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| By Israel Insider staff August 6, 2007 |
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An Israeli research institute that works closely with the government on national security issues has recently called on Israel to initiate talks with the United States on Iran. The institute warns that if Israel does not act soon, the US may try to achieve a "package deal" excluding Israel, Haaretz reported.
In recent days the institute, Reut, published the report "A Libya scenario in Iran - the United States goes it alone," warning that Washington may try to resolve the Iranian nuclear crisis without considering Israel. Reut's findings have many top Israeli officials worried.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinijad has called repeatedly for Israel to be "wiped off the face of the map," a threat that would gain frightening credibility if Iran were to achieve nuclear capability. The Iranian government currently funds and smuggles weapons to militant groups that carry out terrorist attacks against Israel.
The institute is nonprofit and nonpartisan, focusing on national security, especially in particular regarding the Palestinians. Senior figures in the Prime Minister's Bureau, the National Security Council, the Foreign Ministry, the Defense Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces read and take into consideration its position papers.
This most recent report warns that despite the strength of Israel's alliance with the US, it is imprudent to assume that the two countries' interests always overlap. Analysts say that America ranks Iraq and stability in the Gulf states as first priority.
Reut analysts outlined three possible scenarios, beginning with a US military strike against Iran, which they say is becoming less and less likely. A second projected scenario is that the Bush administration will continue with indirect diplomatic channels and sanctions, leaving the big decisions to his sucessor. Last, and the most threatening to Israel, is direct talks between Washington and Teheran that exclude Israel.
The report warns that if the US and Iran strike a deal without Israel's involvement, then the Jewish state must ensure that "the essential interests of the State of Israel are preserved."
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