Eisenkot to 'Post': Iran threat to Israel is serious, not existential
Title : Eisenkot to 'Post': Iran threat to Israel is serious, not existential
Link : Eisenkot to 'Post': Iran threat to Israel is serious, not existential
Iran without a nuclear weapon is still a central threat to Israel, but would become an existential threat only if it acquired such a weapon, retired IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot has told The Jerusalem Post.
“I do not now see an existential threat to the State of Israel. If Iran were to obtain nuclear capabilities, then it would become an existential threat,” which is why Israel “must do all it can to prevent Iran” from getting to this point, he said.
While this outlook might not sound controversial, it is part of Eisenkot’s very different viewpoint on the Islamic Republic and on how to maneuver with the US against Tehran as opposed to the approach of Benjamin Netanyahu, who was prime minister during his tenure and until last month.
Eisenkot was IDF chief from 2015 to 2019, but has only recently started to come forward more forcefully about the full nuances of his views on major security challenges in areas where he could not do so as much while still wearing a uniform.
First, Eisenkot bristles at the idea that Netanyahu was the first to identify the Iranian nuclear threat, citing discussions he was involved in, without Netanyahu, at high levels more than 20 years ago on the topic.
His view would be that if Tehran does not yet present an existential threat, then publicly fighting with the US now about the different approaches the countries have to preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon in the future is the wrong move.
The former IDF chief still thinks that Jerusalem must work persistently and proactively to thwart Iran’s expansionist policies in the region and its attempts to progress toward a nuclear weapon.
“Over the years, very significant [Israeli] capabilities were built, and there are substantial operations to frustrate and prevent [Iranian achievements] which have brought great [Israeli] achievements, and these need to continue,” he said.
However, Eisenkot thought it was irresponsible for Netanyahu to have a public fight with Washington over the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, known as the Iran deal, in 2015, and thinks Netanyahu made the same mistake in recent months.
If the new government of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid works more behind the scenes to try to get the Biden administration to fix some of the JCPOA’s holes, Eisenkot would likely support that approach a lot more. READ MORE
Eisenkot to 'Post': Iran threat to Israel is serious, not existential
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Eisenkot to 'Post': Iran threat to Israel is serious, not existential
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