WarSclerotic

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to travel to Europe this week in a bid to rally support from key allies for amending the international nuclear deal with Iran and for pushing Iranian forces out of Syria.

Netanyahu is set to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday, followed by meeting with the leaders of France and the U.K.

According to British daily The Times, ahead of his visit to Berlin, Paris ‎and London, Netanyahu shared with Israel’s allies some of the top-‎secret files obtained by the Mossad Israel’s intelligence agency, ‎proving the military nature of Iran’s nuclear program.‎

According to the report, among the trove of files making up the ‎Iranian nuclear archive was a memorandum, dated to 2001, in ‎which the Iranian Defense Ministry authorized the country’s ‎military to enrich uranium from 3% to over 90% – military-grade ‎levels that suggest Iran had every intention of building a nuclear ‎weapon.‎

The memorandum was signed by Amir Daryaban Ali Shamkhami, ‎who now serves as secretary of Iran’s National Security Council ‎and is a top military adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali ‎Khamenei.‎

What Iran told the International Atomic Energy Agency about its ‎capacities was almost comical compared to what we have here,” a ‎senior Israeli intelligence officer told The Times.‎

‎”Iran said there had only been feasibility and scientific studies but ‎what we see is that Iran ran a full-fledged nuclear weapons ‎program and that it followed directions from the political levels.”‎

Addressing his cabinet Sunday, Netanyahu said archenemy Iran would top his agenda and expressed optimism for a successful visit.

Israel has been a leading critic of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, and more recently has said it will not allow Iran to establish a permanent military presence in Syria.

“For years we stood alone against these twin threats and I think that the situation has changed for the better,” Netanyahu said.

“I will reiterate an unchanging truth: Israel will not allow Iran to achieve nuclear weapons.

“I will also insist on a basic principle: Israel retains, and will continue to retain, freedom of action against the establishment of an Iranian military presence anywhere in Syria.”

Netanyahu unsuccessfully tried to block the landmark nuclear deal, which gave Iran relief from crippling sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program, when it was being negotiated in 2015 under the leadership of U.S. President Barack Obama. He has found a welcome ally in President Donald Trump, who last month announced the U.S.’s withdrawal from the deal.

Reuters

Both the U.S. and Israel hope Trump’s withdrawal can lead all sides into addressing what they say are the deal’s shortcomings, including “sunset” provisions that end restrictions on Iranian nuclear activities and permitting Iran to continue to develop long-range missiles.

Netanyahu says that when the deal expires over the next decade, Iran will emerge with the ability to produce a nuclear bomb in a very short time.

The remaining signatories to the nuclear deal have said they are still committed to it, especially since Iran is – at least for now – abiding by its provisions, though some top officials have suggested it has resumed its enrichment activities.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said France insists on holding a dialogue with Iran.

An official in Macron’s office said France, Germany and the U.K. have all been “clear” that they will work with the existing deal, viewing it as the best way to control Iran’s nuclear activity.

Oded Eran, a former Israeli ambassador to the European Union who is now a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, said Netanyahu is unlikely to change the minds of the European leaders on the necessity for the current agreement.

But he said Netanyahu may sway them on certain details not included in the deal, such as Iran’s missile development and the expiration of restrictions on nuclear activity.

“It is no secret that the prime minister wants to completely change the agreement and replace it with an agreement that covers the issues that are missing,” Eran said. “I don’t think that he will change the policy, but he may get a commitment to work on the missing points.”

Eran said Netanyahu may make more progress on his other demand, expelling Iranian forces from Syria. Eran said he believes the European leaders are receptive to Israeli concerns.

“I think he will reach an understanding on the question of Iran’s deployment in Syria and other activities of Iran in the region,” he said.

In addition to discussing the Iranian deal, Netanyahu is likely to hear about European concerns about Israel’s use of live fire in the mass Palestinian riots along the Gaza Strip’s border with Israel.

Some 120 Palestinians have been killed since the Hamas-orchestrated protests began on March 30. The EU has accused Israel of using excessive force, and rights groups have accused Israel of acting illegally by using deadly force against “unarmed” protesters.