Is It Time? Olmert Assembles Ministers To Talk About Iran Nukes

One can hope that Israel is finally going to make a push forward with strategies and action to eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat. While the Israelis are playing down a meeting that Olmert has called, it seems to me that it is more than coincidence that this is all happening just before Olmert's departure date as Prime Minister. If the Israelis see a long adjustment period for the new Prime Minister to take power, it could mean a huge block of time for Iran to finish their job.

Here's some of the details of the meeting from Reuters:

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will discuss Iran's nuclear program at a special meeting of senior ministers on Wednesday, officials said.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defence Minister Ehud Barak are expected to take part in the meeting, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Olmert's spokesman played down the significance of the meeting.
"The prime minister is conducting business as usual. There are routine discussions on a whole series of issues," he said.
Israeli Radio said government officials were concerned by reports that Iran's Bushehr nuclear power station was nearing completion.

Earlier today I posted about how close the Russians are to turning the "ON" switch to the nuclear reactor in Iran (the Bushehr one) and this might just be part of the reason for the meeting. The Bushehr reactor isn't the number one target for the Israelis but it certainly would be on the target list for an operation.

I think the combination of Olmert stepping down coupled with this Russian announcement of the one facility's readiness may just prod the Israelis to act within the next 30 days - however, I find it inconceivable that the Israelis will strike Iran without at least the whole-hearted consent of the U.S. and I still don't think President Bush wants to confront that until after the elections in November.

Israel's Olmert, ministers to discuss Iranian nukes

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will discuss Iran's nuclear program at a special meeting of senior ministers on Wednesday, officials said.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defence Minister Ehud Barak are expected to take part in the meeting, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Olmert's spokesman played down the significance of the meeting.
"The prime minister is conducting business as usual. There are routine discussions on a whole series of issues," he said.
Israeli Radio said government officials were concerned by reports that Iran's Bushehr nuclear power station was nearing completion.
Russia has already delivered nuclear fuel to Iran under a $1 billion contract to build the Bushehr plant, on the Gulf coast in southwest Iran, and Iranian officials say the reactor is likely to be started up soon.
Tehran signed an agreement with Moscow allowing the Russians to remove the plutonium-rich spent fuel and return it to Russia but Israel Radio said government officials feared the fuel would remain in Iranian hands and could be used in weapons production.
Israel, which is long assumed to have an arsenal of atomic weapons, has vowed to prevent Iran becoming a nuclear power in the region.
Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, insists the Islamic Republic is not a threat to any country and says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.