Leading Israelis voice concerns about nation's survival
Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Wednesday, December 20, 2000
TEL AVIV — Leading Israeli defense officials and diplomats are
quietly voicing concern over the viability of the Jewish state.
The concern has been voiced in both official forums as well as in
meetings over the past few months to review Israel's defense and diplomatic
strategy.
"There were many people who began voicing doubts about Israel's
long-term viability and staying power," said Uzi Arad, a former senior
government official and director of the Herzliya-based Institute of Policy
and Strategy, which organized the conference. "These doubts were voiced in
closed quarters. When this became prevalent, we said 'Let's do something
about it.'"
A former senior Mossad official and diplomatic adviser to then-Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Arad has organized the nation's first strategic
conference. The three-day conference which begins on Tuesday night, includes
appearances by Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Netanyahu, and leaders of the
military and defense communities.
Arad said that in meetings over the last few months leaders of the
military expresed concern over such issues as the vulnerability of Israel to
low-intensity conflict, the failure of government to make decisions and
insurgency in both Israel and in the Palestinian areas.
A report prepared by the conference and commissioned by the Defense
Ministry urges that Israel boost its air power and missile defense to
confront the increasing prospect of a multi-front and multi-level war. The
report says Israel faces a war that could begin with a low-intensity
conflict and build into a war that would include enemy missile and
nonconventional weapons attacks.
"We see this as a conflict that could change everything," Ben-Eliahu
said. "The escalation may encompass the region in a very short time."
The report recommends that Israel focus on air power and missile defense
to deter its enemies and respond to any attack. It also urges policy-makers
to seek Israel's participation in a pro-U.S. alliance similar to that formed
in the 1991 Gulf war.
"The Iranians are very close to having a nuclear weapon," Ben-Eliahu
said. "We are no longer talking about typical scenarios. This creates a new
condition that Israel should determine its own defense doctrine in the
future. Ultimately, the structure of the military will be different than in
the past."
Wednesday, December 20, 2000
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