"Iran Can Still Be Stopped" by Benjamin Netanyahu

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http://www.netanyahu.org.il/

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5)

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Iran can still be stopped

Webmaster Date published: 18/12/2006

By Benjamin Netanyahu

December 14, 2006

Under the Olmert government Israel is rapidly veering toward an unprecedented political and security collapse, while Iran rushes to develop nuclear weapons. The leaders of Iran brazenly deny the first Holocaust, as they work feverishly to bring on a second one.

Israel can now be likened to the proverbial bus speeding uncontrollably towards the abyss, with the bus driver worn-out, confused and helpless.

Let´s examine some recent developments which all share one common feature – the weak leadership of Israel´s present government:

1. Hezbollah and Hamas are rapidly rearming as a result of the Olmert government's decision not to act against them. Dozens of Kassam rockets have struck Sderot and the western Negev since the cease-fire in Gaza was declared. The government continues to refrain from response.

2. US Secretary of Defense Bob Gates stated recently that an Iranian nuclear attack on Israel cannot be ruled out and that the United States will act against Iran as a last resort only. These troubling statements raise doubts as to whether the United States truly intends to stop Iran in its bid to acquire nuclear weapons.

3. The Baker-Hamilton report calls for American negotiations with Iran and Syria in order to extricate American forces from Iraq. Although the report does not reflect the Bush administration's policy on Iraq, it encourages a fundamental shift in US policy on Iran: from isolation to engagement. Engagement and dialogue hardly conform with a policy of severe sanctions to stop Iran´s nuclear program.

4. The Baker report also argues that an Israeli-Palestinian agreement is a prerequisite for solving the remaining problems in the Middle East. This is an obvious attempt at linkage: if only Israel would make more territorial concessions to the Palestinians, the Iraq and Iran problems would be solved. In reality, it´s the other way around. Once we stop the nuclear program of Iran – which Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh called "the strategic backbone of Hamas" - it will be far easier to solve the conflict with the Palestinians and Syria.

What can we learn from these developments? How are they connected?

Weakness attracts pressure.

The weakness of Olmert´s government is causing a continuous deterioration in Israel's position in the Middle East and the world.

If the government of Israel accepts daily rocket fire Israeli towns, why should the rest of the world respond any differently? When the Olmert government reacts pusillanimously to the flagrant declarations of Iran´s president to wipe Israel off the map, why should the rest of the world act against him?

In their report, Baker and Hamilton give their view of Israel´s present leadership: "The vast majority of the Israeli body politic is tired of being a nation perpetually at war." Regrettably, Mr. Olmert himself echoed this fatigue in a speech he gave last year in New York to the Israel Policy Forum on June 9, 2005, significantly one year before the fumbled Second Lebanon War: "We are tired of fighting, we are tired of being courageous, we are tired of winning, we are tired of defeating our enemies" When Israel´s prime minister projects such fatigue and feebleness, is it any wonder the rest of the world attributes such notions to Israel as a whole?

This must be changed. The overriding principle that should guide us is not weakness but strength. The key to ensuring the existence of Israel lies in continuously building our national power. If you live in a tough and violent neighborhood, you must be strong to survive. The State of Israel must thus focus its efforts on bolstering its power, and it must begin as soon as possible. I shall have more to say about this at a later date. Now we must concentrate on one urgent task: Stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

This requires action along two parallel efforts:

a. The Diplomatic-Public Relations Effort:

We must undertake an intensive public opinion campaign focusing primarily on the United States. Our goal should be to vigorously encourage President Bush to live up to his explicit pledge not to allow Iran to arm itself with nuclear weapons. We must make it clear to the US Administration, the Congress and the American people that a nuclear Iran constitutes a threat not just to Israel but to the United States and the entire world. The top priority of the free world should be clearly set: preventing radical Islamic regimes from acquiring nuclear weapons.

b. The Independent Israeli Defense Effort:

Notwithstanding this international effort, Israel must make all the necessary preparations to defend itself by itself. The government of Israel must harness all national resources to this supreme goal. The prime minister must direct the Mossad, the IDF and the other security services, as well as the authorities responsible for civil defense, to act summarily under a national master plan aimed at removing this existential threat. The prime minister must personally monitor the progress of this plan on a daily basis. He must not let up for a moment and he must not delegate this responsibility to anyone else.

On his recent visit to Washington Mr. Olmert rightfully announced that Israel could not accept nuclear weapons in Iran. Yet his actions do not live up to his words. In reality, the current Israeli government lacks direction and leadership. While Iran tenaciously and steadily moves forward with its nuclear program, the Israeli government is preoccupied with creating "agendas" for the media (e.g., the initiative for changing the election system) or with announcing superfluous and dangerous plans, such as Mr. Olmert´s recently announced plan to give up more territory to the Palestinians that will only be used later as launching sites for more Iranian missiles.

It is time for the prime minister of Israel to put the task of ensuring our survival above all else. If he does, I can guarantee him that my colleagues and I will provide him with unwavering support in confronting the Iranian threat, just as we did during the war in Lebanon this past summer. But if Mr. Olmert fails to rise to the task, he must step down immediately and clear the way for a leadership that will ensure our survival and our future.