Israel needs a sensible strategy on Iran and Palestinians

Israeli rebates – allowing advanced weapons systems including F-35 stealth bombers to be sold to the UAE and an agreement to allow advanced submarines to be sold to Egypt – were to be decided in the same way.

The West Bank lands and this reversal of this policy were carried out in the same way, and even the decision to deliver vaccines to certain countries and deny them to the Palestinian neighbors continued. we have the same process.

All of these decisions were made without process and without consideration for the impact of national security.

The origin of this practice is in another time. This was a time when Israeli leaders were working on the basis of two assumptions, which while avoiding wider ramifications were justified at the time: That the world “owes us” after the Holocaust and that we are an island surrounded by a sea of ​​enemies.

Those were the early days of statehood and ghetto minds of people who had no control over their destiny.

In the decades since, the world has changed and the new Israeli leaders who came out were not inspired in the same way as their elders. Israel has become a regional power and has lived in peace with its most powerful neighbor, Egypt, for more than 40 years. They have had a peace treaty with Jordan for more than a quarter of a year.

More contracts were recently signed, namely Abraham Accords in September 2020 which made normal relations with the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco. And these are just the terms of the public eye. There are other covert relationships, providing varying degrees of security cooperation with other countries in our region.

This changing strategic reality needs to shift in the way policy is decided and changed. That is the only way to ensure that decisions made in a field do not adversely affect other national interests.

The current approach to policy with no change is reflected in Israel’s response to two of the country’s current biggest threats: Being one state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean and Iran’s nuclear program .

Since 1967, almost every Israeli government has decided on the best course for the future of the country, refusing to choose between 2 million Palestinians to enter the Israeli population or completely separated from them.

Some governments have apologized for saying there were no “Palestinian partners” to negotiate. No matter how valid that excuse is, the result remains that how the country is placed in the hands of the Palestinian leadership now or in the future.

This inability to make a decision is dependent on ongoing military regulation until such a “partner” is found on more than 50 years of a gradual shift towards a binational state at the time. future.

None of the national institutions in Israel has been asked to stress such an event. Israel’s future security, economic stability, international standing and regional relations have never been examined in the context of a single state.

As for Iran, government policies do not take a unified approach to the challenges ahead.

Israel has been dealing with Iran’s entry into its northern border separately from the other issues related to the policies of the Islamic Republic.

This means that the northern border is viewed separately from the main threat from Iran’s race to acquire nuclear weapons and the means of delivery.

It also underestimates the potential benefits of the efforts of the United States and its allies to thwart Iran’s plans, the importance of the strategic alliance with the US for Israel’s national security and influence. Israeli policies toward Palestine on such a valuable strategy. alliance.

It is time for Israel to finalize its reactive policies and create a comprehensive strategy based on all the interests and concerns facing the country.

It is time for Israel to campaign, demonstrate capabilities and seize opportunities. With this new approach, a new response from Washington will meet Israel.

A group of high-ranking IDF veterans and other security agencies have called on Israel to investigate a diplomatic approach to Iran before considering any weapons option.

These veterans are urging the Israeli government to support American efforts to bring Iran back to full compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal and any conditions to reduce sanctions on such surrender.

Once this is achieved, Israel can support ongoing talks to fill the holes in the original nuclear deal in Iran and the question of Iran’s medium and long-range missile project and its regional invasion can be addressed.

Such a move would allow Israel to implement initiatives to stop the slipping into a binational state and even draft agreements on a two-state solution that could be demonstrated further down the. road.

As Israel approaches the 73rd anniversary of its birth, with unparalleled military strength and other assets such as technological innovation, it is time for the yo government to recognize that it is leading a mature and powerful country. can decide its own path, first by creating a strategy to guarantee future national security.

Tamir Pardo was a director of the Mossad Intelligence Group