Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh: Sanctions against Iran will not
succeed. (Archives)
"I am not advocating an Israeli pre-emptive military action against Iran
and I am aware of its possible repercussions," Sneh told The Jerusalem
Post daily. "I consider it a last resort. But even the last resort is
sometimes the only resort," he said.
Sneh's tough talk is the boldest to date by a high-ranking Israeli
official. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other leaders frequently
discuss the Iranian threat in grave terms, but stop short of discussing
military action against Tehran.
The former Israel Defense Forces brigadier general said that Israel
cannot afford "living under a dark cloud of fear from a leader committed
to its destruction." Under such a threat, he said, "most Israelis would
prefer not to live here; most Jews would prefer not to come here with
their families; and Israelis who can live abroad will."
"People are not enthusiastic about being scorched," he said.
Sneh said Israel's greatest possible danger could be Iran's President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's ability "to kill the Zionist dream without pushing
a button. That's why we must prevent this regime from obtaining nuclear
capability at all costs."
Ahmadinejad has previously called for Israel to be "wiped off the map,"
and has expressed doubts that the Holocaust, in which six million Jews
were murdered, took place.
The deputy minister said that while he hopes that efficient sanctions
would be imposed by the international community against Iran, "the
chances are not high... My working assumption is that they won't
succeed."
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