News and Updates

"We must not repeat the mistakes of the past. The nuclear threat posed by Iran and Ahmadinejad can be compared to the rise of Nazi Germany and Hitler and the armament of the third Reich in the 1930s," MK Yuval Steinitz warned Likud Anglos in Jerusalem in December, 2007. Iran can acquire useable nuclear weapons and long-range missiles in as little as three years, according to Steinitz, which would lead to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and scuttle any hopes of peace in the region. However Iran does not yet pose an immediate danger to Israel since it only has a few dozen missiles capable of reaching Israel, most of which would be intercepted by the Arrow missile defense system.

The Annapolis summit should be cancelled, according to Steinitz, since there is no reliable or capable Palestinian partner. We cannot think about a two state solution at this time, because of the Palestinian behavior since Oslo, the fact that they violated all previous agreements, and the Hamas takeover in Gaza. If the Palestinian leadership is so we weak that it is claimed we must strengthen them by making concessions, they are also too weak to make any real concessions on their side. We should not make any further agreements until we have had a totally different and positive experience with the Palestinians for several years - no rockets, no terrorism, and no incitement.

The amount of weapons flowing into Gaza from the porous Egyptian border allows Hamas to build several infantry brigades a year, Steinitz said, violating Israel's basic doctrine of defense. An enemy is an enemy, and should be treated as an enemy. How can we ask the world to sanction Iran, yet provide fuel and electricity to such an enemy? However, sanctions will not be enough. We need another military ground operation such as Defensive Shield to dismantle terror networks.