Quote: "Olmert's tour will culminate in a visit to the Vatican and a meeting with the pope. The PM hopes to hear moderate statements from Benedict XVI supporting a renewal of the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian.

But as in the last article, talk about letting it slip. Being interviewed by German television about his visit, Ehud Olmert stated that Iran desired to have nuclear weapons like Israel, effectively shattering Israel's ambiguity policy on its nuclear armaments. Israel had a policy of neither admitting nor denying their possession of nuclear weapons, so as not to risk starting a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.  

Quote: "In an interview with German TV station N24, Sat1, broadcast Monday ahead of his first visit to Germany as prime minister, Olmert said that "Israel is a democracy and does not threaten anyone. The only thing we have tried to do is to live without terror, but we have never threatened anyone with annihilation. Iran explicitly, openly and publicly threatens to wipe Israel off the map." "Can you see that is the same level when you are aspiring to have a nuclear weapon as America, France, Israel and Russia?" He asked.

This version of events is being denied by the Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mark Regev, who stated that the Prime Minister was only referring to four democratic nations to set them apart from Iran, and was not referring to Israel's possession of nuclear weapons. But those of us who have a hard time believing that, this blunder couldn't come at more inopportune time. There is no doubt Israel has nuclear weapons, possibly around 400-600 warheads, and Israeli Prime Ministers have stated that Israel will not be the first country to use nuclear weapons in the Gulf as Olmert himself said during the interview. But having already threatened to "wipe Israel off the map", President Ahmadinejad does not need any excuses to launch a full scale war with Israel. This blunder will be taken as further evidence by Iran as to why Israel must be obliterated as soon as possible. Western nations, including the United States and the United Kingdom - which has recently decided to renew its aging fleet of nuclear submarines, have been calling for a nuclear-free Middle East zone to be created, demanding Iran give up their nuclear ambitions and Israel decommission its weapons. But this effort was shattered earlier in the year, when it was revealed that half a dozen Arab states were also pressing to perfect nuclear technology in light of the burgeoning threat from Iran.

Source YNet News, YNet News, Reuters