Iranian scientists targeted in car bombings

Terrorism? Or Not Terrorism?

I have a hard time keeping up.

freedom fighters.

Killing doctors and professors? Isn't that what the mullahs do anyway?

-vs-



Wouldn't the correct answer be: Israel stands firmly against acts of terrorism?

Not it wouldn't cause it doesn't

Curtman, is it true that you molest little boys?

Of course not. But why should you have to answer a charge like this at all?

In Israel's case if they start answering to every idiotic thing they've been accused of they'll run out of days in the year.

Given that Saudi Arabia's King is now on record asking the US to do something about Iran's nuclear program it stands to reason that there's more than just Israel interested in the demise of Irans' nuclear scientists.

I would not respond to your question with a "maybe I do, maybe I don't, I'll never tell". I would probably either say no, or put the most disgusted look on my face that I could muster and walk away.

The answer they gave is the same as the answer to whether they have nuclear weapons or not. I just assume it means "we did it" now.

I'm not saying they were wrong (if they did) to target participants of their nuclear program. I don't think the world will be safer with Iran being nuclear nation. I'm just asking if people think car bombings are justified in some cases, or if they agree that it is something that civilized governments should stand against.

The US Navy neither confirms or denies if any Navy vessel, from an aircraft carrier down to a dory from a tugboat, is armed with nuclear weapons. That's been policy for a very long time.

It's a sound policy.

Israel's practice of neither confirming or denying almost any event is also a sound policy. I've no doubt that if you ask Ehud Barak if the sun rose on Tel Aviv today he'd probably defer the answer.

The lack of an answer does not mean Israel did this. It just means they have a policy of not answering such questions.

I agree, it sounds like policy. I think it does more harm than good in this case.

I disagree. Israel is, for practical reasons, a nation that is on a perennial war footing. As such, they just don't want questions about their operational doctrine to even be asked.

See, if your policy is to never answer such questions then there is nothing significant to be gained from a non-response. If you do answer such questions then when you acknowledge or deny involvement in an event an enemy can fathom intelligence from the answer one way or the other.

Israel has found out that it can't count on anyone but itself to safeguard Israel's continued existence.

And the US

You obviously need to read some history. The Americans were ready to sell the Israelis down the river during the Suez Crisis, and Israel hasn't forgotten this fact.