Hagel to rein in Israel on Iran strike: commentators
Hagel to rein in Israel on Iran strike: commentators.
Wednesday, 09 January 2013
Chuck Hagel, the nominee for the next U.S. defense secretary, will seek to rein in Israel over any attempt to carry out a unilateral strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, Israeli observers believe.
Hagel’s nomination by U.S. President Barack Obama must still be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, but the prospect of the former senator assuming the top Pentagon post has already stirred concern in Israel.
Analysts and commentators note that Hagel is known for a non-interventionist approach to foreign policy, and is believed to be strongly opposed to the use of military force to tackle Iran’s nuclear program.
“The road to Iran stops at Hagel,” wrote commentator Bradley Burston in Wednesday’s Haaretz newspaper.
“Obama’s message to (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu on Iran is succinct enough to be spelled out in 10 letters: Chuck Hagel.”
“The message to Jerusalem is clear: it won’t be easy from now on getting a green light from Washington to embark on an adventure in Iran,” commentator Orly Azulai wrote a day earlier in the top-selling Yediot Aharonot daily.
“That is one of the reasons why top figures in Jewish organizations in the United States, as well as high-ranking Israeli political officials, have been spending the part number of weeks engaged in a concerted effort to prevent Hagel from being appointed,” Azulai added.
“They argue that he is bad for Israel because he supports dialogue with Hamas and Hezbollah, and he doesn’t think that the solution to the Iranian nuclear program is war.”
Nadav Eyal, writing in the Maariv daily, agreed that Hagel favored a non-military solution to the issue of Iran’s nuclear program, which much of the international community believes masks a weapons drive, despite Tehran’s denials.
“Hagel would like for the U.S. to speak directly with Iran, and no, he does not believe that war is the necessary outcome of the nuclear crisis there. He wants to avoid war at almost any price.”
Haaretz’s Burston said that in selecting Hagel, Obama was sending the message that in his second term, he would not “grant the same flexibility” to Netanyahu.
“In the hole he dug with his ostentatious contempt for Obama, a hole he cannot afford to deepen, Netanyahu may have stumbled into paving the way for Hagel’s nomination and confirmation,” he wrote referring to the Israeli leader’s open backing for Obama’s rival in the presidential elections.
“Thus, the prime minister may ultimately become the factor that blocked a war with Iran.”
Speculation about a possible unilateral Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities reached fever pitch last year, but ultimately came to nothing, amid reports of strong U.S. opposition to any such move.
In a 2003 interview with Al Arabiya, Hagel welcomed Iran for helping the United States in its early efforts against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Hagel, who was Nebraska’s senator from 1997 to 2009, said that the United States must not isolate its arch-foes, Syria and Iran. He said dialogue and engaging all of the countries in the Middle East were necessary to bring stability to the region.
The former senator, a firm believer in a two-state solution for Palestinians and Israel, rejected the Jewish state’s settlement expansion in Palestinian territories.
WarSclerotic 
January 9, 2013 at 8:28 PM
“In the hole he dug with his ostentatious contempt for Obama, a hole he cannot afford to deepen, Netanyahu may have stumbled into paving the way for Hagel’s nomination and confirmation,” he wrote referring to the Israeli leader’s open backing for Obama’s rival in the presidential elections.
“Thus, the prime minister may ultimately become the factor that blocked a war with Iran.”
To all Israelis who blame Bibi for the deterioration of the US-Israel-relations: Stop acting like a beaten housewive.
Face the fact, that no matter who is your prime minister, obama from the start was determined to change the realtionship and policy towards Israel.
Face the fact, that there are people who hate you no matter what you do or don’t do.
It is the same thinking like that of some people on 9/11:
Why do they hate us?
Shurely we have done something wrong to them.
What a load of horseshit.
Face the fact, that evil exsists and that there are people out there who hate you simply because you exist.
And talking about a “green light”: This administration will give Israel not even a yellow light.
No Israeli leader should make themselve dependent on any light from the US but seek ways to act totally independend.
January 10, 2013 at 7:46 AM
There is not even a small chance that we will see an open, massive , israeli strike in Iran. That won’t happen, even if the president of the USA will be a rabbi. What we could do a couple of years before – and we should do that – we cannot do today because of the regional strategic situation. We won’t enter here in all the details why is not healthy to do this , but we’ll say only this : an israeli action now will strength the ayatollahs when they are in a very bad position, especially in Syria. But different men have different other techniques to deliver heavy blows on the iranian’s ”atomic games”
. No finger print must be seen and no finger print will be offered.
Troubles in Iran ? Nobody will be surprised if mysterious accidents will happen. Are you playing with fire ? You can burn yourself.
Are you playing with the atom ? You can blow yourself up.
January 10, 2013 at 8:31 AM
I understand what you are saying, No need to say more.
Regarding Syria and Iran here is an interesting opinion piece from Arab News http://www.arabnews.com/iran-ambassador-lebanon-dinner-diplomacy
January 10, 2013 at 9:49 AM
It is true that the Iranian oligarchs have never been so unpopular, so close to losing power. It is also true that the atomic weapons’ threat from Iran has never so close to being a reality. So it is logical that successful covert actions have never been so urgently needed, and appear to be the ideal solution.
January 10, 2013 at 8:38 AM
And from the same guy another highly intereresting article on Egypt http://www.arabnews.com/who-rules-egypt
January 12, 2013 at 8:46 PM
As if Israel ever had any plans to attack Iran and as if Israel ever bothered to ask the US for permission in all those instances where it did attack neighboring countries.