Israel Must Seize the Day

[King_David]

HAIFA, Israel — Progress toward Israeli-Palestinian peace will help thwart Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions. Both developments will improve Israel’s security. But Israel’s top officials are not yet convinced.

Most notably, the linkage eludes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has condemned the Iran deal signed in Geneva, and his anger about that agreement had a negative impact on his latest discussions with Secretary of State John Kerry about the Palestinian talks, according to Israeli press reports.

Mr. Netanyahu’s insistence in identifying Iran as a threat and calling for tougher sanctions has had some positive effects. Over time, it eventually helped push Iran back to negotiations, and in a weaker position. And the prime minister was right when he encouraged suspicion regarding the new Iranian leadership; until proven otherwise, Iran still presents itself to the region as a dangerous combination of religious radicalism, ambitions for regional dominance and aspirations for a strategic arsenal.

But Mr. Netanyahu is dead wrong in not understanding that the road to dealing with Tehran goes through Ramallah, and that time is running out not only for halting Iran’s nuclear weapons program but also for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Moreover, he fails to comprehend that maintaining the status quo on the Palestinian question poses a major obstacle to progress on the Iranian issue.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/02/opinion/israel-must-seize-the-day.html?hpw&rref=opinion&_r=0

[oberliner]

1. They have the wrong person for the job as PM

And the right person is the woman who actually won the election.

[King_David]

2. Agreed,

Did you see that Lieberman has "endorsed" the plan?

[aranthus]

3. Not true.

Yes, Israel needs to make every effort to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians, even, in my pinion, accepting a deal that is less than a real peace agreement. But the road to stopping Iran's nuclear weapons program doesn't run through Ramallah for the simple reason that there isn't any road at all. Because Iran's weapons program is about more than just Israel. It's about the US and Pakistan and Iran's Arab neighbors, and Iran's dreams of hegemony in the Middle East. And Iran isn't giving up the weapons program short of war, and no one in the US leadership wants to be at war with Iran. Which is also why Iran's weapons program shouldn't be seen as a block in the road with Palestinians.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

4. Well, since they have seized most of the West bank I guess that the only

other thing left is the day to grab onto and claim as their own.