Litvak: “Serious repercussions on security from the clash on justice”
The strong divisions in Israel on justice reform “have serious implications for national security”, “it is a real national crisis”. The alarm was sounded by Meir Litvak, an Israeli expert on Iran, interviewed by Adnkronos on the occasion of the visit of Israeli premier Benyamin Netanyahu, expected tomorrow in Rome.
“Internal divisions in Israel over government policies have serious national security implications. Never in Israel’s history has there been such a large movement among former army officers and soldiers who warn they do not want to serve under what appears to be a legalized dictatorship”, notes the professor of Middle East history and Iran expert at Tel Aviv University.
All of this “could have an immediate impact on the short-term readiness of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), send a signal to Iran and Hezbollah that Israeli society is deeply divided, if not torn apart – continues Litvak, referring to the pro-Iranian Shiite party and its militia in Lebanon – And this may tempt Hezbollah or Islamic Jihad in Gaza to launch attacks against Israel.” Finally, notes the professor, “it questions whether the government will have the legitimacy to lead soldiers into battle in an emergency. It is a real national crisis”.
‘Iran has not yet decided on bomb, Israeli raid unlikely’
As for Iran, where the IAEA has denounced a uranium enrichment that has now reached 84%, Litvak does not believe that there is already a decision to arrive at the bomb, nor that Netanyahu could be tempted by a raid on the Iran to distract public opinion from justice reform.
“Iran is certainly walking on the edge of the abyss in its uranium enrichment policy,” but I don’t think the 84% enrichment reflects “their decision to go straight to a bomb, otherwise they would have gotten to 90% – reasons the expert – I think it is a provocation to try to force the international community to remove the sanctions against them”.
“I believe that an Israeli raid on Iran is now extremely unlikely. Preparations for a raid of this type take a long time”, points out Litvak, recalling how “one good thing” about Netanyahu “is that he has always been cautious in the use of force “. “I very much doubt – he continues – that Netanyahu will start a war while Israeli society is so divided. You can see it from the way he tried to calm the situation after the killing of two settlers and the pogrom carried out by the settlers against (the village Palestinian) by Huwara. He knows that a war would be a bad thing not only for Israel, but also for himself. Furthermore, it would be complete madness to go to war in Iran without American consent. Netanyahu is a dangerous man for what he is doing to Israeli society, but he’s not crazy.”
(by Maria Cristina Vicar)
Source-www.adnkronos.com