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Ha'aretz Editorial: "A reply to Ahmadinejad"

The next government must adhere to the balanced approach. It must explain to the public that Israel does not face a holocaust and that it can defend itself and deter its enemies.

9/25/08

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad used his speech at the United Nations General Assembly two days ago for a flagrant attack against Israel. Ahmadinejad prophesized that "the Zionist regime is on the path to collapse" and repeated the anti-Semitic claim that "a handful of Zionists controls the economic centers and political decision making" in the West.

Ahmadinejad's fourth visit to New York was held against the backdrop of the disintegration of the international effort to impose sanctions on his country in an attempt to curb its nuclear program. According to an assessment by Military Intelligence presented to the cabinet this week, Iran is "galloping toward a nuclear bomb" and mastering the technology for enriching uranium, while the diplomatic and economic battle against it is ineffective.

Israel is justifiably concerned about the naivete with which Ahmadinejad was received by the American media, as well as the world's growing tendency to view him as a legitimate leader and cease efforts to stop the Iranian nuclear program. The calls by the Iranian president to destroy Israel deserve the strongest condemnation, and we must continue the diplomatic struggle against them. But Israel must not be boxed into the corner where Ahmadinejad wants it and join an exchange of threats and counterthreats, which would only intensify the anxiety in Israel and possibly lead to a confrontation.

The chance that the United States or Israel will try to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities looks slim at the moment. Even without waiving the military option, we must not be tempted into bombing as a miracle drug against the Iranian threat. The government is obligated to exhaust every other possibility before seriously considering using the Israel Defense Forces for a distant and highly risky operation in Iran.

Since a direct Israeli rapprochement with Iran is impossible because of the regime's hostility to Israel's very existence, the best chance of calming the atmosphere and reducing the threat lies in starting negotiations between the United States and Iran. The two U.S. presidential candidates support this approach, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, with the understanding that it is the only route not yet tried and is likely to help moderate Iranian policy. Israel must encourage an American rapprochement with Iran, with the understanding that this will serve the Israeli interest as well.

Prime minister-designate Tzipi Livni presented a balanced approach to the Iranian threat in interviews before the Kadima primary. Livni does not accept the statement that Israel "will not be able to live" with a nuclear Iran; she says Israel will live and must deal with the challenges it faces. In her response to Ahmadinejad's speech yesterday, Livni demanded that Iran not be allowed to join the UN Security Council, but she was not carried away into making belligerent threats. Livni believes that Israel must not stand at the head of Iran's opponents, releasing the international community from the need to stop that country's nuclear program.

The next government must adhere to the balanced approach. It must explain to the public that Israel does not face a holocaust and that it can defend itself and deter its enemies. The next government must support a diplomatic effort led by the United States to change Iran's threatening policy.