[Jerusalem Post] Ruthie Blum - Uzi Arad, former director of intelligence of the Mossad and director of the Institute for Policy and Strategy of the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, which next week hosts the Herzliya Conference on Israel's Balance of National Security, said in an interview this week: Q: Isn't the dispute in the region more ideological than territorial? Arad: "The ideological component - specifically, the visceral hostility toward Israel that varies only in degree among Arabs and Muslims - remains a problem....Therefore, to reduce the issue to its territorial aspects alone would be superficial....When addressing the territorial aspects, I believe that Israel should not be defeatist and accept all territorial demands, but rather should insist on compromises that satisfy its security needs; its own ideological and historical positions or values; and other national interests." Q: What's your take on the Iranian issue? Arad: "I personally believe that Iran's nuclear capability is preventable....I, personally, am optimistic, in the sense that if we - meaning the United States and we its allies - do all we are capable of doing, Iran can certainly be prevented from becoming nuclear. One should not consider it an inevitability. But the big 'if' is if there's the leadership, the political will, the savvy, the statecraft, the perseverance, the military creativity and the will to use all legitimate instruments of persuasion."
2007-01-19 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive