Politics of Israel and Iran - Essay Example

Israel and Iran: Politics and Diplomacy Addressing the Israeli cabinet on the occasion of his leaving the post of director of Military Intelligence, Amos Yadlin, told the cabinet that Iran was Israels major threat and that its nuclear program was the major problem.1 The following discussion will focus on the diplomatic relationship between Israel and Iran. First, a brief history of the relationship will be presented. Then the issues between the countries today will be outlined. Finally, recommendations will be made in any effort to improve the relationship between the two countries.

Israel was founded in the wake of World War II as a Jewish homeland in the Middle East. This has created problems with the Palestinians who feel that they were dispossessed. Even in the West Bank, nominally a Palestinian state there is Jewish settlement and brutal military repression. This issue, and the resentment of the Arab states about a Jewish state in the Middle East has led to many wars (1956, 1967, 1973, the Israeli invasions of the Lebanon in 1982, 2006 and the 2009 Israeli invasion of the Gaza).

Iran has been a country much longer than Israel. In 1978 a revolution deposed the Shah and started an era of theocracy or religious government. Internally and externally the government has adopted very pro-Islam policies including threats to destroy Israel. Iran has also worked to develop a nuclear program nd nuclear missiles capable of targeting Israel. The Iranian nuclear threat is at the heart of the current diplomatic conflict between Israel and Iran. This is somewhat unfair. Israel has nuclear weapons, although it does not officially admit that it does.

Therefore, it is difficult, particularly for Muslims, to understand its stance that Iran cannot have them.2 On the other hand, both Israel and the United States are adamantly opposed to Iran developing nuclear weapons. After meeting U.S. Vice-President Biden on November 8, 2010 a source told Aljazeera, “The only way to ensure that Iran will not go nuclear is to create a credible threat of military action against it if it doesnt cease its race for a nuclear weapon."3 Israel attacked a suspected Iraqui nuclear reactor in 1981 and a suspected Syrian reactor in 2007.

It is suspected of planning to attack Iran in the same way.4 The second key issue is Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank. Iran strongly opposes this, as do the United States and the United Nations. However, Israel recently ended a 10-month freeze on settlement and has settled 500,000 persons in the illegally occupied West Bank since 1967.5 The third key issue is mutual distrust. A recent editorial in the Daily Star (Beirut) noted that throughout the Arab world there is distrust of Israel based on its repeated acts of aggression, its refusal to abide by Security Council resolutions and its secret nuclear program.

6 This trust issue cannot be solved in the short term. It can only be solved by incremental improvements in relations that build trust. However, many incremental steps could be taken to improve trust. Both countries need to stop acting like rogue states. Israel needs to respect Palestinian autonomy, and demonstrate that by stopping settlement in the West Bank and preparing to withdraw its military and settlers as it did in the Sinai to achieve peace with Egypt. It also needs to clarify its shadow status as a nuclear power.

In return Iran has to tone down its rhetoric and stop trying to built nuclear missiles to attack Israel. However, in the climate of distrust these steps are going to demand a major change of heart on both sides that may be impossible. However, without them the threat of renewed violence will hang over the Middle East perpetually. References Associated Press International (API). “Bush book sheds light on Israeli attack on Syria”. November 9, 2010. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hLNvlO-c9e_7OSzGd7rqW79XpcmQ?

docId=a6c8e91c82ec442baf41bbef9aa4852d. (accessed November 12, 2010). Diehl, Jackson, 2010. “Stuck in the 1980s”. The Washington Post. November 22, 2010. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/21/AR2010112103771.html. (accessed November 22, 2010). “Israel pushes harder Iran stance”. Al Jazeera. November 8, 2010. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/11/201011813416160172.html.(accessed November 12, 2010). Katz, Yaakov and Herb Keinon, 2010. “MI chief warns: TA may be on frontlines of next conflict”.

The Jerusalem Post. November 22, 2010. http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=196218. (accessed November 22, 2010). Oguz, C. Cem, 2010. “How a Muslim thinks and nuclear Iran”, The Daily News (Turkey). November 21, 2010. http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=how-a-muslim-thinks-and-nuclear-iran-2010-11-21. (accessed November 22, 2010). Varner, Bill, 2010. “Palestinians Will Ask Security Council to Halt Israels West Bank Building”. Bloomberg. November 10, 2010. http://www.bloomberg.

com/news/2010-11-10/palestinians-will-ask-security-council-to-halt-israel-s-west-bank-building.html. (accessed November 12, 2010). “Will Diplomacy Prevail in Ghajar?”Daily Star (Beirut). November 8, 2010. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=17&article_id=121274#axzz162NnKNVY. (accessed November 12, 2010).