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Source: http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/a-late-night-chat-1.420110
2012 Is the Critical Year to Stop Iran
(Ha'aretz) Ari Shavit - A week ago, a senior Israeli official told an American guest that by 2013, even if Israel does strike, Tehran's nuclear program will survive. While America could act against Iran next year, Israel can act only this year. It's unrealistic to expect the U.S. president to promise the Israeli prime minister that he will stop Iran via a military operation at some point in the future. Thus, Israel must be prepared to accept the fact that on this fateful issue, it must act alone. The Israeli official said he sees Iran as a paper tiger. Its ability to carry out a direct strike on Israel's home front is limited. Its control over Hizbullah and Hamas is not total. If Lebanon allows Hizbullah to attack Israel from its territory, it will end up with no power stations and no airports. Since Iran's supreme concern is to avoid drawing America into a war, it will have no interest in attacking American targets. True, oil prices are likely to soar dramatically. But Saudi Arabia will quickly increase its output and in a few weeks the market will calm down. Looking back, everyone will thank Israel and recognize that it solved a problem that the world was unable to solve. Everyone must understand that the Jewish state cannot leave its fate in the hands of others.