Project Daniel
Encyclopedia
Project Daniel was a 2003 Israel
i project, commissioned to assess the threat to the nation of Israel from other states in the Middle East
, drawing particular attention to Iran
, with Iran's nuclear program in mind. It was prepared by a high-powered team of Israeli foreign policy and military experts. The report was submitted to Israeli Prime Minister
, Ariel Sharon
, and was discussed between Israel, the United States
, and NATO.
It surmised that the "principal existential threat to Israel at the present time is a conventional war mounted against it by a coalition of Arab states and/or Iran
".
and Doctor Rand H. Fishbein (a former Special Assistant for National Security Affairs to Senator Daniel K. Inouye) from the United States, Naaman Belkind, former assistant to the Israeli Deputy Minister of Defense for Special Means, Major General Professor Yitzhak Ben Yisrael
, Doctor Adir Pridor, former head of Military Analysis, and Colonel Yoash Tzidon
, from Israel.
' (WMDs), including nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, particularly as Israel has such a high concentration of population.
The recommendations of the report were that Israel should do anything possible to prevent an anti-Israeli coalition from being formed, and from that coalition gaining control of WMDs. It suggested Israel should retain the option of carrying out preemptive strikes, describing them as 'anticipatory self-defense'. The strikes would be a combination of air strikes and selective covert operations by ground forces at certain critical (and publicly un-named) locations.
It also recommended that Israel should retain its current policy of deliberate ambiguity
regarding its nuclear status
. If, at a later date, other states in the Middle East (particularly Iran) were to acquire nuclear technology that Israel perceived as a threat, then the Daniel Project recommended limited disclosure of Israel's nuclear weapons capacity, as a deterrent.
The final recommendation was that Israel should provide constructive support to the United States
' War on Terrorism
, particularly in counter-terrorism
operations.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i project, commissioned to assess the threat to the nation of Israel from other states in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, drawing particular attention to Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, with Iran's nuclear program in mind. It was prepared by a high-powered team of Israeli foreign policy and military experts. The report was submitted to Israeli Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Israel
The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...
, Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....
, and was discussed between Israel, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and NATO.
It surmised that the "principal existential threat to Israel at the present time is a conventional war mounted against it by a coalition of Arab states and/or Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
".
Members
The six members of the Project Daniel board were Professor Louis René BeresLouis Rene Beres
Louis René Beres is a professor of Political Science at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. The son of Austrian Jewish refugees, he was born on August 31, 1945 in Zürich, Switzerland and earned a B.A. from Queens College and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1971...
and Doctor Rand H. Fishbein (a former Special Assistant for National Security Affairs to Senator Daniel K. Inouye) from the United States, Naaman Belkind, former assistant to the Israeli Deputy Minister of Defense for Special Means, Major General Professor Yitzhak Ben Yisrael
Yitzhak Ben Yisrael
Professor Yitzhak Ben Yisrael is an Israeli military scientist, general and politician, currently the chairman of the Israeli Space Agency. He is the former head of the Administration for the Development of Weapons and the Technological Industry, which he was appointed to in 1998, and at that...
, Doctor Adir Pridor, former head of Military Analysis, and Colonel Yoash Tzidon
Yoash Tzidon
-Biography:Born in Focşani, Romania in 1926, Tzidon made aliyah to Mandate Palestine in 1941. He attended the Hebrew Navy school at the Technion, and later at the Aerial Warfare School in France. Between 1944 and 1948 he was a member of the Palmach, and was involved in illegal Jewish immigration...
, from Israel.
Summary of recommendations
The project discussed the danger from 'Weapons of Mass DestructionWeapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...
' (WMDs), including nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, particularly as Israel has such a high concentration of population.
The recommendations of the report were that Israel should do anything possible to prevent an anti-Israeli coalition from being formed, and from that coalition gaining control of WMDs. It suggested Israel should retain the option of carrying out preemptive strikes, describing them as 'anticipatory self-defense'. The strikes would be a combination of air strikes and selective covert operations by ground forces at certain critical (and publicly un-named) locations.
It also recommended that Israel should retain its current policy of deliberate ambiguity
Policy of deliberate ambiguity
A policy of deliberate ambiguity is the practice by a country of being intentionally ambiguous on certain aspects of its foreign policy or whether it possesses certain weapons of mass destruction...
regarding its nuclear status
Israel and weapons of mass destruction
Israel is widely believed to possess weapons of mass destruction, and to be one of four nuclear-armed countries not recognized as a Nuclear Weapons State by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty...
. If, at a later date, other states in the Middle East (particularly Iran) were to acquire nuclear technology that Israel perceived as a threat, then the Daniel Project recommended limited disclosure of Israel's nuclear weapons capacity, as a deterrent.
The final recommendation was that Israel should provide constructive support to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' War on Terrorism
War on Terrorism
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
, particularly in counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...
operations.
See also
- Israel and weapons of mass destructionIsrael and weapons of mass destructionIsrael is widely believed to possess weapons of mass destruction, and to be one of four nuclear-armed countries not recognized as a Nuclear Weapons State by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty...
- Samson OptionSamson OptionThe Samson Option is a term used to describe Israel’s alleged deterrence strategy of massive retaliation with nuclear weapons as a “last resort” against nations whose military attacks threaten its existence, and possibly against other targets as well....
- Dahiya doctrineDahiya doctrineThe Dahiya doctrine is a military strategy put forth by the Israeli general Gadi Eizenkot that pertains to asymmetric warfare in an urban setting, in which the army deliberately targets civilian infrastructure, as a means of inducing suffering for the civilian population, thereby establishing...
- Preemptive warPreemptive warA preemptive war is a war that is commenced in an attempt to repel or defeat a perceived inevitable offensive or invasion, or to gain a strategic advantage in an impending war before that threat materializes. It is a war which preemptively 'breaks the peace'. The term: 'preemptive war' is...
External links
- Project Daniel members
- The final report of Project Daniel
- Article on Project Daniel from worldnetdaily.com
- Discussion of Project Daniel from the South AsiaSouth AsiaSouth Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
Analysis Group.