heavier price, We are all here today because Ben-Gurion made the right decision at the right moment.”
"Today we are all in agreement it was a considered, correct and responsible decision. I want to believe we will always act with responsibility, courage and determination to make the right decisions to ensure our future and security".
Though Netanyahu didn’t mention Iran or its nuclear program in his speech, in context, it is quite clear that Netanyahu was using his speech to draw a comparison between himself and Ben-Gurion, and between Ben-Gurion’s decision to proclaim the foundation of the State of Israel and the decisions he, Netanyahu, is facing today to counter the Iranian nuclear threat.