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IDF Chief Halutz: Sanctions Won't Deter Iran

(Jerusalem Post) Arieh O'Sullivan - * Economic sanctions won't stop Iran's determined efforts to acquire nuclear weapons and Israel needs to prepare for the worst existential threat in its history, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz said Sunday at Tel Aviv University. "A state like Iran which has accumulated just in the past two years $150 billion beyond what it planned due to the rise in oil prices is not so sensitive to economic sanctions." * "We cannot sit by apathetically in the face of this development. We must concentrate all our mental and other faculties so that if we conclude that there is no other way, then we should have in our hands various capabilities to defend ourselves and also to strike back." * Halutz said that even if Iran did get the bomb, he did not expect them to use it directly against Israel. The concern was that they could pass it on to terrorists. "This needs to concern the entire world." * Despite the dire warnings over Iran, Halutz said ironically that Israel is now enjoying one of the most secure periods in its 57-year history. "I believe that our strategic reality at the moment is the best ever for the state. When I look about, I find it difficult to see an Arab coalition rising against Israel. There is no unifying interest today for the Arab nations as there [was] in the past."
2005-11-21 00:00:00
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