Yahoo News: Israelis piqued by nuclear "confirmation":
"During his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Gates mentioned why Iran might be seeking the means to build an atomic bomb: 'They are surrounded by powers with nuclear weapons: Pakistan to their east, the Russians to the north, the Israelis to the west and us in the Persian Gulf,' he said. The remark led Israeli news bulletins. State-run radio suggested Gates may have breached a U.S. 'don't ask, don't tell' policy that dates back to the late 1960s. 'It's quite unprecedented,' a retired Israeli diplomat told Reuters on Thursday when asked about Gates's testimony. 'I can only assume he has yet to get to grips with the understandings that exist between us and the Americans.'"

THE source of conflict between The West and Arab states is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We need to solve this NOW. In order to do that, we must start talking honestly in public, in US mainstream media about Israel and all its "understandings". Gates has an ignoble past to be sure, but it appears that, unless he made a mistake, he seems to be different this time around. I hope this is the case and that he will talk some sense and some reality to the American people. Israel is just going to have to deal with this. The world has suffered way too much for way too long for this to continue. If we expect countries like Iraq, Iran, North Korea et al to abide by the rule of law, then Israel must also.