JERUSALEM, Israel — The world’s military power appears to be focused on the Islamic State, worrying some in the Middle East who believe an even greater danger lurks in the region.
For the first time in years, much of the world and many Arab countries appear united—this time against ISIS terrorists. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to sound the alarm about the dangers of a nuclear-armed Iran.
“Make no mistake, ISIS must be defeated. But defeating ISIS and leaving Iran as a threshold nuclear power means winning the battle and losing the war,” he told the UN General Assembly in New York.
Netanyahu and other Israeli officials warn that Iran’s nuclear program is keeping them up at night. One official said that ISIS is a five-year problem, but Iran is a 50-year problem.
“I am here to tell you that Israel is deeply concerned,” said Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz.
This concern, according to Israel’s intelligence minister, relates to negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.
“The Iranians have not shown any real flexibility on two main issues: the centrifuges – the uranium enrichment centrifuges – and the heavy water facility at Arak,” he explained.
Steinitz also said that Israel is worried that the negotiators will end up with a bad deal. He says no deal is better than a bad deal.
“No agreement means that you stand by your principle, that you do not give up, that you do not sacrifice the future of the world, that you do not sacrifice global security, that you are not ready [and] that what happened with North Korea will happen again in one, two or three years with Iran,” he continued.
And Middle East analyst Jonathan Spyer revisits the fight against ISIS and how it might ironically help Iran.
“So if it becomes the primary or sole objective of Western policy to destroy Sunni Islam and Sunni jihadism in these areas, the effective result would be to strengthen by default the enemies of these forces, which are not democratic forces, their pro-Iranian forces,” said Spyer, a senior researcher at the Global Research in International Affairs Center in Herzliya and a fellow at the Middle East Forum.
“They are Shiite Islamists allied with Iran. So it is crucial to keep that bigger picture in mind if we are to avoid effectively strengthening or acting absurdly in cooperation with our most dangerous enemies in the region,” he said.
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