Israel's fight against nuclear Iran

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By Anat Shalev (Xinhua) 08:05, November 25, 2013

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JERUSALEM, Nov. 24 -- The interim agreement signed between the P5+1 countries and Iran drew harsh responses on Sunday from Israeli officials.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the agreement was a "historic mistake" on Sunday and reiterated how dangerous the deal is to Israel's safety, stressing that Israel is not bound by it and that attacking Iran is still an option on the table for the Jewish state.

Israel, the only country in the Middle East that is widely believed to have nuclear weapons and has not signed on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, views Iran as an "existential threat."

However, there wasn't always animosity between Israel and Iran. Before 1979 there existed surprising warmth between the two countries. Iran was the second country with a Muslim majority to acknowledge the state of Israel following its establishment and there was multi-level cooperation between them.

The diplomatic ties were severed in 1979, with the Islamic Revolution, but that didn't stop the Israeli military establishment from selling 75 million U.S. dollars' worth of weapons and equipment to assist Iran in its war against Iraq, a mutual enemy.

That was apparently the last time such cooperation took place. Since then, animosity between the two nations grew strong, with public accusations and insults traded between both sides.

Anti-western and anti-Israeli sentiments intensified in Iran after 1979 and were expressed in its leaders' statements; Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in 2000 called Israel a " cancerous tumor" and the nickname for Israel in Iran was "the little devil." In 2005, hawkish president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Israel should be "wiped off the map."

Iran started its nuclear program in the 1950's, back when it was an ally to the United States. It was put on a shelf until the 90's and early 2000's, when more nuclear reactors in Iran started to appear on the international community's radar.

During the past two decades, Israel had repeatedly opposed Iran 's nuclear plan and has tried to convince the world powers to do the same.

Early on in his political career, Netanyahu claimed Iranian nuclear ambitions were a threat to Israel and made it the central topic on the agenda for his government, specifically in the past three years.

In 2007, Israel slammed a report issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency claiming Iran had stopped its nuclear program in 2003. It called for action, namely sanctions, to be instated against Iran to pressure the country to reconsider its nuclear ambitions.

U.S. intelligence agencies in August 2012 followed Israel's lead, claiming they believed Iran was also making steps to achieve a nuclear weapons program.

A month later, while speaking in front of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Netanyahu drew "Israel's red line" which sought to prevent Iran from accessing 250 kg of 20 percent- enriched uranium, the amount necessary to create an operational nuclear bomb.

Netanyahu together with former Defense Minister Ehud Barak dropped hints throughout the last two years about a possible Israeli military strike in response to the nuclear plan.

According to reports by financial newspapers in Israel, billions of dollars were spent in preparation for such an attack and military maneuvers signaled a possible strike.

This position, however, was met with opposition from chiefs of military and intelligence who said Israel cannot attack Iran alone without the support of the United States, among other criticism about the outcomes of such a move (which may result in thousands of civilian deaths in Israel) and its influence on Israel's international status.

A new chapter was opened in Iranian-Western relations with the election of President Hassan Rouhani, who succeeded the controversial president Ahmedinijad. Drowning in financial troubles amid the sanctions, Rouhani's administration approached the West to start a new relationship.

Netanyahu and members of his coalition campaigned internationally against Iran's overtures, calling them "a smiles campaign" and Rouhani a "wolf in sheep's clothing," while stressing Iran's intentions were deceitful.

He met with and phoned various world leaders encouraging them to adopt his position, and, in France, Israel's position did gain momentum among the administration of President Francois Hollande, who was warmly received in Jerusalem last week.

However, in a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Nov. 20 in Moscow, Netanyahu had little influence.

A COMING STRIKE?

Netanyahu and other officials have repeatedly said that Israel reserves the right to defend itself, and therefore, strike Iran if necessary.

Israel's relationship with its major traditional ally, the United States, has chilled in the past several months over disagreements on how Iran should be dealt with.

These tensions reached a climax last week as Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Israel should perhaps seek a new ally, other than the United States.

Netanyahu and other Israeli officials are also looking forward to the next phase - a final agreement to be reached between Iran and the international community - and may take matters into their own hands if they don't like what they see or if they perceive the odds are stacked against them.

What's certain is that for Israeli officials, the long battle to convince the world of the dangers of a nuclear Iran is not over.