(Israel Hayom) Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror - One alternative on Iran provided by Netanyahu had to do with the time frame of the agreement. Currently, the talk suggests that the emerging deal will have a five- or 10-year expiration date, and that after that Iran will be welcomed into the "family of nations." Netanyahu's alternative was not to set a pre-determined date, but to hinge the expiration date on Iran's behavior. He argued that it would be wrong to welcome Iran into the family of nations just because a certain amount of time had passed, while Iran is complicit in various terrorist efforts around the world. It would be wrong to ease the pressure on Iran while it continues to support Hizbullah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups. One could argue that such an alternative is not achievable. But no one can argue that no alternative was presented. Netanyahu was also very clear on his alternative to the agreement as a whole. He said that in his opinion, the alternative is to continue sanctions. The dire economic situation in the country forced the Iranians to enter into nuclear negotiations that they did not want. Harsher sanctions could provide a good alternative to the deal. The writer, former Israeli National Security Advisor and head of the National Security Council, served 36 years in senior IDF posts.
2015-03-06 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive